Sir John Lawes Academies Trust

Sir John Lawes Academies Trust

Sir John Lawes School, Manland Way, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 4QP/ Samuel Ryder Academy, Drakes Drive, St Albans, Herts, AL1 5AR

About the trust

The Sir John Lawes Academies Trust was formed in 2011 when Sir John Lawes School, an outstanding academy since 2008, was asked to sponsor Samuel Ryder Academy in St Albans, previously a failing school. Since 2011, Samuel Ryder has opened a primary department taking it from an 11-18 school to an all-through school (the first in Hertfordshire), increased its GCSE results by 20% to 60% and numbers in Yr 7 have grown from 45 students (2012) to 180 (expected September 2016). SRA is now awaiting a visit from Ofsted in order to move from RI to Good which we are confident the school will do.

Trust ethos & Values

The shared values of the SJL Academies Trust are summed up in the ACE: Achievement, Care and Excellence. The ACE underpins everything the Trust does and provides a secure basis for all each academy strives to accomplish:

• Achievement in academic, artistic, sporting, cultural and other areas with a focus on teaching and learning

• Care for students, staff and others beyond the academy trust community

• Excellent standards, manners, honesty, personal integrity and uniform.

The Sir John Lawes Academies Trust’s objective is to produce responsible young people of whom all can be proud, who have achieved more than they ever believed possible and who are prepared to make a contribution to their local national and global communities.

Our key challenge for the future is the expansion of the Trust. We have at least one secondary school aiming to join us in September 2016 with another primary in the pipeline.

Plans for the Future

The trust's development plan provides for us to add 2 new schools this year (as noted above) and then to increase over the next two years to about 7 schools in total. Clearly it is important that we don't rush any expansion and jeopardise the improvements we need to make in the schools we are working with.

Role specification

Number of Positions Advertised: 2

Role Title: Trustee/ Non-Executive Director

The Trust board meets about three times a year (we sometimes call extraordinary meetings if the need arises) and retains strategic oversight and governance of the schools within the trust. Key responsibilities include final approval of the budgets agreed by the local governing bodies in each school, ensuring due dilligence is carried out on any new schools asking to join the trust, final decisions over new members of the trust, ensuring the trust's policies and procedures meet statutory requirements, overseeing the work of the head teachers in the trust and the CEO and Director of School Improvement.

Person Specification

Our trust board already has a great deal of financial and legal expertise. The skills that we perhaps lack on the board are HR, Corporate Governance and Marketing.

In terms of the size of our organisation, we currently have nearly 300 staff within the Trust and the addition of the new schools will take us to nearer 500. Someone with a background in HR would be very useful in helping us sharpen our practices as we become a bigger organisation.

Again as we grow, advice on marketing would be useful and might help streamline our messages to both the trust community and to the wider public.

Core Competencies Number of Positions Advertised:

Branding/ Marketing

Corporate Governance

Growth Management

HR

Time commitment

> 4-8 Hours/month minimum

Governance Structure

> Insert logo of governance structure

We have an audit committee that meets before the full trust board meetings.

Current board/ Non-executives

If Board members can be easily found online, detail:

—  Name- Position- Brief biography

Background on academy trusts

Academy schools, which are charities run independently of local authority control, now account for 65% of secondary schools and 17% of primaries – and their number is growing all the time.

Many of these schools are grouped together as multi-academy trusts. If the schools are to fulfil their potential, the trusts need non-executives (known in charity law as trustees) to bring a wide range of skills and experience to help guide strategy, ensure their ambitions can be soundly financed and keep their schools up to the mark delivering for their pupils.

Trusteeship is a voluntary, unpaid role for people who have the energy and skills to make a real contribution to shaping the future of our schools. You don’t need to have any specialist knowledge of education.

Applications

If you are interesting in applying for the role please send your CV and a short expression of interest detailing which role you are applying for to . For more information please call 0207 952 8472.

Key dates

Applicants should be aware of the following key dates in the recruitment process –

Deadline for applications: 1st April 2016

Interviews:

GOVERNANCE OF THE SIR JOHN LAWES ACADEMIES TRUST

Roles / Responsibilities
Members
Signatories
Academy Directors (ie Chairs of the LGBs)
Members (appointed by the other Members) / “Guardians of the Constitution”
No management responsibility
Power to change Articles
Meeting one a year (AGM)
Strategic Board of Directors
Principals
Academy Directors
Parent Directors
Sponsor Directors
Directors (appointed by other Directors) / “Trustees”
“Directors”
Legally responsible for all activities.
Practically responsible for all matters not delegated eg:
Auditing
Insurance
SoS intervention
HR and payroll
Meeting once a term
Company Secretary / Responsible for the company’s books
Local Governing Body for each Academy
Principal
Staff Members
Parent Members
Foundation/Sponsor Members
Other Members (appointed by the other members of the Local Governing Body) / Responsible for all matters delegated to it by the Board.
There is a general presumption in favour of delegation, includes:
Finance
Resource and premises
Curriculum and standards
Community activities
Meets at least one a term.
Academy Principal / Duties of Headteacher
Committees of the Local Governing Body
Finance
Resources
Curriculum etc / Responsible for all matters delegated to them by the Local Governing Body.
School’s usual terms of reference generally adopted.