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The John Townsend Trust
Registered Charity No. 1127209
Working names within The John Townsend Trust
RoyalSchool for Deaf Children Margate
WestgateCollege
Community Living Services
Monkshill Farm
CANDIDATE BRIEF
For the position of Governor
The John Townsend Trust
The John Townsend Trust’s origins lie in 1792 when John Townsend founded a charity in the East End of London for the education of the “deaf children of the poor”. It has subsequently evolved, adapting to changing circumstances for over two centuries. A particular landmark was the move in 1863 from London to Margate, although its roots continue to be reflected as many children and young people in its care come from London.
The RoyalSchool for Deaf Children Margate (Founded in 1792)
All pupils have a hearing impairment or communication difficulty and in recent years an increasing number face additional educational, emotional, behavioural or medical problems as a result of which not only the National Curriculum is on offer but also high quality pastoral care and the development of independent living skills.
WestgateCollege (Established in 1978)
The College builds further upon the work of the RoyalSchool and upon the earlier education received by entrants from other institutions, offering a wide range of vocational and non-vocational programmes for 19-22 year olds, mostly within WestgateCollege but some at our local mainstream college.
The predominant residential nature of both School and College provides wide opportunities for sporting, creative and other recreational activities whilst the use of some local facilities encourages integration in the community.
Many specialists are employed, including Teachers of the Deaf, nursing and medical staff, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, visual advisers, an audiologist and a physiotherapist. Effective communication is a central objective with a total communication environment being created to meet individual needs. This can include British Sign Language, Sign Supported English and Augmentative Communication systems as well as spoken language. A key strength is the emotional and behavioural support provided for all learners.
Monkshill Farm – Dargate
Since the 1990s the Charity has owned Monkshill Farm [located near Faversham], enabling it to offer land-based and animal care programmes not only for their own learners but also learners from local schools and colleges. The recent opening of a purpose-built Farm Shop and Café has both provided an outlet for the farm’s own beef, lamb, pork and eggs and enhanced opportunities for work experience and apprenticeships.
Charity Shops
The Trust has recently opened two Charity Shops located in Margate and Ramsgate. The shops offer real working environments in which our pupils and students undertake their retail and customer service courses. They also offer work experience and volunteering opportunities for other groups within the community.
Hydrotherapy Pool/Disability Gym and Café
The Trust’s new Hydrotherapy Pool Complex will be opening in the autumn of 2013. The facilities will include a large hydrotherapy pool with full disability access and a fully equipped gym. There is a café area which will be adjoined to our small enterprise/garden centre area at a later date.
These facilities will service pupils, students and adults within the Trust as well as the wider community.
A Period of Change
The last two decades have witnessed dramatic changes in the Charity as it has responded to both changes and gaps in government policy. The philosophy is now that, wherever possible, deaf children should be educated in mainstream schools, leading to a fall in the numbers placed in the School and a change in their character as they now predominantly have additional special needs. This challenge has produced a purposeful and successful response with numbers now stabilising. The reduction in numbers has created the opportunity to fill a major gap in social care as an expanding programme of supported living for young adults [now over thirty in number] whose needs hitherto all too often were not recognised has been put in place.
Vacancies for Governors
The Charity is seeking to appoint two or three new members to the Education and Standards Sub-Committee.
The Education and Standards Sub-Committee is responsible for ensuring that both educational attainment and care standards are monitored and evaluated as required by the Office of Educational Standards [Ofsted] and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) respectively, reporting to the Board of Directors on these matters. Each Governor has an area of responsibility appropriate to their skill and experience.
Role Description
The duties of a Governor are:
- To safeguard the Trust’s good name, to promote its mission values, and to ensure compliance with its governing documents, relevant legislation and regulatory requirements.
- To contribute their skills, knowledge and judgement to the determination of the Trust’s strategic direction for the School and College by agreeing its policies and advising on budgets and ensuring performance is measured against set targets.
- To attend three meetings together with relevant functions and events and to show willingness to serve on working parties, to sit on committees and to meet with students and staff to ensure a broad understanding of the Charity’s work.
- Each Governor on the Education and Standards Sub-Committee has a link role relative to a particular area and will make 3 visits during the academic year, providing a report following each visit.
Person Specification
- Commitment to the Trust’s ethos and objectives with the capacity to relate to people with disabilities.
- Skill and sensitivity in dealing with people at all levels.
- Intellectual capacity to grasp new issues and to think strategically and practically.
- Ability to win the confidence of the Trust’s stakeholders.
- Capacityto utilise a personal network of contacts and to make new links for the Charity.
- A willingness to speak one’s mind within the framework of effective team-work.
Current Needs
The Trust is currently particularly seeking to recruit Governors with skills and knowledge in one or more of the following areas:
Health & Safety, Safeguarding, Human Resources,
Deafness and Complex Needs
In making appointments the Trust seeks to ensure that the composition of the Board and its Committees reflects equality and diversity whilst also welcoming applications from those who have used specialist services such as those it provides.
It should be stressed that at any application meeting, the key requirement of enthusiastic interest in and commitment to the Trust’s work is welcomed and it is certainly hoped that the job descriptions and person specifications should not be seen as imposing too high a hurdle! Experience confirms that applicants can be unduly modest but generally prove quick learners and find the work rewarding, even if unremunerated!
How to Apply
Application is by CV and a supporting statement outlining the reasons for your interest in the post and what you believe you can contribute. Please include full contact details, including daytime and evening telephone numbers.
Details should be sent to:
The Chair of the Board of Directors
The John Townsend Trust
Victoria Road
Margate
Kent CT9 1NB
M:\Central Services Staff\Chief Exec\Governors and Directors\Forms for employing new Director _ Governor\Candidate Brief for the position of Governor Sept 2013.doc