Trustees

Schoolsworks Academy Trust seek three new trustees with expertise in business, safeguarding or IT to join our board as we continue to grow and positively impact the lives of our young people, and the communities we serve.

Applications close at: 9 a.m. Tuesday 10th September 2024

Location: Littlehampton and surrounding areas

About Schoolsworks Academy Trust

Schoolsworks is the largest primary-only multi-academy trust in West Sussex, creating a local hub of schools that collaborate closely to share best practices and improve children’s outcomes.

We are built on a philosophy of school-to-school support, emphasising healthy relationships and a strong commitment to helping each school achieve excellence.

Our work primarily occurs in schools, supported by a small but effective central team that manages financial and legal compliance and aids teaching and learning.

About the roles

Following the end of the terms of some of our Trust board members, we are actively looking to appoint new people to join our board.

Our trustees contribute to our strategy, compliance, and performance — both educationally and financially. They do this by positively challenging our executive leaders, bringing their professional expertise to board meetings, and upholding our ethos in everything they do.

We welcome individuals who may not have previously held non-executive roles but understand the governance role. We are particularly interested in candidates open to taking on a board leadership role at either the Trust board or committee level. It is our belief that if you have expertise that can benefit our board and share our belief in providing excellent foundations for young people through education and care, then we can support you in becoming an excellent trustee.

We offer in-depth training and support and provide resources for you to flourish in your role.

Who we are looking for

We are looking to appoint trustees who share our vision and values. The appointed individuals will share a passion for collaborating for the success of our Trust, the communities that we serve, and most importantly, each and every learner who attends a Schoolsworks school.

We welcome applications from all professional backgrounds, although we are specifically on the lookout for trustees who can come with a background in the following:

• Business

The appointed candidate can come with a range of expertise, but we are hopeful of appointing someone with a background in either:

• Audit and risk management
• Legal
• Marketing and PR
• Finance
• Operations and business management.

You will play a crucial role in guiding us to ensure effective strategies, policies, and practices whilst bringing a detailed focus to evaluating our reports.

As we continue to grow, you will offer advice and guidance on ensuring we remain organisationally effective and can bring our systems and processes into line — you will also contribute to our marketing and PR strategy.

Your expertise will be vital in ensuring that we remain efficient and robust in our business practices and celebrate this in the public domain.

• Safeguarding

We believe that safeguarding is not just a series of policies and procedures but a culture lived and breathed by all of our staff, students and partners. So, we are looking for a trustee with a strong background in safeguarding young people in educational settings.

Applicants should come with some relevant experience in either multi-academy trusts, schools, local authority, further education, higher education, in inspection roles, or demonstrable safeguarding experience in sectors such as healthcare and youth-based charities.

Your expertise in safeguarding will greatly complement our existing board and strengthen our commitment to the safety and well-being of our students.

• IT/digital

We are also on the lookout for trustees with a strong background in IT and digital transformation. Your expertise will be instrumental in advancing our technological capabilities and supporting our mission to enhance educational experiences and operational efficiency across our schools.

In this role, you will support the executive leadership team to craft and implement forward-thinking IT and digital strategies and provide expert advice on technology policies and practices, ensuring we are robust, secure, and compliant with current regulations, especially as we undergo a period of growth.

The chosen candidate should come with proven leadership in IT or digital transformation-based roles or organisations and a deep understanding of digital best practices, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance.

Peridot Partners and Schoolsworks Academy Trust are, together, committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Our client expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references before any final offer can be made.

Please click 'Apply via website’ to be redirected to the Peridot Partners website, where you can find full details of the candidate profile and register your interest to apply.

Applications for this role close at 9 a.m. Tuesday 10th September 2024