Archdiocese / Diocese Of

[Name of Multi-Academy Company] Job Description Academy Representative of a Catholic Academy in a Multi-Academy Company

Role

The key role of the academy committee is to support the directors and help the board of directors:

• Secure, sustain and develop the Catholic character and mission of the academy; • Pursue high standards in the quality of educational provision; • Strengthen the voice of the local Catholic community in determining the strategic direction of the academy; • Build parental and parish commitment to the academy; • Protect the history and traditions of the academy in a changing educational landscape. • Ensure the academy is managed effectively and efficiently, including the academy’s finances and property; • Challenge and monitor performance as a critical friend within a framework of self-evaluation, improvement planning and monitoring; • Ensure the leadership of the academy is held to account for standards, performance and pupil progress • Ensure the well-being and safety of pupils and staff.

Strategic framework

The strategic framework requires all directors (including through delegating powers to the academy committee in the Scheme of Delegation) and the academy representatives to:

• Pursue the Object of the MAC, including the mission of the academy ‘to make Christ known’; • Establish the academy’s Catholic ethos; • Conduct the academy with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement; • Agree the vision for the preferred future of what children can become in Christ; • Set aims and objectives for the improvement of provision and outcomes in the academy; • Establish policies whereby the aims and objectives will be achieved; • Set targets for achieving those aims and objectives through the plan for academy improvement; • Ensure there is a (academy improvement) plan in place for the academy to achieve the targets, embed policies, secure the aims and objectives; • Set and monitor the budget for the MAC and the academy and allocate resources taking into account the aims and objectives;

© CatholicLinks 1 • Challenge and support the principal to improve the academy; • Review progress in implementing the plan; • Monitor and evaluate the impact of the plan on the quality of provision and pupil outcomes; • Review the overall effectiveness of the strategy and regularly review the framework for the MAC in light of evidence of progress; • Account to all stakeholders for the performance of the academy.

In practice, this means the board of directors should work together with the principals in creating a strategic framework, which defines a process for continuous improvement, analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the academies and determining and implementing policies for improvement and change as necessary to enable the children be the people God calls them to be.

Responsibilities

The key responsibilities of the foundation academy representatives collectively and individually are to ensure operationally that:

• The academy is to be conducted in accordance with the Articles of Association and the Scheme of Delegation, and the Funding Agreement signed with the Secretary of State, and the Academies Financial Handbook;

And with respect to the academy’s Catholic character:

• The academy is to be conducted in accordance with the Canon Law and teachings of the Catholic Church; • Religious education is to be in accordance with the teachings, doctrines, discipline and general and particular norms of the Catholic Church, based on the [Archbishop’s/Bishop’s] religious education policy for the diocese; • Religious worship is to be in accordance with the rites, practices, discipline and liturgical norms of the Catholic Church; • The academy complies with any diocesan policies or directives from the [Archbishop/Bishop]; • Practising Catholics are appointed to the posts of principal, deputy principal and subject leader for religious education; • Wherever possible, as a genuine occupational requirement, the academy appoints quality Catholic teachers and support staff; • The academy admits children first and foremost on religious grounds, by giving priority to baptised Catholic children; • The academy teaches the whole curriculum in the light of the teachings of Christ and the Church and actively promotes the spiritual and moral development of the pupils; • At all times the academy serves as witness to the Catholic faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ; • The day-to-day life of the academy is well managed and ensures the well-being and safety of staff and pupils;

Tasks

Foundation academy representatives are required to:

• Work as a member of a team; • Attend meetings of the academy committee; • Attend appropriate training; • Behave in accordance with the Code of Practice of the board of directors; • Ensure that their stewardship and life of the academy manifest and is faithful to, Catholic teaching and Gospel values.