Sidney Stringer Multi Academy Trust (SSMAT)

Sidney Stringer Multi Academy Trust in Coventry seeks one Member and one non-executive director with experience in Legal, HR or Branding/Marketing to join its respective boards. The trust works in areas of high deprivation and is focused on raising standards across all five schools. An understanding or experience of SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) would be welcomed. Board meetings are held at CV1 5LY when safe to do so.

About the trust The trust was established in 2015 and consists of five schools, led by the Sidney Stringer Academy which sponsored Ernesford Grange Community Academy and Radford Primary Academy following poor Ofsted outcomes. The trust has a strong and committed board of directors that holds all five schools robustly to account. All the schools serve areas of high deprivation.

Currently the Sidney Stringer Academy, Riverbank Academy and Sidney Stringer Primary are Ofsted rated ‘Outstanding’ and Ernesford Grange Academy is rated ‘Good’. The final school, Radford Primary Academy, is currently rated ‘Requires Improvement’.

Across all five schools there is an average of 35% of students on Free School Meals (FSM) – an indicator of deprivation - with high levels of English as an Additional Language (EAL) across all the schools. Riverbank Academy exclusively serves children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and there is also an average of 18% SEND students across the four other schools in the trust.

Plans for the future 1. Standards: Through excellent leadership, the trust wishes to ensure that standards at all the schools remain, or continue, to improve; 2. Covid-19: The trust aims to continue to respond decisively and effectively to the ever changing Covid-19 guidance for schools; 3. Finance: The trust aims to maximise financial opportunities that it can use to better provide for its students.

Long term plans:  Trust growth and expansion;  Planning effectively for all schools as they expand, in terms of building projects, staffing and effective in school provision;  Review the Model of Governance;  Secure high quality leadership at all levels.

Trust ethos & values ‘A passion for ensuring that students get the best outcomes. A commitment to inclusion and overcoming disadvantaged backgrounds but a recognition that our MAT is not exclusively focused on areas of social deprivation. All our staff are valued and supported and receive high quality training. A commitment to sharing expertise across the Trust and identifying and developing leadership potential as well as the training of future teachers through the SCITT. An understanding that although we are a Trust, all of the schools are different and can operate their own systems

Academy Ambassadors © 2021 where they work well and sharing policies where consistency makes sense. The degree of autonomy depends on the position of the school. A commitment to sharing necessary services across the schools and financial prudence and sustainability and realising that those with the greatest need should have priority.’

URL to ethos and values: https://sidneystringertrust.org.uk/vision-values

Role summary Number of positions advertised: 1

Roles 1 – Trustee/Non-Executive Director The trust seeks three directors with a Legal, HR or Branding/Marketing skill set to ensure the clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction of the trust and hold the Executive leaders to account for educational performance, as well as ensuring the effective and efficient performance management of staff, and overseeing the financial performance of the schools.

Trustees – or non-executive directors - are both charity trustees and company directors of the academy trust. The core functions of their role are: ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction; holding executive leaders to account for the educational and financial performance of a charitable company funded by the public purse.

The board of trustees manages the business of the academy trust and may exercise all the powers of the trust in compliance with its charitable objects, company and charity law.

Non-executive directors will be responsible for maintaining stability and the management of a dynamic structure. The role also includes contributing to financial planning for sustainability and potential growth, and holding the CEO/CFO to account.

In the interests of safeguarding and in accordance with DfE requirements, all trustee appointments will be subject to an enhanced disclosure and barring service check.

Person specification Every trustee is expected to abide by the seven principles of public life set out by Lord Nolan: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

The Competency Framework for Governance (DfE) 2017 details the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for effective governance: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/583733/Comp etency_framework_for_governance_.pdf

The strategic expertise required for this role includes:

Essential (due to multiple roles, candidates may be Desirable accepted who possess one or more of the skills below) - CEO/General Management - Legal/Compliance OR - Change Management - HR OR - Entrepreneur/Founder - Branding/Marketing - Risk Management

Time commitment 6 hours /month minimum.

Location of board meetings and trust website Sidney Stringer Academy, Primrose Hill Street, Coventry, CV1 5LY

During the current Covid-19 restrictions, meetings are anticipated to be largely held remotely, or via virtual means. https://sidneystringertrust.org.uk/home

Governance structure https://sidneystringertrust.org.uk/the-trust/governance-structure

Background on academy trusts Academy trusts are charitable groups of academy schools, run independent of local authority control.

Over 50% of children in England attend an academy, and there are over 900 academy trusts with three or more schools. For these schools to fulfil their potential, academy 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 do not need to have any specialist knowledge of education.

Applications Academy Ambassadors is a non-profit programme which recruits senior business leaders and professionals as volunteer non-executive directors onto the boards of multi-academy trusts.

If you are interested in applying for the role please click on the register now button.

In the interests of safeguarding and in accordance with DfE requirements, all trustee appointments will be subject to an enhanced disclosure and barring service check.

Please note: candidates should live within reasonable travelling distance of the trust and/or have a link with the region. For more information, please call 0207 952 8556 or visit www.academyambassadors.org.

We strongly recommend applying as early as you can to have the best possible chance of being considered as we may change the closing date if we have received sufficient applications.