Trustee (Director)

Trustee Role Description

Board of Trustees, Beacon Multi-Academy Trust

Role

Trustee (Director), Board of Trustees

Responsible to

Chair of the Board of Trustees

Supported by

Governance Professional (Clerk to the Board)

Role type

Voluntary

Term of office

Four years (renewable), in line with the Articles of Association

Time commitment

Three Board meetings a year, plus membership of at least one committee (which meet termly or annually) and occasional panels

Skills particularly sought

Finance, education or human resources

About Beacon Multi-Academy Trust

Beacon Multi-Academy Trust (BMAT) is a medium-sized multi-academy trust in Redbridge, East London, with over 3,500 students and 460 staff. Our mission is to raise standards in education and ensure that every young person reaches their full potential. Our schools are at the heart of the communities they serve, combining high expectations with high-quality teaching and inclusive practice.

The Trust includes:

• Beal High School is a mixed community comprehensive for students aged 11-18 and one of the largest secondary schools in England, with over 2,700 students (900 of them in the Sixth Form) and an ASD additionally resourced provision.
• The Forest Academy (TFA) is an 11-16 secondary school with a co-located sixth form and an ASD additionally resourced provision.
• BBIH (Beacon Business Innovation Hub) is an alternative provision free school for 12-19 year olds, offering academic and vocational courses.
• NELTA SCITT is our teacher training provision, offering QTS, PGCE and Teacher Degree Apprenticeship routes.
• Busy Beacons Nursery is a forest-setting nursery on the Beal High School campus for babies and young children up to school age. It is owned by Beacon Education Services Trading Ltd (BEST), the Trust’s trading company, and the Trust is its Ofsted registered person.

How our governance works

The Board of Trustees is accountable for the Trust as a whole. It is supported by three standing committees (Standards & Effectiveness, Finance & Risk, and Pay & Personnel), with an Appeals Committee convened when required.

Below the Board sits one combined Local Governing Body, the Beacon LGB, which covers every school in the Trust. The LGB has delegated power to monitor, evaluate and challenge the performance of our schools at an operational level, and a nominated Trustee attends its meetings to provide support and challenge, linking the LGB to the Board.

The Board also oversees Beacon Education Services Trading Ltd (BEST), the Trust’s trading company, which owns Busy Beacons Nursery. As the Trust is the nursery’s Ofsted registered person, Trustees are accountable for making sure the nursery meets the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, including safeguarding and welfare.

Purpose of the role

Trustees are responsible for the overall strategic leadership of the Trust. As a Trustee you will be both a charity trustee and a company director of the Trust, sharing collective responsibility for its performance and for its compliance with company and charity law, our Funding Agreement, the Academy Trust Handbook and our Articles of Association.

Working with fellow Trustees, you will focus on the three core functions of governance:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the Trust and its students, and for the performance management of staff
• Overseeing the financial performance of the Trust and making sure its money is well spent

Our committees and the skills we are seeking

Every Trustee sits on at least one committee. We are particularly keen to hear from people whose experience matches the work of our committees:

Committee

Finance & Risk

What it does

Advises the Board on finances, budgets, financial regulations, audit and the Trust’s risk and assurance framework, including cyber security, estates and health and safety. Reviews the annual accounts and oversees fraud and whistleblowing arrangements. Meets once a term.

Experience we are seeking

Finance, accountancy, audit or risk management. The Committee Chair should have relevant financial experience.

Standards & Effectiveness

What it does

Scrutinises the quality of education across our schools, including outcomes, attendance, exclusions, progression and safeguarding, and holds school leaders to account against targets. Meets once a term.

Experience we are seeking

Education, school leadership or school improvement. The Committee Chair should have relevant educational experience.

Pay & Personnel

What it does

Considers the staffing structure, pay policy and HR policies, receives reports on appointments and restructures, and reviews the CEO’s objectives. Trustees sit on senior leadership interview panels. Meets annually, with extra meetings when needed.

Experience we are seeking

Human resources, employment law, pay and reward or organisational development.

Key responsibilities

Strategy and vision

• Set and review the Trust’s vision, values and strategic plan, and monitor progress against it
• Consider opportunities for growth, including due diligence on schools joining the Trust

Educational performance and accountability

• Hold the CEO and school leaders to account for standards, outcomes and the quality of education
• Ensure safeguarding, inclusion and student wellbeing are prioritised across every school

Finance, risk and compliance

• Approve the budget and financial strategy, and monitor income, expenditure and financial controls
• Oversee audit arrangements, the risk register and the Trust’s compliance with statutory and regulatory duties
• Approve the annual report and financial statements

People and culture

• Oversee the staffing structure, pay policy and HR policies
• Take part in the appointment of senior leaders and, through the Chair, the appraisal of the CEO

BEST and Busy Beacons Nursery

• Oversee the performance and financial position of BEST, the Trust’s trading company, including Busy Beacons Nursery
• Ensure the Trust meets its responsibilities as the nursery’s Ofsted registered person, including safeguarding and the EYFS requirements
• Make sure dealings between the Trust and BEST are properly managed and comply with the Academy Trust Handbook

Governance

• Ensure the Board and the Local Governing Body have the right skills, structures and delegation to be effective
• Act as link Trustee to the LGB or to an area of focus where asked, and sit on appeals panels when required

What we expect of all Trustees

• Prepare for, attend and contribute to Board and committee meetings, reading papers in advance
• Visit our schools and nursery by arrangement and take part in strategic and development sessions
• Complete induction and ongoing training, including safeguarding training
• Act in the best interests of the Trust and its students, and support decisions made collectively
• Declare business and pecuniary interests, manage any conflicts and follow the Trust’s Code of Conduct and the Seven Principles of Public Life (the Nolan Principles)
• Maintain confidentiality and respect the distinction between strategic governance and executive management

Person specification

Commitment

Essential

• A commitment to the Trust’s mission and to improving outcomes for young people
• Time to attend Board and committee meetings, visits and training

Desirable

• Connections to Redbridge and East London

Expertise

Essential

• Senior-level experience in at least one professional field

Desirable

• Finance: qualified accountant, finance director, audit or risk management
• Education: senior school leadership, school improvement, curriculum or SEND
• HR: senior HR practitioner, employment law, pay and reward or organisational development
• Early years or childcare, or experience of running a commercial or trading business

Skills

Essential

• Strategic thinking and sound judgement
• Ability to analyse financial, performance and risk information and offer constructive challenge

Desirable

• Experience of chairing, or serving on, a board or committee

Knowledge

Essential

• Willingness to learn about academy governance and the education sector

Desirable

• Understanding of the academy sector, the Academy Trust Handbook or charity governance

Values

Essential

• Integrity, independence and discretion
• Commitment to safeguarding, equality and inclusion

Eligibility and checks

• You must be aged 18 or over.
• You must not be disqualified from acting as a charity trustee or company director, or under the Trust’s Articles of Association.
• All appointments are subject to an enhanced DBS check and a section 128 check, together with the Trust’s other pre-appointment checks.
• As a Trustee, your details will be registered with Companies House and on Get Information About Schools (GIAS), and your business and pecuniary interests will be published on the Trust website.

What we offer

• A full induction covering governance essentials, role-specific training and school visits
• Ongoing CPD and support from our Governance Professional throughout your term
• Support from experienced governors and Trustees
• Access to guidance, training and resources through the National Governance Association (NGA)
• The chance to put your skills to good use for young people in your local community

How to apply

To find out more, arrange an informal conversation or register your interest, please contact our Governance Professional at [email protected]. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Trust website: www.beaconacademytrust.co.uk

School websites: www.bealhighschool.co.uk | www.theforestacademy.org | www.bbih.org

Beacon Multi-Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects everyone involved in its governance to share this commitment.

Work Location: In person