Bournemouth Primary
Multi Academy Trust
www.malmesburypark.com
www.hillviewprimary.co.uk
Bournemouth Primary Multi Academy Trust
Hill View Road
Bournemouth
BH10 5BD
Email: [email protected] ¦ Tel: 01202 514109
Become a Member or Non-Executive
Trustee of Bournemouth Primary
Multi Academy Trust
BOURNEMOUTH PRIMARY MULTI ACADEMY TRUST MEMBERS,
TRUSTEES AND LOCAL GOVERNING BODY MEMBERS
Members and Trustees provide critical challenge and support to the
Leadership team of Bournemouth Primary Multi Academy Trust with the
ultimate air of improving the quality of education that we provide for all our
children. Acting as a Member or a Non-Executive Trustee is a fantastic
opportunity to have an impact on education and positively influence
children’s lives.
CONTENTS
_______________________________________________________
WELCOME FROM A MEMBER OF THE TRUST
OUR VISION
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
WHAT BOURNEMOUTH PRIMARY MULTI ACADEMY TRUST CAN
OFFER YOU
GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE
MEMBERS, NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND LOCAL GOVERNING
BODIES
KEY INFORMATION
APPLICATION PROCESS
1
WELCOME FROM THE CHAIR OF THE RECRUITMENT PANEL
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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT:
All applications received will be considered at a shortlisting meeting by a selection of
Members and a person who is independent to the Trust who will be invited to participate
in the process to ensure objectivity and openness.
Dear Applicant
On behalf of the Members and Trustees, I would like to thank you for
taking an interest in one of the positions of Member or NonExecutive Trustee of Bournemouth Primary Multi Academy Trust.
This is an opportunity to take a leading role in the governance of a
relatively new Multi-Academy Trust currently serving 2 schools
across Bournemouth; and to participate in its future development
and growth.
Bournemouth Primary Multi Academy Trust was established on 1st
October 2015. It is currently made up of Malmesbury Park Primary
School and Hill View Primary School with a total roll in excess of
1300 pupils. It is our belief that children are at the heart of all we do.
Leading a trust such as ours through its next phase of growth will be
both rewarding and significant in its challenges. We are looking for
individuals who have the right experience and expertise to support
us and who will share in our values and ambitions to ensure the
future success and growth of the Trust and its schools. We very
much hope that you will consider these opportunities to make a
positive contribution to the lives of young people in Bournemouth.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an informal meeting where they will have the
opportunity to meet with some current Members and Non-Executive Trustees and the
Executive Headteacher to hear about what the role entails and also to enable the
Trust’s Board to meet you and consider how your skills and experiences would
complement and fit with the Trust.
Candidates will then be invited to a formal interview with the Members of the Trust,
along with representatives from the Board of Trustees and the independent panel
member.
If you are invited to join the Board of Trustees or as a Member, there will be a formal
induction which must be completed within 6 months of your appointment to the board.
We look forward to welcoming you to Bournemouth Primary Multi Academy Trust.
Yours sincerely
Jane Ewbank - Members BPMAT
Bournemouth Primary Multi Academy Trust
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APPLICATION PROCESS
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OUR VISION
_________________________________________________________________
Candidates are asked to complete a personal statement outlining what they believe they
can offer in relation to governance of the MAT. The MAT welcomes applications for
governorships from all sections of the community.
Applicants will be invited to meet a panel consisting of 1 Member and 2 Trustees. They
will be given the opportunity to discuss with the panel how they meet the criteria in the
model person specification outlined in Appendix 1
Written or oral references may be sought as appropriate and candidates are asked to
nominate two referees.
As a Trust our emphasis is on achieving excellence. We do this by harnessing the
diverse strengths of our academies in support of a single vision. This is underpinned
by a shared philosophy and principles, recognising that each academy has ethos and
learning values relevant to their unique context. To help us fulfil our vision we have
common goals and an agreed strategy.
The final decision for the appointment of a Member or a Trustee will be by the Members,
advised by the panel. The decision to appoint a governor to an individual school will be
taken by the Board of Trustees, who will seek the views of the local governing body.
Our vision is that, through excellent educational provision, every child will:
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Enjoy rich, meaningful and relevant learning experiences
Receive motivational teaching and irresistible learning opportunities that inspire
and empower them
Experience an inclusive, supportive and harmonious ethos in academies that have
a tangible sense of purpose and ambition
Please ensure that you have included work, mobile and home telephone contact numbers
and an e-mail address if applicable.
Our goals as a Trust are:
The closing date for applications is 28th November 2016.
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Please send these and any questions you may have to:
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[email protected]
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TIMETABLE FOR APPOINTMENTS
Date
Action
By 12th
December
List of candidates compiled from Academy Ambassadors
and other sources and sent to Board
19th December
Letter to candidates inviting them to meet the panel
2nd January 17
Panel meeting[s]
3rd January 17
References sought
5th January 17
Opportunity for candidate to attend a Board meeting as an
observer
w/c 9th January
17
w/c 16th
January 17
Jan/Feb 17
•
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Panel decision to appoint
New Member meets Members/Exec HT & HTs
New Trustees attend their first Board meeting
To create, through our academies, compelling learning opportunities, high
standards of learning and excellent educational outcomes for all children
To ensure that the unique character, ethos and talents of each academy are
recognised and supported, with strengths being effectively harnessed so that the
Trust as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts
To develop the capacity and infrastructure to raise academic standards in each
academy, fostering high aspirations amongst children and staff, and building and
sustaining a widely recognised reputation for educational excellence
To offer a stimulating working environment – for leaders, teachers and support
staff – that rewards excellent performance, challenges underachievement,
supports professional development, creates exceptional teams, encourages
innovation and improvement, pushes boundaries, develops best practice, and
provides opportunities to contribute to transformational change
To foster a culture of efficiency and to use resources effectively, achieving
economies of scale across the Trust where possible and enabling academy
leaders to focus on teaching and learning
To ensure the Trust reaches out to wider communities, working collaboratively
with others to meet local needs and engaging across the education sector to learn
from others and share our own expertise
Our guiding principles, which underpin the way we work with one another across the
Trust, can be summed up as:
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Trust – we believe in a culture of mutual respect
Ambition - we aim high and push boundaries in all we do
Opportunity - we enrich the prospects of all in our community
Inclusivity - we celebrate diversity and respect difference
Teamwork - we collaborate purposefully and share expertise
Self-knowledge - we embrace new learning and challenge ourselves to do better
If you want to join our Trust as a Member or a Trustee you will be committed to – and
excited by – these principles.
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ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
___________________________________________________________________
Bournemouth Primary Multi Academy Trust is working towards a period of significant
growth in a time of fast moving change in the education sector. To support our
growth we are now seeking Members and Non-Executive Trustees, who share our
values and ambitions, are passionate about education and who can help us build on
our success and provide oversight and guidance for our future strategy and
governance.
We are looking for individuals with experience of strategic leadership and
governance at senior management level in business.
To complement the existing Board, the following skillsets are sought:
• Scrutiny and Governance
• Human Resources
• Finance
The following skills are also desirable:
• Organisational Development and Change Management
• Marketing
• Communications
If you are a strategic leader with demonstrable experience and success within on or
more of the skill-set areas listed above and a clear alignment with the vision, mission
and principles of our Trust, then we would be pleased to hear from you.
BOURNEMOUTH PRIMARY MULTI ACADEMY TRUST CAN OFFER YOU
___________________________________________________________________
A board role with Bournemouth Primary Multi Academy Trust provides the
opportunity:
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To make a positive difference to the life chances of our children
To utilise your existing skills and develop new skills in a unique environment
To give something back to the community in which you live or have an interest in
To think in new ways alongside talented educationalists
We have a relentless drive for academic excellence blended with a shared moral
purpose and values and an awful lot of fun and happiness in our schools. We
believe in partnership working with our schools, the pupils and their parents and the
wider community to create the best possible outcomes for our children.
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Management of the budget
Securing high levels of attendance and good standards of pupil behaviour
Ensuring that all children in the schools have access to a broad and balanced
curriculum which is suitable to age, aptitude and ability, which prepares them for
adult life
Ensuring the health and safety of pupils and staff
Tasks include:
• To get to know the school: its needs, strengths and areas for development
• To attend meetings (Full board meetings, committees and working groups)
• To work as a member of a team
• To speak, act and vote in the best interests of the school as one perceives them
• To respect all board decisions and to support them in public
• To act within the framework of the policies of the MAT and each school as well as
legal requirements
• To commit to training and development opportunities
KEY INFORMATION
_________________________________________________________________
COMMITMENT:
The Board of Trustees and committees normally meet up to six times per year
according to a schedule which is published a year in advance. Meetings take place
during the late afternoon/ evening time and usually last no longer than three hours.
Trustees are also expected to serve on one of the Trust’s committees.
The Members meet once or twice a year.
The roles are all unpaid, pro-bono.
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT:
New Members and Non-Executive Trustees will receive induction training and
supporting material covering issues such as roles and responsibilities, accountability
and governance arrangements. They are also expected to keep up to date with
national and local issues through ongoing training and development, provided or
paid-for by the Trust.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND SAFEGUARDING:
All Members and Trustees must be committed as an employer to equal opportunities
and the safeguarding requirements of the Trust’s policies. All appointments require
a disclosure check and this will be undertaken prior to confirmation of appointment.
We also believe in empowering our teachers and other colleagues through high
quality support, training and career opportunities to be the best they can be. With
such highly skilled colleagues we are able to ensure that every student achieves all
they are capable of and more, regardless of background, culture, heritage or ability.
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS:
All academy trusts are bound by the Academies Financial Handbook that sets out
standards of transparency. To be a Member or a Non-Executive Trustee you will
need to state if you are related to a Board member or an existing employee of
Bournemouth Primary Multi Academy Trust and if you have any financial interest in
the Trust or any of its service partners.
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Experience and Knowledge:
GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE
•
1. Governance
The Bournemouth Primary Multi-Academy trust [MAT] has the following governance
structure:
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Employed at senior manager/Director/Trustee level in the private, charity or public
sector
Experience in any one of the following areas is particularly desirable – governance,
scrutiny, IT, organisational development, change management, marketing,
communications, education, HR, finance and audit
Experience in working at a level which enables understanding of long-term
planning
Skills and abilities:
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Genuine enthusiasm for improving education for our children, combined with
commercial acumen and business focus
Ability to analyse and understand complex problems from a variety of different
views
Commitment to raising quality and standards
Strategic perspective – the ability to develop a broad-based view of issues and
perceive their long term impact
Ability to assimilate facts and rationalise them appropriately
Ability to motivate an inspire confidence in others to achieve objectives
Ability to bring insight, challenge and support to the Board environment
Personal qualities:
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Honesty and integrity;
Ability to maintain confidentiality;
Willingness to work with others in order to govern effectively;
Respect for the opinion of others;
Ability to embrace change.
LOCAL GOVERNING BODY
The strength of academy governance lies in the collective knowledge, experience and
expertise of its members, trustees and local governing body members. All of these
people are there to bring their knowledge, skills and point of view to the table, always
being prepared to listen to all the varying views, to seek further information and advice
where necessary, and take part in the broad, balanced and strategic decision making
which is the basis for excellent governance. It is vitally important that all those involved
in governance recognise their shared responsibility which is to decide upon what is
best for the children in the schools in the Multi-Academy Trust.
The Trust has delegated many of its responsibilities to the local governing bodies,
these include:
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Developing the strategic plan for the school;
Determining aims, policies and priorities of the school;
Setting targets for pupil achievement;
Monitoring and evaluating the work of the school;
Appointment of staff and ensuring the implementation of a range of personnel
procedures;
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The Members:
The Trust is created by a company limited by guarantee in the same way as many
charitable trusts. The Company has ‘members’. Members are:
• Financially responsible for the company (They are likened to shareholders)
• Their financial commitment is nominal, limited to a maximum of £10 per person
• The people who appoint [and remove] the trustees
• The people who appoint the Executive Headteacher
The Board of Trustees:
• Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction for the MAT and the schools
within it
• Hold the Executive Headteacher to account for the continuous improvement of
educational performance of the schools and the pupils within them, and the
performance management of the Headteachers of each school
• Hold responsibility for the schools’ estates
• Oversee the financial performance of the schools in the MAT, making sure that
money is well spent
• Meet the duties in relation to the charitable status of the MAT in particular:
o A duty of compliance with company and charity law [such as providing
accounts and other reports]
o A duty of prudence, to manage resources carefully and ensure solvency
o A duty of care, taking advice when dealing with legally challenging
issues
• Hold responsibility for safeguarding
• Determine those functions and responsibilities that will be delegated to the local
governing bodies of each school
• Have full control over the membership of the local governing body
The Local Governing Body:
• Does not have a statutory status, it has powers delegated to it by the trust
• Helps to decide the school’s strategy for improvement by setting, and keeping
under review, the broad framework within which the Headteacher and staff run
the school
• Provides the Headteacher and staff with support, advice and information, drawing
on its members’ knowledge and experience
• Has responsibility for monitoring and evaluating the school’s effectiveness
through receiving reports from the Headteacher, staff, governing body
committees and external agencies
The individual governor has a responsibility, working alongside other members of
the governing body, to the Board of Trustees, staff and pupils of the school, the
school’s wider community and where they are representatives, to their particular
constituency (For example parents; staff; teachers; etc).
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NON-EXECUTIVE TRUSTEES
_____________________________________________________________________
Non-Executive Trustees work in partnership with the Chair of Trustees and the Executive
Headteacher to provide clarity, vision and strategic direction for the Trust.
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Our Board of Directors is made up of seven Trustees:- the Executive Headteacher, the
Chair of the Board and five Member-appointed Non-Executive Trustees. We are
constantly striving to ensure that the Board has the right balance of skills and experience
in order to steer the Trust through the next phase of its development. Therefore we are
seeking to recruit additional people at all levels of governance throughout the Trust.
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THE MEMBERS AND TRUSTEES
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•
The members oversee the achievement of the Trust’s objectives. Bournemouth Primary
Multi Academy Trust has four Members, due to increase to five because one Member
resigned due to ill health.
THE ROLE OF THE MEMBERS:
• Provide oversight of the role of the Board of Trustees
• Oversee the achievement of the Trust’s objectives
• Appoint other Members and the majority of the Non-Executive Trustees and to
remove Members or Non-Executive Trustees should it become necessary to do so
• Monitor performance of the Board of Trustees
• Attend (But not vote) at Board meetings
• Agree amendments to the Trust’s Articles of Association that determine the
constitution and governance arrangements of the Multi-Academy Trust
MEMBERS PERSON SPECIFICATION:
The Members will be expected to meet requirements of the Non-Executive Trustee
person specification, operating at a strategic level.
NON-EXECUTIVE TRUSTEE ROLE SPECIFICATION:
• To contribute to the development of the Trust’s future strategic goals, ensuring that
the best interests of children and local communities are always top of the agenda and
that they are fully engaged throughout this period of change for the organisation
• To ensure the highest standard of educational provision across all schools within the
federation, and that the leaders of the Trust and all schools are held to account to
deliver outstanding outcomes for students
• To ensure the highest levels of transparency, audit, governance and accountability in
the educative, corporate and financial affairs of the Trust
• Provide strategic leadership and direction to the Trust through oversight of and
contribution to key strategy documents as well as by setting the strategic priorities
• Have an awareness and understanding of the national policy context and of local
needs for Primary education
• Develop and review the Trust’s internal controls and an audit regime to ensure that
these identify the risks and opportunities to enable the Trust to be sustainable and
relevant for all of the stakeholders
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Work with other Trustees in a supportive, helpful and constructive way to ensure the
Board is effective when it meets
Ensure that effective arrangements are in place to provide assurance on risk
management, governance and internal control whilst ensuring openness and
transparency in decision making
Ensure the Trust establishes key objectives and control and management frameworks
to deliver the agreed plans, identifies and assesses the risk of achieving them and
regularly monitors performance to ensure appropriate corrective action can be taken
To ensure consistent focus upon what is best for the Trust’s schools and their pupils
by providing challenge and advice to the Executive Headteacher
Familiarity with the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Trust and
awareness of its powers, duties and objectives
Familiarity with the Trust Code of Conduct and any standing orders of the Trust;
Represent the Trust in a positive manner with national, regional or local bodies or
individuals in order to enhance the position of the Trust
To lead or participate in relevant Board committees or task groups of the Trust
To contribute to the appointment and, if necessary, removal of the Chair as well as
participation in the recruitment and selection of future Non-Executive Trustees
To work as part of a team, and to accept shared responsibility and accountability, as
well as to commit to undergoing a personal annual appraisal, reviewing own
performance and that of Board members, then to abide by its outcome in terms of
personal development
Non-Executive Trustees are subject to company legislation and are obliged to:
• Act within your powers (For example in accordance with the constitution and any
agreements with the DfE)
• Promote the success of Bournemouth Primary Multi Academy Trust
• Exercise independent judgement
• Exercise reasonable skill, care and diligence
• Avoid conflicts of interest
• Not to accept benefits from third parties
• Declare any interest in transactions
As Bournemouth Primary Multi Academy Trust is also a charity, you also have charity
trustee responsibilities, including:
• Compliance
• Care and
• Prudence
NON-EXECUTIVE TRUSTEE PERSON SPECIFICATION:
We are looking for a range of people from different backgrounds across the public and
private sector. You will bring with you well-developed skills in providing strategic
challenge and advice, drawing on attributes such as commercial acumen, wisdom and
creativity which will help lead the effective governance of the Trust.
Non-Executive 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, but some knowledge and an active
interest is an advantage.
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