Trustee Vacancy Information
We are working with Maiden Erlegh Trust, situated in Berkshire and South Oxfordshire, to identify two strong trustees to join the main trust board. The ideal candidate/s will possess a background or prior experience in either educational management and/or SEND or in organisational development, charity law/governance, people and employee relations, media or marketing.
This is a trust of nine schools, spanning primary, secondary and post-16 age ranges, with an annual budget of £40m.
As a trustee/director your key responsibilities will be to:
- Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
- Hold executive leaders to account – both for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils and the effective and efficient performance management of staff
- Oversee the organisation’s financial performance and ensure its funds are directed to the best possible educational outcomes for young people
By volunteering as a trustee/ director you will be responsible for contributing to the strategic decision-making of the board, helping the trust to realise immediate and long-term goals, and ultimately ensuring transparency, accountability and challenge.
About Maiden Erlegh Trust
Maiden Erlegh Trust was established in 2014 and is a growing mixed multi-academy trust (MAT) currently serving communities in Berkshire and South Oxfordshire.
Since its inception, the trust has expanded and by September 2024 – with the scheduled opening of a brand-new school – will comprise nine schools covering the breadth of educational provision from EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) through Primary and Secondary to Post-16 in mainstream, special and alternative provision establishments, educating just over 4,000 children and young people.
Across the trust, MET has a variety of sizes of school, ranging from a one-form entry primary with a nursery to a nine-form entry secondary school with sixth form; each of the schools carry equal status. River Academy and Oak Tree have yet to be inspected but all of the trust’s other were judged to be ‘Good’ by Ofsted when they last visited, with the exception of Maiden Erlegh School which was judged to be ‘Outstanding’.
The trust’s schools currently include:
Primary age
Great Hollands Primary School, Bracknell, RG12 8YR
Students: Approximately 275
Website: www.greathollandsprimary.co.uk
Birch Hill Primary School, Bracknell, RG12 7WW
Students: Approximately 400
Website: www.birchhillprimaryschool.co.uk
Special/Alternative Provision Schools
Hamilton School, Reading, RG1 5SG
Students: Approximately 64
Website: www.hamilton-school.co.uk
Oak Tree School, Winnersh, RG41 5LP
Students: Approximately 150 (when fully open)
Website: www.oaktreeschool.org
Cranbury College, Reading, RG30 2TS
Students: Approximately 75
Website: www.cranburycollege.co.uk
Secondary Schools
Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge, Sonning Common, RG4 9LN
Students: Approximately 455
Website: www.maidenerleghchilternedge.co.uk
Maiden Erlegh School, Earley, RG6 7HS
Students: Approximately 1840
Website: www.maidenerleghschool.co.uk
Maiden Erlegh School in Reading, Reading, RG1 5SL
Students: Approximately 900
Website: www.maidenerleghschoolreading.co.uk
River Academy, Reading, RG1 8EQ
Students: Approximately 1200 (when fully open)
Website: www.river-academy.co.uk
Of particular note is Hamilton School, which caters for children with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) issues. The school joined the trust mid-pandemic, rated ‘Special Measures’ by Ofsted and was recently judged to have moved to ‘Good’; new leaders and staff have helped the turnaround of this school.
Cranbury College is an alternative provision academy catering for children who have been excluded from other schools and mainly focussed on preparing the children to be reintegrated into another mainstream school. Some that are excluded in Years 10 or 11 will remain at the college but the main focus is for short-term rehabilitation and return to mainstream. Many have SEMH challenges.
Oak Tree School is a brand-new school which opened in Sept 2023 for children with autism; its intake of children is from the Reading and Wokingham areas.
All of the trust’s schools benefit from access to high quality central services and economies of scale, shared good practice, professional support and tried and tested common policies and procedures.
The trust board has ambitions to expand the size of the trust further by encouraging more primary schools to join and while there have been some discussions to explore this, there are no current firm plans in this area.
The trust has a current income of c. £40m and this will increase as the new schools fill with students year-on-year. The trust board continues to monitor spending closely but trustees have no major concerns around finances at present.
www.maidenerleghtrust.org
The Trust’s requirements
The trust is looking to recruit two new trustees to join the main board. These will have experience in:
- Educational management and/or Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) or
- Organisational development and/or
- Charity Law and Governance and/or
- People and Employee Relations and/or
- Media/marketing
The trust is seeking individuals with a good understanding of strategic development and who are prepared to offer their time and use their knowledge and skills to support and challenge the executive leadership team, to maintain Maiden Erlegh Trust’s values and sustain the organisation for future generations.
The board wants the new trustees to believe in and align with the trust’s main values and to understand that the role is a strategic one, rather than operational. The board currently comprises ten trustees, including some who have been with the trust for an extensive period of time, bringing a breadth of knowledge and experience.
The trust is open to first-time trustees, provided they have an understanding of the governance role and how it differs from executive leadership. By sharing their skills, expertise, and passion for education, they can play a crucial role in promoting educational excellence, fostering collaboration among the trust’s schools, and driving positive change within our organisation.
Through this activity, MET seeks to add capacity and plan ahead for potential succession activity in the next year.
Meetings
All meetings are planned well in advance and diary dates are already available for 2024-25.
- Board Meetings: always start at 4.30 pm on Tuesdays and occur six times per year (once each half term). Ideally these are face-to-face meetings.
- Trust Governance Network Training: once per term, a training event is held, also on a Tuesday, and this is usually hybrid with the option to join via video if required.
- Committees: new trustees will be asked to join the Education Standards and Culture Committee which meets online once each term – ie three times a year – and runs for 90 minutes on a Tuesday starting at 4.30 pm.
The trust also has two other committees – Finance and Operations and Audit and Risk, which also meet virtually once per term, but trustees only generally attend one of the three named committees, in addition to the main board meeting.
Training
Training can include a mix of statutory training (e.g. safeguarding) and other training which may include analysing education data, approaches the schools take to behaviour management, participating in an Appeal panel, or others.
Other training is available via the National Governors Association or Confederation of School Trusts for those that are interested and all candidates appointed via GfS’ Trustee Recruitment Service will also be provided with access to the ‘First 100 Days as a Trustee’ eLearning module.
The Trust’s Governance professional will provide a detailed induction for new trustees and allow them time to meet with the CEO and Chair of Trustees to ensure they are ‘up to speed’ prior to the first meeting.
The trust is currently mid-way through an External Review of Governance and its findings will be shared with all trustees in September 2024.
What difference will you make?
Volunteering on an academy trust board is deeply rewarding as it allows you to impact the life chances of young people. Academy trusts support schools to give children a better future. For young people to have the best possible opportunities in later life, it’s vital we have individuals with the right expertise leading schools and holding executive teams accountable. Becoming a trustee is a fantastic opportunity to give back to your local community by strengthening education.
As well as looking for new opportunities to give something back to society, you may be looking for opportunities to build your experience in strategic decision-making at senior level or demonstrate your ability to perform in a non-executive position as part of a portfolio career.
All roles are pro bono
People from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Governing boards should represent the communities they serve, as well as wider society. We welcome interest from underrepresented groups to ensure academy trust boards are diverse in background, skillset, and thought.
Diversity is a powerful instrument for effective governance. Trustees are required to make choices that impact the daily lives of children, from school finance all the way through to staff and pupil recruitment. It’s essential that boards possess a broad set of beliefs, experiences, and ideas to inform their final judgements. We believe that true representation at board level enables all children to fulfil their potential.
Useful information – about the trust
Trust website: https://www.maidenerleghtrust.org/
Companies House information: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07548754
Get Information About Schools page: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Groups/Group/Details/15762#details
Useful information – academy trust governance
Academy Trust Handbook: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64a52424c531eb000c64fe78/ATH_2023_FINAL_040723__digital__tracking_off.pdf
Academy trust governance guide: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/-governance-in-academy-trusts
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