Academy trust FAQs
Find out how the Trustee Recruitment Service (TRS) can help you find the right trustee for your academy trust. If your question isn't answered below, you can email us with any other questions you might have at [email protected].
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Will the Trustee Recruitment Service (TRS) do vetting, checks and references on candidates shared?
Answer:
TRS will undertake light-touch vetting of candidates in the form of online searches, Companies House disqualification checks, and cross-referencing of publicly-available records. It is strongly recommended that trusts undertake usual Safer Recruiting processes in line with usual recruitment protocol, including Enhanced CRB and reference checking. All responsibility for appointment and associated checking remains with the trust.
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Is my trust obliged to appoint candidates shared by the Trustee Recruitment Service?
Answer:
In short: no. There is no obligation to appoint any candidate. The work conducted by TRS will identify strong, suitable candidates that we believe are a good match for your requirements. We’ll also look for people who are capable of being an asset to your board. We recognise, however, that sometimes a good personal fit or rapport isn’t achieved and therefore we may need to search a little further. Where this is the case, we request your open, frank, and honest feedback on candidates to inform our ongoing processes and records.
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Will the people the Trustee Recruitment Service share be experts in the education sector?
Answer:
While we may be able to help identify people with education-specific knowledge and experience, most of the volunteers we share will be from a corporate background. Thus, they won’t necessarily possess prior knowledge of the education sector. This is, we believe, an advantage. This is because independent-thinking, ‘fresh-eyes’, and scrutiny, without preconceptions, is necessary for a healthy and effective trust board! Such candidates typically possess inquisitive minds, are quick to assimilate information, and are used to operating in a fast-paced environment, all of which means they can quickly get up to speed on any education-specific jargon and challenges. Please be aware that where education specialists are required, this may result in a longer recruitment cycle. This is to enable the TRS team to conduct thorough searching via non-standard channels.
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Will the Trustee Recruitment Service conduct training and induction of candidates after appointment?
Answer:
TRS is not responsible for the induction, training, or on-boarding activity of candidates. While each appointed volunteer will receive access to training resources and online learning modules to support their governance journey, this is in addition to training and induction provided by the trust. We recommend training on understanding education-specific data, internal processes, and any other knowledge required for the role is provided by the trust as soon as possible after induction.
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My trust is a Single Academy Trust (SAT) - can it access the service?
Answer:
We welcome the chance to discuss the requirements of your SAT with you, and the specifics of the recruitment activity you’ll be undertaking. No two pieces of activity are the same. In some cases the Trustee Recruitment Service can be an ideal route to meeting your need. Email us on [email protected] to discuss in more detail.
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My academy trust has senior leaders who are interested in taking on trustee roles at another trust - is this possible?
Answer:
Definitely! We welcome expressions of interest from anyone keen to volunteer their time and expertise as a trustee. We’re particularly keen to hear from anyone with senior leadership experience in the education sector.
Please click here to visit the ‘Apply to become a trustee’ page on our website.
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Why isn’t trustee recruitment through Governors for Schools free anymore?
Answer:
Governors for Schools is a charity. We don’t receive any government funding to deliver our service. As a result, we rely on donations and support from donors and partners. As we have developed TRS, we have carefully considered the requirements of the sector to deliver this service. To cover the costs of the additional staffing, outreach, and the work required, we need to charge for the activity we undertake.
Academy trust governance relies on independence and accountability at board level – the ability of those around the board table to hold the trust’s executive leadership to account, ask challenging questions, and ensure the best and strongest possible governance of the trust as a whole. Many of the skills needed in effective governance exist within the senior leadership of corporate organisations. Additionally, they’re directly transferable to an education governance context. In order to meet this need, we’re transitioning to a service that actively headhunts the highest-calibre senior leaders. Part of this process involves working with academy trusts seeking to improve governance and conducting focused diagnostic calls. This is to understand the how, what, why, when, and where of their recruitment needs. All of this means we’re introducing new tools, expertise, approaches, and systems to ensure an impactful recruitment process.