Whinless Down Academy Trust is currently in the process of recruiting new trustees and members. This vital role offers a unique opportunity for you to contribute to the improvement and enrichment of children's lives in our community.

If you are interested in this role, please contact pa@whinlessdowntrust.co.uk.

 

Trustees have a varied and important role in helping our school run effectively. They have 3 core functions:

·Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction

·Holding executives to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the performance management of staff

·Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.

The trustee role is strategic rather than operational. Trustees don’t get involved with the day to day running of a school, instead supporting and challenging the Trust leadership team to drive improvement. They champion the work the schools do.

 

Our Trust Board

Our board consists of up to 9 people and we meet all together 5 times per year – sometimes in person and sometimes via Teams. We also have two main committees; a finance strategy, audit and risk committee, which oversees how money is spent, and a standards committee, which monitors pupil’s educational outcomes.

Our Trustees come from our local community and have a variety of backgrounds. At the moment, we are particularly looking for people who can strengthen our board with skills in the following areas though this is not a requirement for the role:

- Accounting/Finance

- Human Resources

- Health and Safety, Estates Management and Risk

- Branding/Marketing

- Education

- Legal

Being a Trustee is a commitment and a responsibility, but offers you the chance to see first-hand the impact you can make in improving education for children in your community.

 

If you are passionate about contributing to the future of education and possess these qualities, we encourage you to apply. By joining our team, you will have the opportunity to influence the strategic direction of our schools and ensure that we provide the highest quality education to our pupils.

Your involvement will help shape policies and initiatives that drive excellence and innovation within our Trust. Together, we can create a nurturing and empowering environment for our children, preparing them for the challenges of tomorrow. If you are ready to make a meaningful impact and be part of a dedicated team committed to educational excellence, we would love to hear from you. Join us in our mission to inspire and empower every child to reach their full potential.

 

Do I need to have certain qualifications?

You do not need any specialist knowledge of education although an appetite to gain knowledge is beneficial. If you don’t have experience in the above areas, we still invite applications from anyone who is interested with the right personal attributes; such as problem solving, developing good relationships and effective teambuilding, community minded, creative or strategic thinking and a commitment to make a difference in the lives of the children who attend our schools; and to the development of our hardworking members of staff.

 

Trustees are subject to an enhanced DBS check and should not be a subject of a Section 128 direction (preventing individuals banned from being involved in the management of schools).