Do you value high quality education which develops excellent academic and personal and social skills, provides a wealth of educational opportunities, and gives children a sense of worth and purpose? Are you able to contribute to this provision in our local area as a Foundation Trustee?

Chulmleigh Academy Trust is seeking to appoint new Foundation Trustees with skills in HR, Marketing, Finance, Primary School or Secondary School background to join the Board which is comprised of professionals with a variety of skills. The role of a Foundation Trustee is voluntary. Board meetings are held virtually.

As a Foundation Trustee, you will have the additional responsibility to uphold and promote the Church of England Christian ethos of the Trust and its schools.

Chulmleigh Academy Trust consists of one secondary and three primary schools; all located in a rural setting. We are very proud of all our schools; each one benefits from excellent teaching, and while the three primary schools are all very different from each other in character, each one is filled with happy, engaged children who enjoy their learning, and every school in the Trust benefits from our ability to share outstanding practices across the schools.

The secondary school, Chulmleigh Community College, is situated at the edge of the small, picturesque town of Chulmleigh in North Devon. Despite being a relatively small secondary school, the College has excellent facilities, with friendly, hard-working pupils benefiting from an outstanding education.

This family of schools benefit from a centralised leadership structure, with a Board of Trustees and a central Academy Leadership Team taking responsibility for the coordinated success of every school in the Trust, working alongside the newly formed local governing boards from each school.

What does a Foundation Trustee do?

Board governance in education is a strategic (not operational) role which typically involves attending six board meetings per annum.  You will be committed to attend full board meetings, read papers beforehand and respond to any out of meeting decisions should they arise. You will be responsible for:

• Ensuring clarity of vision and setting the strategic direction for the Trust and securing compliance
• Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff
• Supporting the recruitment process for senior staff
• Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent
• To uphold and promote the religious ethos of the Trust

Who can be a Foundation Trustee?

Anyone with the necessary skills and qualities and time can be a Trustee provided they have not been discharged bankrupt, barred from management of a school and can provide a clean criminal record check.

Initial interest should be shown by completing an application form which can be found in the attachment section below. Please download and complete the application form and email it to clerk@chulmleigh.devon.sch.uk. All applications will be acknowledged, and the Trust Governance Professional will contact you regarding the next steps.

As employers, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and, in that regard, have appropriate policies and procedures. All volunteers undertake a criminal record check via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), and interviews will include questions about safeguarding children.