Governance

Becoming a Trustee

Becoming a Trustee of Archway Learning Trust will give you the opportunity to have a real impact on the lives of children and young people across Nottingham and Derbyshire.

You will work with the rest of the Board of Trustees to shape the strategic direction and monitor the performance of our Trust, ensuring that we are the best that we can be.

You’ll develop new skills, gain valuable experience and have a real impact on local education provision.

Could you help us with the next stage of our growth, and make a real difference to the lives of local children and young people?

We’re seeking someone dedicated and skilled to join our excellent Board of Trustees as our new Finance Trustee.

If you’d like to find out more, we’d love to hear from you. 

Please contact Michelle Walshe on mwalshe@archwaytrust.co.uk and we’ll be in touch to arrange a conversation.

The role of a Trustee

The Board of Trustees is the legal, accountable body for Archway Learning Trust. Trustees have ultimate accountability and decision-making authority for the work of the Trust and our academies.

Trustees are accountable to:

  • the pupils, learners, parents and communities served by our academies
  • people employed by or volunteering with the Trust
  • the Members of the Trust
  • the Secretary of State for Education and the Education and Skills Funding Agency
  • various statutory and regulatory bodies, including compliance with the regulations of both company and charity law

The remit of the Board of  Trustees

  • establish the vision, mission and values of the Trust
  • ensure the business of the Trust is conducted solely in pursuit of the objects set out in the Articles of Association
  • safeguard the assets of the Trust
  • ensure that financial controls and appropriate financial management is in place
  • set and monitor overall performance objectives for the Trust, especially in regard to educational outcomes and business operations
  • establish and monitor the risks to the Trust and ensure that mitigating measures are put in place
  • ensure that both the Trust Board and the ELT have the capacity and skill to lead and manage the Trust and that the ELT is appropriately supported and challenged
  • delegate authority for the day-to-day operation of the Trust to the CEO and, by extension, to the ELT
  • ensure that the Trust is led and managed in accordance with all applicable law.

Current priorities

Our main focus for the next 12-24 months is to grow our Trust, particularly but not exclusively in the primary sector. We aim to become large enough to achieve economies of scale, whilst still being able to focus on our local communities so that genuine school-to-school improvement can take place.

Another key priority is to ensure our Trust’s strategic plans and operational activities remain focussed on the high-quality provision and ambition for existing schools and that the vision, values and culture are palpable in all our academies.

Commitments of Trustees

Board meetings are held in the Nottingham area, six times a year. One of these meetings forms an extended leadership conference where the Trust board is joined by wider Trust executives and local chairs to evaluate and look ahead strategically.

In total, Trustees are likely to need to commit (on average) 6-8 hours per month which would include reading time for meeting preparation which can be done remotely at leisure.

Who we’re looking for

Above all, Trustees must be committed to making a difference to the lives of our children and young people. Our Trustees come from a range of professional and educational backgrounds and all have valuable skills and experience to contribute.

Archway has been providing a Church of England education to children in Nottingham since 1706. Not all our academies are designated as faith schools, and we plan to grow with both faith and non-faith schools over time. Board members of all faiths or no faith are welcomed, and we seek to ensure our Board represents the communities we serve. We do ask that our Board members support our Christian ethos.

Further information

Email clerk@archwaytrust.co.uk and we’ll be in touch for an initial chat.

You can read about our current Trustees here

You can read our Governance Scheme of Delegation and Terms of Reference here

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