Chair of Governors

We are currently seeking an exceptional individual to undertake the role of Chair of our Governing Body.

Required for March 2021 or sooner

The Role

Do you have ambitions to take on a key governance role?  Due to the retirement of our current post-holder we are seeking to appoint a Chair of our Local Governing Body.

You will be working alongside Trustees and our sponsors, the Manchester University (NHS) Foundation Trust and Manchester City Council to support improvements in key areas.

The School

Manchester Health Academy is an oversubscribed sponsored academy in Wythenshawe in the south of Manchester.   We are uncompromising in our desire to provide a culture of academic excellence in a nurturing environment.  Through a knowledge-led curriculum, we will equip our students with the experiences, values and behaviours which will enable them to take their place as active, successful and confident citizens with a sense of pride for Wythenshawe.  We serve a community of some 1000 amazing students, more than half of whom are eligible for pupil premium funding.

Our Culture and Ethos

We aim:

• To realise the potential for all our young people through inspirational teaching and outstanding opportunities.

• To support students’ personal development which will help turn dreams into reality so that all can fulfil their potential.

• To prepare students for the world of work through an emphasis on literacy, numeracy, punctuality, their behaviours, attitudes and attendance.

• To use health, the specialism of the academy sponsor to inspire and support students’ life choices.

• For all to experience our values of excellence, aspiration, leadership and success.

Our Challenges

Key challenges for us over the next 12 - 24 months include:

• As a Single Academy Trust we are looking to join with a Multi-Academy Trust to ensure sustainable school improvement and collaboration

• To be acknowledged, over time, as an Outstanding provision

• Continue to develop our health ethos and culture

• To provide life changing opportunities through our Sponsor, to provide work based pathways, including innovative apprenticeship routes into the health sector

Our Immediate Priority

The immediate priority however is to ensure that the Academy is recognised as a highly effective organisation in the next Ofsted inspection.  The opportunity to appoint a Chair of Governors to help evidence the impact of the required improvements is an exciting one.  The successful candidate will be able to lead and develop a committed team of governors and to support the Trust Board through the holding to account of school leaders.

You would be committing to attending five Local Governing Body meetings, four Trust Board meetings and in addition, shaping the best use of our two governor seminars in a way that develops your team of governors and supports the Chair of Trust with the Trust Board.

What we are looking for

There is no requirement for you to have an understanding of the education system, just the necessary skills, character and time to contribute.  There will be plenty of training available to help you learn about education.

We would be delighted to hear from anyone who:

• has the spare time and the energy for the role

• has a desire to make a valuable contribution to education and the local community - it is not a prerequisite that you are a local person, only that you know of local challenges

• will be able to use their own experience of education and life beyond school to inform conversations

• has a keen interest in continually developing the performance of the Academy and will support and challenge the Academy so that it continues to improve, both for its pupils and for its staff

• has an open, enquiring and objective mind and the confidence to ask questions and debate issues that affect the Academy

Managing your time effectively is important to ensure you have the capacity to do what the role needs to do.

Why Volunteer?

Being a school governor or trustee is a challenging but hugely rewarding role.  It will give you the chance to make a real difference to young people, give something back to your local community and use and develop your skills in a board-level environment.  Governors play an integral role as members of the Governing Board team, which helps to set and review the school’s strategic direction and agree targets and objectives for continued improvement.

We can offer you:

• a chance to develop skills in strategic management

• experience of working within a Governing Board

• exposure to new experiences and challenges

• a sense of achievement and pride in making a difference to our school

• specific training and courses to support all governors in being a success in their role

• some fun along the way

How to apply

A letter of interest and cv are to be emailed by the closing date/time to: recruitment@manchesterhealthacademy.org.uk. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

In the current climate we may be required to conduct online meetings but ideally would prefer shortlisted candidates to visit the school.

Closing date:  9.00am January 29th 2021

The Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We therefore follow safer recruitment procedures and successful candidates are required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service and other relevant checks