Governance Clerk

South Yorkshire

At Astrea we firmly believe in the importance of local volunteers’ challenge and support for the Academy in their community. Local committee members play a crucial role in working alongside the academy leadership team to drive school improvement and maintain high standards of education and pastoral support. The clerk will work with local committees at a number of South Yorkshire academies to enable them to fulfil this function effectively.

The postholder will need to be proactive and creative in identifying where governance is working well but also where interventions may be required. They will build strong relationships with Principals, Chairs and central team colleagues in ensuring governance at each Academy is fully ‘Ofsted-ready’. As a local governance expert, the postholder will support the Trust’s local committee member training programme, and also support volunteer recruitment and retention in their schools, with a licence to be innovative in attracting high calibre volunteers.

As part of this role, the postholder will also help to ensure that the flow of information between the various layers of Astrea governance – local, hub, Trustees – is functioning effectively.

This is the perfect time to join Astrea as we implement improvements to our model of governance, consolidate the excellent support and challenge provided by our committed groups of local volunteers, and build on our success in raising standards. This is an ideal role for an ambitious and autonomous individual keen to embed effective governance within a multi-academy trust committed to addressing educational inequality.

Key Responsibilities

Governance

This will involve: 

• Supporting, enabling and driving development of Astrea’s governance arrangements through ensuring high standards of local challenge and support, and strong links between the layers of governance in the Trust: 
• Acting as Clerk to some of Astrea’s South Yorkshire schools, including the collection and distribution of papers, production of minutes and ensuring statutory compliance in local governance 
• Proactively raising suggestions and to provide feedback on local or Trust-wide governance 
• Ensuring a high standard of local non-executive challenge and support in Astrea’s South Yorkshire schools through knowing how local arrangements are working, standardising and spreading good practice, facilitating the right mix of skills on local committees, and identifying where local interventions are necessary 
• Supporting the links between the various layers of Astrea governance – local, regional and Trustee – so that information flows efficiently both ways. In particular, to facilitate the termly Link Trustee meetings with local chairs. 
• Building proactive and productive working relationships with Principals, local Chairs, and local committee members 
• Supporting recruitment and retention of local committee members in South Yorkshire 
• Supporting the roll-out of an annual programme of training and development for local committees 
• Supporting the embedding of Astrea’s local committee member handbook, code of conduct and local governance terms of reference across South Yorkshire 
• Providing advice and clerking support in relation to exclusions and complaints, ensuring that statutory deadlines are met.

Compliance

You will also:

• Help to ensure that Astrea governance meets statutory and regulatory compliance requirements, working with Academies and central Trust functions to identify and address gaps, and clearly defining what Academies need to have in place to ensure their governance is fully compliant:
• Monitor Academies’ compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements in relation to governance, working with Principals to address there where clear gaps are identified
• Support the Regional Governance Officer in ensuring statutory records and filings are made
• Work collaboratively with other key Astrea functions so that Governance and Policy within the Trust supports and enables the delivery of Astrea’s strategic objectives.

The duties and responsibilities in this job description are not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to complete such duties as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grade of the post.

Interested in applying?

If this is something you’re interested in, looking for a new challenge, have a passion for education or maybe all of the above, please visit our website, take a look at the Applicant Brief to find out more about the role to apply.

The closing date for all applications is 19th August 2022.

All queries should be directed via email to recruitment@astreaacademytrust.org  

Astrea Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All posts are subject to satisfactory background checks including references and enhanced DBS checks.