THE EDITH STEIN CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST SEEKS NEW TRUSTEES TO JOIN THE BOARD.
Established within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth, the Trust was originally formed as the ‘Catholic Academy Trust in Havant’ in 2011 when Oaklands Catholic School became one of the first Catholic Schools in the County to convert to an Academy.
The Trust was re-named as ‘Edith Stein Catholic Academy Trust’ in 2017 and in 2021 Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School joined the Trust.
We work together to provide the best opportunities for every child; constantly seeking to improve the outcomes of all children across all year groups in the two schools currently in the Trust, from Year ‘R’ to Year 6 at Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School in North End, Portsmouth and from Year 7 to Year 13 at Oaklands Catholic School & Sixth Form College in Waterlooville. The core aspect of our collaborative work is to ensure good Catholic Education for all, upholding the Bishop’s mission and vision for education across the Diocese. To this end, there is a need to have skilled individuals with a variety of backgrounds and ideas, to bring their experiences to the highest levels of governance and ensure that every child’s needs are understood and supported. Schools in The Trust have a strong relationship with 8 other non-academy schools in the ‘Edith Stein Partnership’.
What’s involved?Trust Board governance in education is a strategic, ‘eyes on, hands off’ commitment which typically involves attending six board meetings per year (Sep, Dec, Feb, Mar, May and Jul) and giving between 8-10 hours’ of your time on average each month to read and comment on papers, preparing for meetings and visiting the schools. Due to the prevailing COVID climate, visits are currently limited and meetings convened virtually, but will be ‘in person’ when it is safe to do so.
As a Trustee/Director you will be responsible for:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
- Holding executive leaders of the schools to account for the educational quality and performance of the organisation; the overall quality of the education students receive, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff;
- In addition to overseeing academic operations, an academy director is also accountable for the business operations of the Academy. Directors create and execute business plans, establish annual budgets and oversee the financial performance of the organisation, making sure its money is well spent.
All roles are entirely voluntary and ‘pro bono’.At ESCAT we value everyone highly, promote positivity, equality and harmonious relations and will tackle any form of discrimination to ensure a wholly supportive, safe and secure environment. We seek to remove any barriers to access, participation, progression, attainment and achievement and encourage and warmly welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.What Next? If you are interested in becoming a Trustee & Director, please contact the Clerk to the Board of Directors for more information and to arrange a conversation with the Chief Executive Officer (Mr Matt Quinn) or the Chair of Trustees (Mr Marc Evans):
Claire Colley Clerk to the Board: C.Colley@oaklandscatholicschool.org