Since its foundation in 2011, Academy Transformation Trust (ATT) has grown to its current family of 21 academies (primary, secondary, post-16 and FE, and one special school) operating across the East, South East, East Midlands and West Midlands. ATT is responsible for the education of over 13,500 learners, for the careers of almost 2,000 colleagues, and for the most effective spending of over £80m of taxpayer income each year. The Trust's vision is to transform the lives of its learners, its staff, and the communities it serves. It encapsulates that ambition in one simple slogan: #TransformingLives.

ATT is seeking a Cluster Chair who will chair the joint governing body of Beck Row Primary Academy and Great Heath Academy and the separate governing body of Mildenhall College Academy. This is a newly established role as ATT moves to a structure of clustered local governing bodies within a particular geography.

Beck Row Primary Academy was opened in 2017 and has grown to a primary school of almost 250 pupils with increasing pupil numbers expected over the next few years. It is set in beautiful grounds with a large field, mature trees and playground to the rear. The Academy is on an exciting journey of improvement with huge potential and a committed and talented staff team now in place. Ofsted judged pupil behaviour and attitudes as ‘Good’ in February 2020. A five-minute drive from Beck Row, Great Heath Academy is a three-form entry primary school with a Nursery class, and caters for over 550 pupils. Great Heath enjoys fantastic resources and is a well-established institution within the local area. Its latest Ofsted inspection (April 2018) rated it as 'Good' in all areas. Ten minutes away, Mildenhall College Academy is a secondary school catering for over 1,200 students; it has also been rated as 'Good' by Ofsted in its last inspection. Mildenhall is a prominent centre for the local community and has seen recent investment into its site with a new building with incorporates a gym, library and sports hall.

The Chair will work closely with the local governing bodies to promote and maintain high standards of educational achievement by offering support, challenge and encouragement. The Chair must provide the LGBs with a clear lead and direction for the Governors, taking responsibility for the delegation of tasks. LGBs will monitor, scrutinise and support the performance of each academy as follows:

LGBs will scrutinise:

• Predicted and actual educational performance against the academy's Evaluation and Improvement Plan
• Specific aspects of the academy’s educational performance, such as its impact on pupils / learners with SEND, its use of pupil premium and other designated funding grants and any performance gaps between different groups of pupils / learners
• The academy’s approach to ensuring the personal development of pupils / learners e.g. attendance, punctuality and behaviour (including exclusions) and the academy’s impact on developing positive attitudes among pupils/learners
• The impact of academy improvement activity, including the Full Academy Review (FAR) and other Challenge, Support and Intervention (CSI) processes
• The impact of professional and pedagogic development activity
• The performance of the academy in regard to Ofsted inspections and the delivery of any required academy improvement plans
• How stakeholder views are sought and responded to in order to inform academy improvement
• The academy’s approach to risk management
• The local implementation and impact of Trust-wide policies and procedures  

LGBs will inform and support by:

• Contributing to Ofsted inspection processes as the representatives of governance 
• Contributing to CSI processes, including the FAR and regular CSI forums
• Ensuring that the views of local stakeholders are reflected in academy activity 

Academy Transformation Trust seeks a Cluster Chair who will offer exceptional leadership skills to the local governing bodies of Beck Row Primary Academy and Great Heath Academy & Mildenhall College Academy. The successful candidate will be bold, charismatic, and be able to bring different personalities together. They will be able to chair a meeting to time while offering support and constructive challenge to the schools' senior leadership teams. 

ATT is very open as to the successful applicant's professional background as long as they are pragmatic and can think outside the box. They could be from the public, private or education sectors, but above all will understand the nuances of applying these skills to a school's context. They could, for example, have a senior-level HR, general leadership/management, or change management background. Equally this person could be a senior-level educationalist (previous ATT Chairs have come from both within and outside of the education sector). Previous board experience is welcome, but not essential. 

Above all, however, candidates will have a passion for ensuring that all learners receive the best possible outcomes, and will share ATT's values: a commitment to education, innovation and improvement, transparency and integrity, and a dedication to inclusivity. 

A list of current Trustees and local academy committee chairs can be found here.

There are four LGB meetings per school per year, meaning that the Cluster Chair will attend eight LGB meetings across the two governing bodies. Roughly half of these meetings take place virtually and half in person. Additionally, there is a termly Chairs' briefing. The Cluster Chair will also be expected to make termly school visits and meet with the school heads fortnightly or monthly. Some of these meetings can take place virtually. The appointment is for a four-year term. The role is unremunerated but reasonable, pre-agreed expenses will be reimbursed and governance training is offered.

Half the LGB meetings will be in person at the individual academies, and half will be virtual. Candidates will be UK-based. 

Academy Transformation Trust welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. As women, younger people, those from different socioeconomic backgrounds, and those with a disability are currently under-represented, applications from those individuals would be particularly encouraged. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.