The Diocese of Coventry Multi Academy Trust was incorporated in 2013 and is one of over 2,300 Multi Academy Trusts in England. Recent growth means the Trust is now home to 22 academies spread across the Diocese of Coventry. This scale makes it one of the 70 largest multi academy trusts in the country.

The core mission of the Trust is to build a better future for all within its academies, who in turn will positively impact their communities. Each academy is an inclusive environment supporting pupils from all faiths and none, reflecting the communities each academy serves. The Trust is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its pupils and staff, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Its vision, “together, pursuing life in all its fullness”, is represented within the Trust's academies as embracing excellence and academic rigour, and offering opportunities for children to realise their potential and flourish.

The Trust has achieved significant successes since its incorporation. With a solid governance structure firmly in place and a commitment to the holistic development of 5,500 children and 1,000 staff across its 22 academies, the Trust is poised for a future where community thriving and school improvement take centre stage. The Trust's team has delivered growth and tangible academy improvement, evidenced by favourable Ofsted and SIAMS outcomes and progress toward achieving a minimum of 'Good' rating across all schools.

In alignment with the Church of England's flourishing schools document and the national strategy, the Trust has undergone a thorough review of its governance structure in recent years. This initiative has successfully embedded a robust and fit-for-purpose governance framework, enhancing clarity and effectiveness throughout the Trust. The Trust's commitment to strategic alignment and governance excellence underscores its dedication to providing excellent education and support for its diverse community of schools. This is an exciting time for the new Trustees to join as it embarks on another exciting journey of development.

Directors of a multi academy trust fulfil the role of both Directors under company law and Trustees under charity law.

In short, their responsibilities are to work closely with the Chief Executive Officer to:

• Ensure that there is clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Hold executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the Trust and its pupils and the performance management of staff
• Oversee the financial performance of the Trust, making sure its money is well spent
• Ensure that the voices of stakeholders are heard
• Ensure compliance

Directors must monitor the priorities that have been set to ensure that progress is being made by:

• Measuring the Trust’s impact and progress towards its strategic objectives
• Ensuring that the required policies and procedures are in place and the Trust is operating effectively in line with these policies
• Holding the senior executive leader to account for standards, financial probity and compliance with agreed policies
• Evaluating relevant data and feedback provided by senior executive leaders and external reporting on all aspects of trust performance
• Asking challenging questions of the senior executive leaders in order to hold them to account
• Ensuring that there are policies and procedures in place to deal with complaints effectively

The Diocese of Coventry Multi Academy Trust is looking for at least two new Trustees with experience in educational leadership to play a pivotal role on the Board. The Trust is interested in other academy trust CEO's, Directors of Education or Headteachers (with either primary or secondary experience). Additionally, individuals with experience of school improvement more broadly would be very interesting.

The Trust is interested in candidates who have experience in one or more of the following:

• Education oversight, such as monitoring education quality and outcomes, and spiritual development aligned with Christian vision. This includes overseeing self-evaluation forms, improvement plans, reporting to Ofsted and SIAMS inspectors, and involvement in appeals/panels
• Knowledge or experience of monitoring cultural capital including areas such as pupil’s confidence and voice, worship and external education support
• Strategic expertise in asset and premises management, insurances and/or ICT services
• Strategic expertise in the development and monitoring of a comprehensive People Strategy

Additionally, the candidate should:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of upholding the Christian character and Anglican foundation of the Trust
• Demonstrate the skills necessary to understand and develop a Christianly distinctive vision
• Be willing to work in partnership with the Diocese
• Understand and actively contribute to the Section 48 inspection process.

Trustees will be comfortable with high levels of accountability for the progress of over 5,500 children. They must enhance the Christian distinctiveness of the Trust, with preference given to those who are members of the Church of England or align closely with its values. 

A full list of the current Trust Directors can be found here.

The Diocese of Coventry Multi Academy Trust welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, belief or disability. As women and those from an ethnic minority background are currently under-represented on the Board, 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.

This role is unremunerated, and reasonable, pre-agreed domestic travel expenses will be reimbursed. There are six Board meetings annually which take place on a Wednesday morning. This person will be expected to sit on the Education and Ethos committee, which holds an additional six meetings per year which take place on a Monday evening. All Board and Committee meetings are currently held virtually. Going forwards, most meetings will be virtual but it is likely that a few Board meetings would be held in person as well and so this individual should be prepared to travel to Coventry at least two or three times per year. There is also an AGM which takes place in-person in December. The appointment is for a four-year term, which can be renewed at the discretion of the Board.