The Hamwic Education Trust (HET) is a community-based multi-academy trust comprised of 35 academies spread across urban and rural communities in Hampshire and Dorset - specifically in Portsmouth, Southampton, Poole and parts of East Dorset. Central to the HET mission and ethos is its focus on community engagement, and this is reflected in the local partnership model the Trust has adopted. The 35 academies, which consist of 32 primaries, two secondaries and one hospital school, work together in six local community partnerships under the HET umbrella. The aim is to establish self-improving school systems where school leaders take collective responsibility for student outcomes. The Trust serves more than 11,000 pupils, employs over 1,600 staff, and has an annual operating budget of around £96m.

Following a recent strategic planning process and governance review, HET has captured the essence of its ethos and values in two simple statements: 'All about the child', and 'What about Sam?'. Sam is the name the Trust has given to the notional Hamwic child, and by constantly asking ‘what about Sam?’ HET ensures that pupils are always at the heart of decision making. HET is extremely ambitious for its academies and the pupils and communities they serve. Its aspiration is for every academy in the Trust to be judged Good or better by Ofsted. In the year ending August 31st 2022, the school had 10 inspections, all of which resulted in Good judgements, with four improving their judgements. HET's other non-negotiables are that all pupils make at least expected progress; all schools and the Trust are financially sustainable; and all children are kept safe.

Under the leadership of Robert Farmer, who has been CEO of the Trust since 2013, together with a strong group of Trustees, HET has reached a turning point in its growth and development and is now seeking additional Trustees who will help shape the next phase of its development. The Trust expects to continue to grow in the years ahead, deepening its work in its existing communities, and adding more secondaries as well as schools which offer specialist / alternative provision.

Trustees at HET play a vital role in supporting the advancement of education of the children in its schools through the raising of standards and development of high-quality learning. 

The Board of Trustees is responsible for governing how HET is run, and as a member of the Board you will have a legal as well as professional responsibility for strategic leadership of the Trust, which includes:

• Setting the organisation’s overall strategic framework, including its vision and strategic priorities
• Responsibility for setting and modelling its culture, values and ethos
• Setting the vision for the trust and engage effectively with the community (pupils, staff, parents and carers)
• Ensuring the resources are managed responsibly and effective to achieve our objectives

Trustee (Education)

HET is seeking to recruit a Trustee who can provide strategic support and challenge as the Trust looks to:

• drive school improvement, improving outcomes for all pupils;
• conduct strong analysis of assessment data, developing school improvement priorities.

This role would be particularly well-suited to someone who has worked across a group of schools, within a MAT or a local authority, or as a senior executive in charge of school improvement. They will have deep experience in the interrogation of educational performance data, particularly secondary-level data. An understanding of the relevant secondary metrics, such as attendance, Progress 8, etc, is crucial. Previous experience as a Trustee is not necessary.

Trustee (Property / Estates)

HET is seeking to recruit a Trustee who can provide strategic support and challenge in pursuit of the following goals:

• optimising value for money in managing its complex estate; and
• developing a long term capital investment strategy that supports the learning need of pupils whilst ensuring buildings remain fit for purpose.

Previous experience as a Trustee is not necessary, nor is any specialist knowledge of education. The Trust is looking for applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. Particularly well-suited applicants would be those who have held strategic responsibility for a significant, complex, multi-site estate. They will be comfortable advising on subjects such refurbishments, health and safety and sustainability in the contexts of buildings and facilities.

Above all, applicants must demonstrate a passion for improving the life chances of children through education, and an alignment with the mission, vision and values of the Trust.

A full list of current Board members can be found here.

The Board of Trustees meets six times per year. Meetings are held at a venue within the Trust’s operating region, and they last for four hours - usually on a Tuesday morning. Although remote dial in is an option as a last resort, the strong preference is for meetings to be held in person. Following a recent governance review, the Trust reduced its number of sub-committees to just two. It is not expected that this Trustee would sit on either sub-committee in the first instance. Instead, the appointee will be expected to become an Expert Trustee on the subject of school improvement, which will involve engagement with the Board and the executive in and around the standard six Board meetings. The cadence and regularity of this engagement will come down to the approach taken by the appointed person in fulfilling this aspect of the role. Additionally, there are two strategy days per year, usually in September and January.

This is an unremunerated position, however reasonable, pre-agreed expenses will be reimbursed.

Candidates should live within reasonable travelling distance of the Trust (Headquarters based on the outskirts of Southampton) and its academies. As such, individuals living in Hampshire, Dorset and West Sussex are particularly encouraged to apply.

HET is an equal opportunities employer with a firm commitment to diversity and inclusion. As such, it welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. 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 under-represented backgrounds can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.