Founded in September 2014, the Rodillian Multi Academy Trust is a MAT in the Yorkshire region that transforms under-performing schools, giving them access to policies and strategies that have been successful for its students. These are led by credible leaders with a track record in school improvement. 

The Trust began with the Rodillian Academy. Housed in a £27m building which opened in 2008 with state-of-the-art technologies across all departments, the School is equipped with SMART digital screens in every classroom. Its creative approaches to learning has been recognised and documented by ITN news. It contains a dance studio, two gyms, a recording studio, a lecture theatre, and astro-turf pitches. The Rodillian Academy has since achieved the accolade of the most improved school in the North of England, while the Progress 8 scores for 2016 placed it at the top of the league tables. In recognition of this success, the Rodillian Academy was asked to share its success and start its own multi-academy trust. The Trust has since grown to include three further academies: the Featherstone Academy, the BBG Academy, and the Brayton Academy. Additionally, it includes Southway, a subsidiary company of the Trust that provides alternative and vocational opportunities in education for students at KS3 and KS4, who may otherwise have been excluded from mainstream school.

With its roots in West Yorkshire and all of its schools being 30 minutes apart, the Trust is committed to a local approach. It believes in bespoke solutions for individual schools, with school improvement work being focused on a true understanding of the community each school serves. While developing the unique and individual identity of each school is of paramount importance, the Trust equally believes in assimilated methodology to drive forward standards in its partner schools to improve the life chances for more local children. The “Rodillian Ethos” is underpinned by common values — a traditional approach to behaviour management, innovative curriculum design and excellence in teaching to deliver best possible outcomes.

The Trust is a not-for-profit educational charitable company and its Governance structure ensures that it meets its requirements to ensure probity, good governance and outstanding performance.

The Trust Board is comprised of the Trustees who are also non-executive Directors of the Trust. They meet regularly as a Trust Board and have a number of sub-committees including Audit & Risk; Finance & Resources; People, Pay and Performance and Standards.

Trustees focus on the three core functions of governance:

1. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
2. Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the Trust Academies and their students, and the performance management of staff
3. Overseeing and ensuring effective financial performance

Trustees (Finance)

As it continues to grow, the Rodillian Multi Academy Trust now seeks new outstanding individuals with a senior background in legal, audit, finance, or governance to join its Board and its Audit & Risk Committee, and to help it become one of the top-performing MATs. They will be able to give an opinion on the adequacy and effectiveness of the Trust's governance framework, assurance arrangements, and risk management and control processes as well as workplace investigations.

For the Finance Trustee roles, Rodillian are seeking two individuals; one will be a qualified accountant, and will bring senior-level experience in financial / operational strategy and / or risk management. The other Trustee will bring strategic-level financial experience gained in the public sector.

For the Legal Trustee role, the successful candidate will bring senior-level experience in law, having worked previously as a barrister, solicitor or paralegal.

Above all, candidates will be committed to the purpose of the Trust, which is to create life opportunities for all pupils at its schools. Previous Board experience is welcome, but the Trust is open to first-time NEDs.

A list of current Trustees can be found here.   

There are seven calendared Board meetings, plus four Audit and Risk Committee meetings per year. Board meetings usually take place in-person around 5-6pm, while Committee meetings remain on Teams, and also take place around 6pm. In-person meetings tend to take place at Rodillian Academy, but these may move across the different schools in the Trust. Additionally, there will be occasional school / monitoring visits, and meetings with the executive when required. The appointment is for a four-year term. The role is unremunerated, but reasonable, pre-agreed expenses will be reimbursed.

Candidates will be UK-based and be able to attend in-person meetings. The Trust is open to candidates based outside of West Yorkshire as long as they are able to attend the in-person board meetings.