Trustee Vacancy - Voluntary Position

There is currently a vacancy on the Trust Board at Elston Hall Learning Trust. We are looking for a dedicated volunteer who is keen to make a difference across our family of schools.

Elston Hall Learning Trust has been established since 2015 and currently consists of six schools across Wolverhampton, Walsall and Sandwell. The Trust is underpinned by the moral purpose to change lives for the better and ensure our children achieve their potential. We want our children to be the best they can be and through learning believe that they can achieve anything.

The core purpose behind our Trust is to ensure the highest standards of achievement are seen in each school. The connections between our schools start always with a common drive for school improvement. Collaboration is the focus for our partnership. Support for our schools, our children and our staff comes from within our Trust. We share a collective responsibility for our achievements and in solving the problems that challenge us.

What is the role of a Trustee? (National College for Teaching and Leadership – Governance in Multi-Academy Trusts)

The trustees are responsible for the same three core governance functions performed by the governing body in a maintained school: setting the direction, holding the Headteacher to account and ensuring financial probity. As charity trustees, they must also ensure that they are complying with charity law requirements. Academy trusts are charitable companies, and the trustees are company directors and must comply with company law requirements. This may sound daunting, but, in reality, the duties are largely the same as those of a governor of a maintained school, such as regularly attending meetings, managing conflicts of interest, seeking advice from the academy’s leadership team and ensuring the academy has appropriate procedures in place for reporting financial information.

As a Trustee you will need to have:

• The ability to receive, read, understand and question sometimes complex information (this may be through email or an online platform);

• A commitment to safeguarding practices, including a willingness to receive regular safeguarding training and a clear enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (this will be undertaken upon appointment);

• Availability to attend Trust Board and Committee meetings. These are mostly face to face meetings though sometimes may be facilitated via Microsoft Teams; and

• The willingness to occasionally visit our schools and see the wonderful work that is going on!

Please have a look at the attached Role Description of a Trustee for more detail on what the responsibilities include. You could make a real difference and we look forward to hearing from you.

Please note that in order for an individual to become a Trustee, the Trust must undertake a number of legal checks including:

• An enhanced DBS check without barred list information. They will have an enhanced DBS check with barred list information if working in regulated activity.

• A section 128 check (to check prohibition on participation in management under section 128 of the Education and Skills Act 2008).

• Identity

• Right to work in the UK

• Other checks deemed necessary if they have lived or worked outside the UK

Elston Hall Learning Trust is committed to promoting equality of opportunity and we particularly welcome applications from volunteers from a diverse range of backgrounds, in order to reflect the wonderfully diverse communities we serve as well as the diversity within the UK. For further information or to express an interest in the role please contact Dawn Cooper, HR & Governance Leader, dcooper@ehlt.org.uk or 01902 558003.