The Trustees of St Bartholomew’s CE Multi Academy Trust are seeking volunteers to support our Local Governing Boards:  

• St Bartholomew’s CE Primary School, Wolverhampton

• St Benedict Biscop CE Primary School, Wombourne

• Woodfield Primary School, Wolverhampton

• All Saints’ CE Primary School, Trysull

• Oak Meadow Primary School, Wolverhampton

• Gnosall St Lawrence CE Primary Academy

• Haughton St Giles CE Primary Academy

• Woodseaves CE Primary Academy

• Fairhaven Primary School, Dudley

Do you want to make a difference in your local community?

Do you have suitable skills and experience which may suit this role?

Do you have time to spare a few hours a month assisting your local school?

St Bartholomew’s CE MAT 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. We will not discriminate against anyone on the basis of any of the following protected characteristics as detailed in the Equality Act 2010:

• age;

• disability;

• gender reassignment;

• marriage and civil partnership;

• pregnancy and maternity;

• race;

• religion or belief;

• sex;

• sexual orientation.

Some of the skills we are keen to utilise include:

• The ability to receive, read, understand and question sometimes complex information

• An understanding of the education landscape (particularly primary phase) or a willingness to undertake training

• 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 at least one Local Governing Board meeting per school term; this is likely to be during the evening and will last up to 3 hours. Costs incurred in taking up the role – for example, travel costs or formal childcare arrangements – can be compensated though our expenses policy.

The Department for Education (DfE) states that the three core functions of Governors are:

1. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction

2. Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff

3. Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent

This means we need people who can ask the right questions, whilst always keeping the pupils at the heart of all we do.

Being a Governor means not just attending a formal, termly Governors’ meeting but also visiting the school occasionally in between meetings, in order to get to know the school more, and find out how the school supports and challenges our wonderful pupils. It also involves keeping in touch with what’s happening in school/across the Trust via our online platform (more details to follow for successful applicants).

You could make a real difference.

To find out more or to apply: Please email your query and/or a short bio about yourself (no more than 250 words) detailing why you think you have the skills, experience or any other relevant information you wish to be considered, to:

Sally Nutt (Executive Personal Assistant) snutt@stbartsmat.co.uk  

We look forward to hearing from you.

Please note that in order for an individual to become a Governor, 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

Persons ineligible to be Governors

• No person shall be qualified to be a Governor unless they are aged 18 or over at the date of their election or appointment. No current pupil from within the Trust shall be a Governor.

A Governor shall cease to hold office if they:

• Become incapable by reason of mental disorder, illness, or injury of managing or administering their own affairs.

• Are absent without the permission of the Chair from all their meetings held within a period of six months and the Governors resolve that this office be vacated.

• Would be disqualified from acting as a charity trustee by virtue of section 72 of the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that provision).

A person shall be disqualified from holding or continuing to hold office as a Governor:

• If their estate has been sequestrated and the sequestration has not been discharged, annulled, or reduced.

• If they are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or an interim order.

• If at any time when they are included in the list of teachers and workers with children or young persons whose employment is prohibited or restricted under section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1999.

• If at any time they are disqualified from working with children under section 28, 29, 29A and 29B of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000.

• If they are a person in respect of whom a direction has been made under section 142 of the Education Act 2002.

• Where they have, at any time, been convicted of any criminal offence, excluding any that have been spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 as amended, and excluding any offence for which the maximum sentence is a fine or a lesser sentence except where a person has been convicted of any offence which falls under section 72 of the Charities Act 1993.

• If they have not complied with the Trust’s DBS procedure as detailed in the Safer Recruitment policy. Governors are required to have an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Certificate and Section 128 check.

• Where a person becomes disqualified from holding or continuing to hold office as a Governor and they are, or are proposed, to become such a Governor, they shall upon becoming so disqualified give written notice of that fact to the Clerk to the LGB.