Northern House School Academy Trust seeks one non-executive director and Chair of the Finance and Estates Committee. Northern House School Academy Trust educates and nurtures primary and secondary children with emotional and social difficulties at four schools, a Pupil Referrral Unit and an Early Nurture Centre.
The Trust has a long history of supporting students with special educational needs and, after successive Outstanding Ofsted ratings for the Oxford school, it has grown steadily with the most recent school – Wokingham, which also has a residential facility - opening in January 2018.
The Trust has over 300 pupils aged between 4 and 16 years old, including Northern House School Solihull, which broke new ground offering children an all-through education from reception to GCSEs (aged 4-16) and other academic and vocational qualifications. The Trust also works to reintegrate pupils into mainstream schools whenever that is possible and desirable, for example through the Pupil Referral Unit on the Northern House School City of Wolverhampton campus which also hosts a primary and secondary school. The current budget is £15m.
to develop cost-effective outreach to all schools, pupils and families in the communities the Trust serves.
Trustees – or non-executive directors - are both charity trustees and company directors of an academy trust. Their role is to hold to account the executive and senior leadership team.
The Board manages the business of the Trust and may exercise all the powers of the Trust. Non-executive directors are responsible for maintaining stability during a period of growth and the management of a dynamic structure.
The candidate will provide guidance on financial probity and reporting in addition to scrutinising financial plans for sustainability and growth. The right candidate will havete capability and confidence to lead the Finance Committee, grasp budgetary pressure and complexities and manage risk.