An exciting opportunity is available to become a governor at one of the schools within the Tenax Schools Trust. We are looking for governors, in particular at:
* Bishop Chavasse CE Primary School
* Brenchley and Matfield CE Primary School
* Jarvis Brook Primary School
* Leybourne Ss Peter and Paul CE Primary School
* West Malling CE Primary School
Tenax Schools Context
We are seeking governors who share our passion for making a difference to the education of young people. Through the education the Trust provides we seek to ensure that every child receives a transformative education in which doors of opportunity and choice are consistently opened. Each of our schools is dedicated to academic and character excellence and is tenaciously committed to every child being known, valued and liberated through education to play a full role in a thriving society. Informed by our foundation as a Church of England trust our governors help secure this vision through the strategic contribution that they are able to make on a school's local governing board. A governor’s contribution can therefore make a positive difference to the quality of education.
Tenax is a charitable trust which runs eight schools, primary and secondary, with over 3,300 children and young people. Within the Tenax family of schools our teacher training facility trains around 45 new teachers a year. Our Teaching School Hub provides professional development to schools across Kent, East Sussex and Medway reaching just over 500 schools.
You will join a great team of governors who are open minded and enthusiastic about the service they give. Full training and induction will be provided. Moreover, the leadership and central staff team at Tenax as well as our school leadership teams welcome working alongside governors, both new and more experienced, to ensure advice and support is provided.
Role of Governor within the Tenax Schools Trust
Our Governors have a critical role to play in supporting the work of our School and the Trust. Their role falls into three main areas:
1. Monitoring Standards - making sure that our school’s performance is evaluated and continuously improves.
2. Maintaining distinctive ethos, character and local traditions.
3. Ensuring good communication and engagement with parents and the wider local community.
Each school in the Tenax Schools Trust has a Local Governing Body (LGB), accountable to the Board of Trustees.
The LGB comprises of the headteacher (ex officio), one further elected staff local governor, two elected parent governors and five or more governors appointed by the Trust Board (who may include trustees or employees from other schools in the Trust selected on the basis of their skills or professional experience), each for a term of 3 years, although as the position is voluntary, governors may resign at any time.
FAQs
Q Do I have to be a member of the Church of England to apply?
A No. While we are a Church of England trust, we seek to serve the whole community. Our governors are supportive of our Christian ethos, our aims and our activities.
Q What is the time commitment?
A Governors will be expected to attend all LGB meetings. These take place 3 times a year at the school. There are no committees of LGBs.
The Trust is committed to offering governors training and development to enable them to undertake their role well. During the year there are also typically two to three seminars run by the Trust, which typically run from 6.00pm-7.00pm. It is beneficial for all governors to attend these. Additional training may also be scheduled by the Trust or the school, throughout the year, in order to support governors in the effective discharge of their duties.
You would also be expected to participate in the governors’ programme of formal visits to the school to look at certain aspects of its work. Each governor is expected to carry out one or two visits per academic year, initially accompanied by an experienced governor.
Q Are meetings in person or virtual?
A Our LGB meetings are typically conducted in person, as are our governor briefings. Our networking events are usually conducted virtually.
Q Are LGB meetings held in the evenings or during the working day?
A Our schools LGB meetings are typically 2 hours long and start as follows; Bishop Chavasse - 6pm, Brenchley and Matfield – 9am, Jarvis Brook – 2pm, Leybourne – 5:30pm, West Malling – 5:30pm. We continually review our meeting time schedules and aim to schedule them by agreement at the most convenient time for those attending.
Q Is the role of governor paid?
A No, school governors are not allowed to receive any remuneration for their work as governors, but they may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses like travel and childcare in line with our expense policy.
Q Will I have the opportunity to visit the school to see them in operation?
A Yes. We encourage governors to attend the school they volunteer at. Our governors are invited to school events and activities and form part of the school family.
Q Will I need a DBS check?
A Yes. It is a legal requirement of governors that they have a DBS check. We will arrange this for you and are happy to discuss any concerns you may have about this.
We hope that you feel this is exactly the opportunity that you have been looking for to contribute to the development of one of our schools. Governors are uniquely placed to support the development of the school, by sharing experience and expertise. They see the work of the school from a different perspective, with existing and previous governors often commenting that they gain a new understanding of the challenges schools face and the processes and systems we employ to achieve our aims and goals.
For more information or an informal exploratory conversation, please contact the Governance and Compliance Officer, Ms Joelene Hasse at hasse@tenaxschoolstrust.co.uk
The Tenax Schools Trust is committed to:
1. Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all trustees, governors, staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All governor appointments are subject to vetting checks and a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.
2. Creating inclusive teams that represent a breadth of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills, and which can provide role models to all students in our communities.If you think you meet the essential criteria for a role within the Trust we would love to hear from you regardless of sex, age, disability status, ethnicity, gender, religion or sexuality.
3. Ensuring reasonable adjustments are made: Any candidate identifying as having a disability, or diagnosed with a neurodivergent condition is encouraged to contact us to discuss any reasonable adjustments that would enable them to participate fully and with equal access to the work of a trustee.
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