New Shropshire Education Trust seeks founder members and trustees

Shropshire Council is seeking individuals with professional expertise and skills in education, business, finance and estates to establish and become members or trustees of the Shropshire Education Trust, a new Multi-Academy Trust (MAT).

The Shropshire Education Trust is being established with headteachers and governors interested in joining in the first phase (from September 2017), supported by Shropshire Council. Membership is open to all maintained schools, and to standalone academies.

The Trust will have up to eight members who will make arrangements for the appointment of up to twelve trustees to the Trust Governing Board. The trustees will be responsible for operational governance starting in September 2017.

The proposal to establish the Trust was initiated by Shropshire Council in close partnership with Shropshire schools.

It follows a series of area meetings held in June and October 2016 that focused on the ‘future shape of education in Shropshire’. Following the meetings a substantial number of headteachers and governors of council-maintained schools indicated that they would like Shropshire Council to explore the development of a Multi-Academy Trust.

Headteachers and governors were then invited to join a consultative group to draft the proposal for the trust.

Now people with the appropriate skills and experience are being sought to become members or trustees.

Karen Bradshaw, director of children’s services with Shropshire Council, said:

“With a strong track record of school improvement, Shropshire Council is pleased to be supporting and enabling the formation of this unique school and community-focused multi-academy trust.

“For these roles we’re seeking individuals who continually aspire to ensure an outstanding, broad and balanced education for all pupils and students, and who believe that a school fulfils a crucial role in the community that it serves.

“We’re looking for people who have skills and expertise to share with their fellow professionals, and who want to see all our schools achieve excellent outcomes for Shropshire’s schoolpupils.”

Anyone interested in becoming a member or trustee of the Shropshire Education Trust should contact Lorraine Edwards on 01743 254412 or email Lorraine.edwards@shropshire.gov.uk for further details and an expression of interest form.

The closing date for registering a formal application of interest is Friday 9 June 2017.

Further information

The vision of the Shropshire Education Trust is to secure and sustain:

• outstanding provision and outcomes for children across all schools in the Trust in order to prepare them well for their futures and improve their life chances.
• healthy schools where pupils’ well-being is central to each school’s work; where pupils are safe and feel safe so that they are ready to learn and able to fulfil their potential.