Vacancy: Academy Advisor
River Mead School: Lowbourne, Melksham SN12 7ED
The Mead Primary School: Hackett Place, Hilperton BA14 7GN
Our Academy Advisory Groups:
• Support the effective operation of the Trust and its policies
• Provide support and challenge to school leaders
• Monitor the work of the school, escalating any concerns via the appropriate processes
• Provide constructive feedback to the Trust board where a policy may not be effective in the local context, and suggest alternative approaches
• Celebrate and share education successes
• Build an understanding of the ambitions for the school and its pupils, including its vison and strategy and how this is realised at school level
• Gain knowledge of the schools’ values and how these work in practice so that it is creating a healthy culture for all
To fulfil the role, Academy Advisors need to:
• Attend 5 meetings per academic year (usually during the early evening)
• Join a day in school to see the school in action (usually during Term 2)
• Visit the school a minimum of 2 x per year in their link monitoring role
• Be committed to reading / research to ensure they are up to date with the current education context
• Take part in induction training and ongoing development (including annual safeguarding updates)
• Attend a Trust Strategy Day once per academic year (usually on a Saturday in January)
You do not need any experience of working in a school to be an effective Academy Advisor – in fact, we welcome applications from people who do not have a background in education! You just need to be committed to making a difference to the staff and children of the school, and be someone who is:
• Kind, curious and courageous
• Committed to valuing and supporting the development of each child
• Prepared to work collaboratively with the wider school team, within the AAG, and with our broader Governance Community
• Confident in proactively supporting and challenging the school leadership team
• Willing to share their expertise with the school, and advocate for the school within their existing community / network
Our Academy Advisors are appointed for a term of four years.
What we offer
We recognise the value and contribution every member of our Governance Community makes to our schools, and in return for their dedication and commitment we provide:
- An ambitious and vibrant organisation to work with, with child-centredness and community engagement at our heart
- A supportive governance community across our schools to network with
- Training opportunities to develop your skills and understanding
- A clear vision with purpose and values that are supported by all our staff
- A National College training account, where you can access thousands of training courses online for free
Information Pack >
Application Form >
Equality & Diversity Form >
This role will involve contact with children and the post holder will be engaged in regulated activity relevant to children and will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check before appointment is confirmed.
This Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
All posts involving direct contact with children are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. However, amendments to the Exception Order 1975 (2013 & 2020) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’. These are not subject to disclosure to employers and cannot be taken into account. Guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found on the Ministry of Justice website.
Please note that by submitting an application, you acknowledge that we reserve the right to view any publicly available information published online (including social media platforms) as part of our shortlisting process, in line with current KCSIE guidelines.
Child Protection Policy >
Code of Conduct >