Governance Professional/Clerk

The Black Pear Trust; Worcester; Hybrid; GBP 17,000 - 25,000; Part time

Job summary

The Black Pear Trust in Worcestershire is expanding its central governance team and seeks a Governance Professional/Clerk on a casual contract, roughly 15 hours per week. The role is home-based with occasional travel to schools and meetings.

You will attend meetings, take minutes, advise Governors, manage agendas, papers, and maintain records, while upholding GDPR and equalities policies.

Qualifications

• Educated to NVQ Level 3 or equivalent.
• Experienced administrator and record keeper.
• Experience of minute taking and a good understanding of how meetings are structured.
• Have or be able to develop governance Professional training.
• Knowledge of ICT packages (eg MS Word, Excel, web authoring).
• Able to research, analyse, interpret and provide advice on legislation and procedural matters.

Responsibilities

• Prepare meeting agendas in consultation with chair and CEO/headteacher; ensure statutory items are included.
• Attend governance meetings to take minutes and provide guidance; reflect discussions and decisions.
• Circulate draft minutes within agreed timescale.
• Administer governance for panels such as pupil discipline, staff grievance and complaints.
• Maintain records: minutes, papers, terms of reference, policies, attendance, etc.; archive as required.
• Liaise with LA and DfE on governance issues to advise trustees/governors.

Skills

Prioritise workload

Record keeping

Communication skills

Confidentiality

Education

NVQ Level 3

Tools

MS Word

Excel

Web authoring

Job description

Governance Professional/Clerk

Casual contract

Approximately 15 hours per week

Exciting opportunity to join an established governance team supporting schools and local communities.

The Black Pear Trust is a growing multi-academy trust based in Worcestershire; we currently comprise of 8 schools but are an ambitious and growing Trust who are proud support many other schools with professional Governance Services.

As part of our ongoing commitment to education we are expanding our Trust central team; the post of Governance Professional will help us to deliver a strong and effective governance support service to the growing network of schools we support.

• We seek a colleague who will work with our existing governance team to support governing bodies using strong administrative and organisational skills to support effective and efficient governance that in turn supports senior and executive leaders in making a difference to children's lives.

  Details

  Meetings take place in a variety of schools where you would attend to take minutes and provide advice to Governors or Trustees. Those meetings usually occur during the evening but some can be at other times. You will also be required to complete other administrative tasks to support Governing Bodies/Trust Boards.

  The role of Governance Professional is predominantly home-based but travel to meetings will be required. The role is intended to be term-time only but some flexibility is required.

  Previous experience would be a distinct advantage, but full training could be provided for the right candidate.

  You must have own transport, stable internet access and a means to secure confidential papers. You must be computer literate with excellent communication skills, highly organised and self-motivated.

  Principal Accountabilities

  Prepare meeting agendas in consultation with the chair of trustees or chair of governors and CEO or headteacher. Ensure statutory and standard items are included on the agenda at the relevant meeting. Issue agendas, papers and notices of all governance meetings within the legal timescale.

  Attend governance meetings to take accurate minutes of the meeting and provide advice and guidance. Minutes should reflect clearly the discussions and decisions taken.

  Circulate draft minutes within an agreed timescale.

  Administer the organisation and clerking for governor panels such as pupil discipline, staff grievance, staff discipline and complaints within the trust and/or other schools supported via an SLA.

  Maintain a suitable record of signed minutes, meeting papers, terms of reference, approved policies, a schedule of policy review dates, attendance records, acceptance of apologies, the current Articles of Association or Instrument of Government and other relevant documentation. Archive information at agreed periods.

  Update and maintain high level knowledge of and liaise with the local authority (LA) and Department for Education (DfE) as appropriate on issues relating to governance, in order to advise trustees or governors on relevant procedural matters, policy issues and current/relevant legislation and statutory requirements.

  Give advice and support to new trustees or governors and those taking on new roles such as chair.

  When appropriate, provide advice and feedback to governors in meetings.

  Actively participate in training sessions to share best practice across the team.

  Provide high level administrative support to the chair of governors, e.g.: produce a Governance Planner that shows all meetings and main actions for the governing body and committees at different points in the year.

  The post holder is responsible for ensuring that the trust's equalities policy is fully implemented in all areas of his/her work as is the trust's health and safety policy and agreed codes of practice and that he/she works within the confines of GDPR.

  Your duties will be as set out in the above job description but please note that the trust reserves the right to update your job description, from time to time, to reflect changes in, or to, your job. You will be consulted about any proposed changes.

  The list of duties in the job description should not be regarded as exclusive or exhaustive. There will be other duties and requirements associated with your job and, in addition, as a term of your employment you may be required to undertake various other duties as may reasonably be required.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Job RelatedKnowledge, Experience andQualifications

Desirable:

Maintain records of current governors, including names, addresses, areas of responsibility, membership of committees and terms of office, ensuring information is always accurate. Ensure governors have signed a declaration of eligibility and completed an annual declaration of pecuniary interests.

Liaise with the governing body/LA/Diocese when governors’ terms of office are due to come to an end. Administer elections for new parent governors and staff governors when required, overseeing the democratic process in line with government requirements. Provide relevant information as agreed by the governing body, (including the Guide to the Law) for all new governors.

• Educated to minimum of NVQ Level 3 or equivalent

• Experienced administrator and record keeper
• Experience of minute taking and a good understanding of how meetings are structured
• Have attended, or can demonstrate a commitment to attend governance Professional training as required
• Have or able to develop knowledge of relevant policies / codes of practice and relevant legislation
• Good knowledge and understanding of relevant ICT packages (eg MS Word, Excel, web authoring)
• To research, analyse, interpret and provide advice on legislation and procedural matters

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to prioritise own workload to ensure deadlines are met
• Ability to keep accurate and up to date records
• Effective written and verbal communication skills and able to work with and communicate with colleagues of all levels
• Ability to work confidentially with sensitive and confidential information

OtherRequirements

• Be flexible in terms of working hours, as many governance meetings take place outside of normal office hours and can sometimes be called at short notice
• Demonstrate a willingness to undertake appropriate training and development

• Please note: This job advert may close sooner than the expected closing date if we receive the desired amount of applications before the closing date.