Support school communities
At the heart of local communities
At Vantage Academy Trust, we are very proud of our values-led ethos and community spirit. Our schools are at the heart of their communities and welcome new connections with local volunteers, charities and businesses, to create long-lasting relationships for the benefit of our pupils.
There are many ways in which people can get involved, as volunteers, members of school PTA and PCTA groups, as school ambassadors, sponsors and, representatives on Local Advisory Boards, which are the governance function of our academies.
‘Governors understand the challenges facing the local community and the priorities for the future of the school. They share the same passion and commitment seen from all who work at the school. They provide highly effective support and challenge and they themselves are held to account by the trustees… [pupils] are extremely proud of their school and of the community in which they live.’
Vision and Values
Governance at Vantage
We are always on the look out for committed and energetic volunteers to get involved in supporting schools; governance is one of the key ways local individuals can make a lasting impact on the whole school.
Governors are the largest group of volunteers in the country, and an exciting and rewarding community to become a part of. They bring their own unique skill set to the Local Advisory Boards, where they are representatives either of the parent body, the school staff, the Diocese, or a co-opted member of the community, for example, from a local business – you can find out more here.
Our Board of Trustees are selected to govern the Trust, taking responsibility for overall performance and compliance, due to their own particular professional expertise, which ensures that the skill-set of the board is wide-ranging enough to provide accountability and strategic leadership to Trust executives.
How to get involved
The essential skills to becoming an effective representative on the school LAB:
. Have the time to attend usually five meetings over the year, and make visits to the school in order to support events and meet the community.
. Be able to apply your own perspective, knowledge and experience to governance discussions.
. Feel confident to provide both support and challenge to school leaders to inform school strategy.
Representatives must be over eighteen but need have no formal qualifications to apply; we want to see a diverse mix of perspectives in the governance of our schools and we provide training to all new joiners.
If you would like to find out more about becoming a representative on one of our school’s Local Advisory Boards, or register an interest in becoming a Trustee, please contact our Governance Lead, Karen Haines, who will be happy to help: karen@j-a-s.co.uk