Reach South is a young and developing Trust which operates across the South West of England with the aim of delivering education to students aged from 3 to 19 years old. Established in 2016 to provide primary, secondary and special education in the South West of England, Reach South Academy Trust currently operates 14 academies in Plymouth, Bournemouth, Dorset and Wiltshire and is an independent charitable company promoting the values of the REACH family (Raising the Educational Achievement of Children). Reach South's 1000 staff oversee the education of over 5,000 pupils, with a combined budget of £40m. 

Its core business is delivering exceptional education for children and young people with a mission to help all pupils aspire to achieve beyond the expectations that others put on them. Reach South does this through the development of a talented and committed workforce. In order to deliver exceptional opportunities for learning, it needs highly motivated staff across all parts of the organisation.

"Aspiration beyond expectation" is at the core of Reach South's values and ambitions. It has a strong belief in young people and a determination to support them to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to become successful citizens. The Trust's vision is to enable individual academies to flourish whilst also ensuring a strong ethos of support and collaboration across its schools. No child’s aspirations should be limited by the expectations of others.

Following recent Ofsted inspections, the Trust has experienced numerous successes in driving school improvement, leading to oversubscription in some of its academies. Owing to a robust leadership structure and strong central services team, there is both capacity and potential for the Trust to expand.

All Trustees must be able to demonstrate that they share Reach South's values, are highly motivated to work with colleagues, within and beyond their school, to continuously develop their skills and pursue professional excellence.

The Trustee sought will join Reach South's high-calibre, engaged and collegial Board which is overseeing the Trust's exciting trajectory. Trustees will scrutinise educational outcomes, financial management and the quality of delivery of the people strategy at the Trust, providing challenge and advice to fellow Trustees and the executive team as appropriate. They will also support the Trust's ambitious plans for growth while scrutinising its pace and ensuring that issues of risk and long-term sustainability are considered.

More specifically, the Trustee is responsible for:

• Maintaining a close working relationship with the Director of HR, the HR Sub-Committee Chair and the Chief Executive Officer
• Reviewing policies, plans and practices relating to HR, Culture and Leadership
• Ensuring that the Trustee Board understands the implications of the organisation’s approach to HR, Leadership and Culture including regular policy and programme reviews and any arising issues
• Supporting the work that is happening operationally within HR, recommending when extra resource or Board support is needed
• Recommending to the Trustee Board what aspects of HR activities should be in strategic or operational plans and then oversee the monitoring, implementation and reporting of any such activities
• Act as an independent arbiter or investigator should the need arise. 
• Be an impartial trusted adviser
• Be an active member and technical adviser to the HR Sub-Committee
• Represent the Trustee Board on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion steering group

Reach South Academy Trust seeks a committed candidate with a proven track record in a HR leadership role within a commercial, public sector or charity environment to join the Trustee Board and be the reviewer of any key HR matters. 

Candidates should have an understanding of U.K. employment law as well as a sense of current market trends in terms of people and employment practices. Additionally, they should be strong communicators, highly collaborative and be willing to take a collegiate approach to Board and committee work, while building strong working relationships with all key stakeholders.

The current Board at Reach South Academy Trust is made up of high-quality individuals who are ambitious for Reach South and passionate about its cause. The Trust is looking for someone equally passionate and committed in this search. 

Above all, Reach South is interested in candidates who have personal values and beliefs that are aligned with those of the Trust. Specifically, this person should be passionate about education and in particular supporting schools which operate in a deprived area. They should also demonstrate an active commitment to Reach Souths’ people strategy and its associated action plan.

This role is unremunerated, but reasonable, pre-agreed travel expenses will be reimbursed. There are approximately six Board and three Committee meetings per year that will be held face-to-face in central London and rotated across the academies as soon as it is safe to do so. The appointment is for a four-year term.