Organisation Overview for
employees of The Sir John Brunner Foundation
Enhancing and advancing every child’s life through the higest standards of education through the higestes standards of education
Welcome
I am delighted to welcome you to the Sir John Brunner Foundation.
You join a high performing Multi-Academy Trust employing over 450 staff and educating over 4000 students across four Academies.
You will find that all our colleagues share the ambition that every child’s life is enhanced and advanced by high educational standards; all staff are committed to ensuring every child fulfils their academic potential at whatever stage they are at. We are driven by our values of Excellence, Belonging and Partnership.
Our dedicated and enthusiastic leadership teams in each Academy are driven by core values and a keen focus on ensuring that students and colleagues alike are valued as individuals and enjoy a rich, joyful and rewarding time with us.
I am incredibly proud of all our colleagues, the contribution they make and their strong sense of duty and commitment in serving the interests of all our children within the local community.
Student and business support professionals, leaders and teachers thrive and are well supported throughout their careers in the Foundation. Whatever your profession, I am confident you will enjoy a rewarding time with us.
Matthew Snelson
Who we are
The Sir John Brunner Foundation is a multi-academy trust, which is a not-for-profit organisation that operates more than one academy, independent of local authority control. The group of academies collaborate and work together to advance education for public benefit.
The Sir John Brunner Foundation is made up of four Academies, one Sixth Form College and three High Schools.
11-16 Academy 1,045 students 125 staff
11-16 Academy 710 students 100 staff
Sixth Form College
1,840 students 150 staff
11-16 Academy 590 students 80 staff
Our Values
Throughout the Foundation, our students and professionals alike are encouraged and supported to ‘live’ these values. Our values should be front and centre when making any decisions.
Excellence
Excellence in:
• Student care, experience and progress
• Impactful innovation, including leadership development and progression
• Consistently and persistently focusing on helping students meet expectations
A strong sense of belonging, with:
• Happy, safe and successful students and professionals at the heart of what we do
• Students and professionals cared for, known and valued
• Academies maintaining a strong sense of inclusivity, identity, place and purpose
Belonging Partnership
A partnership of:
• Professionals contributing to our vision, through innovation and impactful collaboration
• Students and Professionals contributing to their community and to the world around them
• Professionals embracing learning from and support of each other
Strategic Priorities
The Foundation has four strategic priorities. Each Academy develops it’s own strategy that is rooted in, and supports, the Foundations priorities. Colleagues are encouraged to consider how they individually contribute to these priorities.
Quality
Continual Improvement and Enhancement of Quality
• Students embracing high quality educational provision
• Professionals supported and challenged to provide the best student experience possible
• Students making exceptional progress
Sustainable
Maximise use of Resources Ensuring a Sustainable Learning Organisation
• Recruiting, developing and retaining exceptional professionals
• Utilising and managing Resources effectively and efficiently including finance and digital
• Managing Estates & environment with sustainability at its heart
Growth
Considered, Targeted and Carefully Managed Growth
• Support even more students to make exceptional progress
• Provide even more professionals with the opportunity to work in a forward-thinking trust
• Discover fresh thinking and ideas and have an influence on local and national decision making
Innovation
Professional Curiosity and Innovation
• Research informed, utilising great intellect and judgement to embrace the freshest and innovative ideas
• Innovative curriculum design and teaching and learning
• Continually improving business support practices and effective and efficient systems
The Foundation’s History
Sir John Deane gifted land for Witton Free Grammar School for Boys, in Northwich 1908
Middlewich High School ‘new build’ opened by Sir John Brunner
Sir John Brunner and Ludwig Mond gift land for Sir John Deane’s Boys Grammar School 1906
April 2018
Sir John Deane’s Sixth Form College becomes the first Academy within the Foundation
April 2018
The Sir John Brunner Foundation Multi Academy Trust is created
1957
Girls Grammar School created in what would become The County High School, Leftwich
The County High School, Leftwich joins the Foundation
Middlewich High School joins the Foundation
The Macclesfield Academy joins the Foundation December
Meet the Executive Team
Matt
BSc, PGCE, MSc
Jennie
CIPD Director of People & Culture
Sian Armstrong Head of Governance & Compliance
Snelson,
Chief Executive Officer
Kieran,
Kathryn McBurnie, ACA Chief Financial Officer
Sarah du Plessis Director of School Improvement
Elizabeth Davies Director of Estates
Liam Lewis Director of Finance
Stuart Piggott Director of IT
Organisational Structure
Our structure enables our Academies to focus on educational delivery, supporting and nurturing our students, whilst also facilitating direct access to experienced, professionally qualified professionals. Our professional services currently include School Improvement, Finance, HR, Estates, Governance and IT.
McBurnie CFO
Governance Structure
The role of Governance is to ensure the Foundation is compliant with the regulatory, contractual and statutory requirements.
The Foundation is incredibly fortunate to benefit from the input of our dedicated volunteers. All of whom bring their integrity, judgement, focus and the experiences of their own careers/voluntary work.
Members hold the Trust Board to account for the effective governance of the Foundation.
The Foundation Board oversee the running of the Sir John Brunner Foundation, through a series of committees. The Trust Board hold the Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Team to account.
School’s Governing Bodies have a number of delegated authorities from the Foundation Board, along with the CEO, they hold the Headteacher or Principal of their respective Academy to account providing support and challenge over key strategic decisions. Each governing body includes at least 2 parent governors.
The scheme of delegation sets out where responsibility and accountability lie for key areas of leadership and management.
Working for the Foundation
Staff Representation
We know that working in partnership, contributing to our vision, collaborating in impactful ways and learning and supporting each other underpins our culture and successes as an organisation. Our staff representation is a crucial communication mechanism to facilitate the continual enhancement and innovation of our work environment.
Each Academy has a staff forum or association, whose purpose is to discuss matters relevant to staff within the Academy. Your personnel representative will be able to identify/introduce you to the representatives. You are encouraged to make any suggestions or representations via your representative for discussion.
In addition, The Foundation has a Staff Consultative Association (SCA) made up of representatives from each Academies staff forum. With colleagues representing teachers, support staff and leaders from across the Foundation, the SCA is a well-established, and respected, mechanism of effective dialogue between the Foundation and staff representatives.
The SCA discusses a range of matters impacting upon work-life across the Foundation and is an effective means of communication, consultation and discussion regarding Foundation Policies, current issues and future developments.
Meetings take place normally every half term. The minutes of the meetings are made available on the colleague area of The Sir John Brunner Foundation website.
Policies and Procedures
The Foundation has a suite of policies to enable Academies to operate in a consistent manner that is compliant with statutory requirements. These policies are developed in consultation with representatives from each academy via the SCA and approved at Trust board.
There are instances where the unique identity of each school means that an Academy specific policy is more appropriate and this will be developed by the Academy Leadership team and approved by the School’s Governing Body.
Policies are generally available on the academy’s website or the colleague are of The Sir John Brunner Foundation website. Your personnel representative will show you how to access these.
Foundation SCA
Academy Staff Forum / Association
Two-way communication
Benefits
Terms & Conditions
Your terms and conditions are outlined within your contract of employment. Any queries can be directed to the Academy personnel representative.
The Foundation is committed to following the national terms and conditions. This means both Support Staff and Teacher’s in schools, and the Sixth Form College will benefit from nationally recognised pay scales and other terms and conditions. Any pay awards that are nationally agreed are automatically applied.
Benefits as an employee
As an employee of the Foundation, you will be able to access a range of benefits. More information is available on the Working For Us page on the Foundation’s website.
Benefits of a Multi Academy Trust
The DfE have recognised the significant benefits to educational standards where schools are part of a strong Multi-Academy Trust (MAT). MAT’s enable effective sharing of resources, knowledge and skills, and direct these resources where they are most needed and supporting departments in suitable ways.
The Sir John Brunner Foundation is proud of the benefits that have been realised for all of our Academies to date. Colleagues will also benefit from increased opportunities for career development, sharing of knowledge and skills, and sustainable secure employment.
• Supporting career development, by providing and enhancing available opportunities across the Foundation
• Improving the financial position, without detriment to educational delivery, to ensure all financial affairs are managed in a strong and stable manner to ensure future sustainability.
• Using expertise to secure additional funding via highly competitive processes to enhance and improve facilities at our Academies.
• An impactful school improvement offer, led by the Director of School Improvement, with access to specialists in education from across the Foundation.
• Establishing mechanisms and frameworks to share knowledge and coordinate best practice approaches.
• Embracing and celebrating difference where colleague’s individuality is welcomed and championed
• Improving and enhancing terms and conditions of colleagues.
• Promoting an inclusive, high performing culture with colleagues displaying a strong sense of duty and contribution.
• Providing opportunities for professional networking, including annual Foundation Conference.
The Sir John Brunner Foundation, Monarch Drive, Northwich, Cheshire, CW9 8AF
Tel: 01606 810035