Barton Court Academy Trust (BCAT) is recruiting Governors (Voluntary Work) for each Local Governing Body of its three Schools:

The Charles Dickens School (Broadstairs, Thanet)

Barton Manor School (Canterbury) Barton Court Grammar School (Canterbury)

You don’t need any special qualifications, all we ask for is

The right attitude; A willingness to share and develop your existing experience and skills; Time to take on the commitment.

What does a Governor do?

The Local Governing Body of each school plays a critical role in a school’s success and the success of its students. Governors are responsible for ensuring that the vision, ethos and strategic direction are implemented and are responsible for holding the Headteacher and senior leaders to account for the performance of the school.

What skills are we looking for?

We Are Recruiting Governors With Experience And Skills In

Dealing with colleagues at all levels; Ability to challenge constructively and help find solutions; An appreciation of the value of education.

What are the benefits of becoming a Governor?

Professional development through a range of training courses; Being able to take skills back to the workplace: reading and interpreting data, understanding the curriculum and making sure resources are used effectively and efficiently are just a few of the areas involved; Building relationships through a network of professional local people; Gaining an insight into how schools operate and identifying other ways that business can become more involved; Knowing that you are doing something very worthwhile for your community.

What is the Time Commitment?

6 meetings a year, each lasting approximately 2 hours, there is an expectation to have read the documents sent in advance for the meeting Monitoring Visits in school 2-3 times per year Governor professional development which includes, but not exclusive to: an induction programme run by the NGA, annual online training to include Safeguarding, Prevent, FGM, GDPR and Cyber Security and a governor training event 1 x ½ day in the year Invitation to school events on an ad-hoc non-compulsory basis

Barton Court Academy Trust (BCAT) is a multi-academy Trust which was established in 2017. It currently consists of three secondary schools: Barton Court Grammar School, an 11-18yrs, mixed selective school in the heart of Canterbury, rated “Good” with many outstanding features (Leadership & Management; Personal Development and Behaviour & Attitudes) by Ofsted in February 2020 and again in November 2024. Barton Manor (Free) School, an 11 – 18yrs non-selective mixed school in the heart of Canterbury which opened in September 2022 and will have students in Y7-10 from September 2025 rated “Good” with many outstanding features (Leadership & Management and Personal Development) by Ofsted in May 2025 and The Charles Dickens School, an 11-16yrs mixed non-selective school in Broadstairs, rated “Good” by Ofsted in March 2023.

If you feel the role of Governor is one that you could contribute to, then please send your CV and a brief personal statement giving information about your skills to clerk@bartoncourt.org

In line with KCSIE 2025 guidance, as part of the shortlisting process, the Trust reserves the right to conduct an online search on shortlisted candidates as part of our due diligence and any relevant information found concerning a candidate's suitability to work with children will be discussed at interview stage.

The Barton Court Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure application via the Disclosure & Barring Service and check against the ISA Barred List for Children.