Message from Chiquita Henson, Chief Executive:

 

We are working in partnership with recruitment agency Oyster to appoint a new Director of Finance and Operations for our growing multi-academy trust.

 

With the Trust’s ethos of achieving excellence for all running through the veins of our four schools, each school maintains a unique identity and community feel whilst benefiting from the wider support of the Trust.

This ethos will not be changing. The Trust, however, has bigger plans. This is where you come in.

 

With four Schools nestled in close proximity in the heart of The South Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, and the fifth, currently in the design phase, planned for the newest local development, The Steadings in Cirencester, the successful candidate will be joining the Trust to help continue our growth plan.

 

The Trust’s headquarters are based out of Cirencester Deer Park School, with its other schools nearby.

Working with me as Trust Lead (CEO), you will support the trust on all areas of finance and operations to help move the Trust and each school forward.

 

Every day will be different. You will inherit a motivated team who are all on the same page.

 

Our ideal candidate will have ambition and drive. He/she will be qualified (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or CIPFA) and will share The Corinium Education Trust’s values and passion for improving the learning and life chances of children and young people in the South Cotswolds.

 

This is an important appointment in the next stage of our growth plan and one which will have significant influence on the further development of our mixed multi-academy trust.

 

The role will provide opportunities for career development; the postholder will be able to build on their existing knowledge and experience and learn more about working at scale and delivering outcomes across a number of schools from best practice and emerging research.

 

The postholder will be responsible for managing all budgeting and accounting activity and the operational line management of our Finance team, ensuring all systems are updated and reporting is timely and in line with required annual returns. In addition, the successful candidate will coordinate the work of the external auditor and prepare and submit audited, statutory, consolidated accounts. The postholder will also take the strategic lead on HR, IT, and Property and help to develop each team.

 

This is a post that will change over time; the post holder will be responsive and proactive in the context of our strategic priorities. The ideal candidate will be commercially astute and have excellent communication and negotiation skills. We are looking for someone who is adept at building strong, positive relationships with a variety of stakeholders and can foster respect and trust easily.

 

If, having read the Oyster Job Advert and Candidate Brochure, you are interested in this new post and feel you fulfil the person specification, we would be delighted to receive an application from you. Please initially contact Tom or Bekah at Oyster.

 

The Corinium Education Trust is committed to the safeguarding of our pupils, and employment will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service and receipt of satisfactory references.

We are looking to appoint a part-qualified, or qualified by experience, Assistant Finance Manager to work within the Finance Office of our Multi Academy Trust which currently comprises of four schools. Reporting to the Finance Manager the post will primarily be responsible for monthly routines and reconciliation of financial and management accounts for the Trust, individual schools and a subsidiary company, overseeing processing of all financial documents, based at Cirencester Deer Park School.

 

In order to fulfil the requirements of this role the post-holder will be required to hold, or be working towards, a recognised accountancy qualification or have had direct experience of working in a finance department of a sizeable organisation. A good working knowledge of education would be desirable but is not essential.

 

The successful postholder will also line manage three Finance staff. The post will be for 30 hours per week, working school term time plus two weeks to be worked during the school holidays (mainly in the summer). Exact working hours will be subject to negotiation with the successful candidate. The role is required to start as soon as possible, subject to the necessary employment checks.

 

To apply for this post, you are asked to fully complete the application form available. Please note that we are unable to accept CV applications.  However, interested applicants would be welcome to contact Kirsty Butler, Finance Manager, initially by email to K.Butler@coriniumeducationtrust.net, to arrange an informal discussion about the role before submitting an application.

 

>> Find out more about this role...

 

The closing date for applications is 9.00am on Thursday 13 October 2022 and interviews are provisionally scheduled to take place in the following week.  However, we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role.  Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. 

 

Applications can be returned by email to A.Boucher@deerparkschool.net or in hard copy to Chiquita Henson, Chief Executive, Corinium Education Trust, Stroud Road, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 1XB. Applicants who are shortlisted for interview will initially be contacted by telephone and arrangements will be confirmed by email and post.

 

We look forward to receiving your completed application form at the earliest opportunity. However, if you have any questions about the role, or would like to arrange an informal discussion, please do not hesitate to contact Kirsty Butler, Finance Manager as outlined above.

Siddington C of E Primary School thrilled with ‘good’ Ofsted result

 

Pupils, staff and governors at Siddington C of E Primary School, along with Trustees of the Corinium Education Trust, are celebrating this month after the school has once again been rated as ‘good’ by Ofsted.

 

Siddington Church of England Primary School is a smaller than average, rural school with 83 pupils on the school roll. Its ethos is ‘to have fun, do our very best and look after everyone in a caring Christian community’. It was judged as a ‘good school’ after a full inspection by Ofsted in July 2022 with the findings released in September 2022. 

 

The inspectors recognised how ‘pupils work happily every day’ and how staff provide pupils with ‘experiences that enrich their personal development’. They explain that ‘parents praise the school and value the dedication of the headteacher, and that one parent said, ‘I cannot be happier with the school.’

 

The report commented on how leaders ensure that pupils work diligently. They follow ‘well-sequenced curriculums’, It also commended the ingenuity of leaders which ensures that pupils receive ‘the best possible education’. It recognised how Reading was at the heart of the school, that Mathematics and English were taught well, and that the Christian ethos pervades the school. 

 

Katie Cook, Headteacher, was enthusiastic about the outcome: ‘We are excited to be able to share our Ofsted report with parents. It is testament to how hard the staff have worked over the last two years and how much support we have from our community. I would like to thank the pupils, parents, staff, governors and The Corinium Education Trust for their continued support of the school.'

 

The report goes on to acknowledge the dedication of the school team who have high ambitions for the pupils in their care. Katie Cook explains, ‘We will continue to improve and provide the very best of opportunities for the children and families here at Siddington C of E Primary School.’

 

The Corinium Education Trust is recognised in the report as providing strong support to the school. The Trust Lead (CEO), Chiquita Henson, summed up: 'This is a wonderful achievement. My congratulations go to Headteacher, Katie Cook, her team and the school’s wider community on this well-deserved outcome. Katie Cook joined the school as a new headteacher in September 2020 in the middle of the pandemic. She has consistently shown tremendous resilience and an unswerving commitment to ensuring all pupils and staff feel well supported and can make good progress. She has set down excellent foundations but is not complacent. I look forward to working with her as she takes the school through the next stage of its journey.'

 

>> Go to Ofsted: Siddington C of E Primary School  

 

To find out more about Siddington C of E Primary school, and watch the school’s video, visit www.siddington.gloucs.sch.uk.

Message from Chiquita Henson, Trust Lead (CEO), and Graham Russell, Chair of Trustees:

 

Our thoughts are with the Royal Family, our country and The Commonwealth at this time of bereavement and mourning. The passing of Queen Elizabeth II, is a significant moment in our history and we reflect on an incredible life lived in dedicated service. Our young people learnt more Queen Elizabeth II and her inspirational 70 year reign earlier this year when we joined the nation in marking her Platinum Jubilee in June. Only now do we realise how present she has been in our lives as we look again at the footage on the news and at the notes and coins in our wallets and purses and the stamps on our letters. We are grateful to her for her steadfast leadership and compassion.