St. Cuthbert's RC Academy Trust is in search of an inspirational leader to take on the role of Chief Executive Officer and lead our family of fifteen Catholic schools across Hull, East Riding and the Yorkshire Coast.
Who we are
St. Cuthbert’s Roman Catholic Academy Trust comprises fifteen schools, including the secondary schools of St. Mary’s College in Hull and St. Augustine’s in Scarborough, as well as thirteen primary schools across Hull, Scarborough, Bridlington, Market Weighton and Pocklington. Together, we provide the best possible opportunities for every child’s education. Our overarching mission is focused on delivering a strong Catholic education, firmly rooted in the belief that Christ should be at the core of all our endeavours.
Our journey as a Trust began with St. Mary Queen of Martyrs and Endsleigh Holy Child schools. These two schools then collaborated to sponsor a third school, St. Vincent’s, embarking on a shared path to excellence. We then welcomed St. Richard’s VC Academy into our Trust in January 2015 and, in October 2017, we grew again by incorporating four more schools, including St. Mary’s College, St. Anthony’s, St. Charles’, and St. Thomas More – becoming a Roman Catholic Academy Trust offering education for children and young people aged 3-19.
As of September 2022, we have successfully welcomed seven additional schools located across East Riding and North Yorkshire. This expansion, supported by the Diocese of Middlesbrough, now encompasses St. Peter’s Primary and St. George’s Primary in Scarborough, Our Lady & St. Peter’s in Bridlington, St. John of Beverley Primary, St. Mary’s Market Weighton, St. Mary & St. Joseph in Pocklington, and St. Augustine’s Secondary School in Scarborough.
We believe our collective strength lies in the distinctive and deeply rooted nature of each school located within its parish community. Whilst maintaining the unique character of each school, we work hard to share best practice and leadership capacity, fostering a culture that is completely dedicated to excellence.
Our mission, inspired by the Right Reverend Bishop Drainey’s vision, is to make Christ known and loved by providing excellent Catholic education, allowing all to encounter Christ’s love and reach their full potential. We emphasise not only academic excellence but also the development of Christian virtues such as Faith, Hope, and Love, as well as a commitment to service.
Our values – Faith, Excellence, Ambition, Partnership, Respect, Joy, and International outlook – guide our strategic priorities. We aim to become system-leading centres of excellence, offering a progressive and ambitious curriculum, whilst promoting sustainability and cultivating a unified culture. We are committed to investing in our leadership and workforce development, and to championing Catholic values, alongside providing strong financial direction and leadership to ensure the Trust’s sustainability.
About the role
Following the retirement of our founding Chief Executive Officer, we now seek an inspirational new CEO to take us on the next phase of our organisational development, establishing a new strategic vision for St. Cuthbert’s Roman Catholic Academy Trust.
As our new CEO, your role will span the breadth of St Cuthbert’s and ensure that we are aligned with our overall mission. You will champion the Catholic ethos and vision of the Trust, ensuring that it aligns seamlessly with the Diocesan ethos and vision. Not only understanding it comprehensively but also being able to effectively convey it to a diverse range of audiences. A commitment to working in partnership with the Diocese, in line with our founding principles, is crucial to maintaining the Trust’s cohesion and sense of purpose. As CEO, you will upload and articulate the Catholic doctrine, values, and moral purpose, instilling a strong moral compass underpinned by our mission to provide world-class education for all children and young people.
As our most senior educationalist, you will be expected to ensure the performance of our schools meets or exceeds the high expectations set by the Board of Directors, with all schools delivering good or outstanding education within their communities. Using your skills in leadership and management, you will nurture the potential of current and future leaders across St Cuthbert’s. We believe there is a great deal of untapped potential within our Trust, and we look forward to our CEO realising this with us.
You will also oversee the development and performance of both executive and school improvement colleagues. By applying your significant experience of education leadership, gained at a strategic level, your insight will help shape the direction of the Trust’s leadership capacity. Whilst we do not anticipate further growth in the immediate future, following a recent significant expansion of our Trust, we will look to you to consolidate the Trust’s offer whilst focusing on growth in pupil numbers across our primary schools. This will require partnership working and a willingness to foster genuine relationships at community and parish level.
Who we are looking for
As CEO of a large Catholic multi-academy trust, we believe it is vital that you have a deep knowledge of today’s educational landscape, and a wider understanding of national policies, priorities, and legislation which all affect our day to day operations and long term planning. This knowledge should be paired with an understanding of how these factors impact Catholic schools.
We are looking for someone with a proven track record as a senior leader in education. This includes familiarity with all national curriculum key stages and practical experience of developing innovative and personalised curriculum strategies which cater to the holistic needs of each child.
Leadership qualities are paramount. The CEO should excel in leading a high-performance culture. Your role will include boosting morale, elevating standards, and fostering a cohesive team spirit amongst staff. You will put in place plans to nurture existing and future talent and apply innovative approaches to teacher recruitment and retention in a Catholic MAT, based on your experience of doing this elsewhere.
As strategic adviser to the Board of Directors, we also feel it is important that our next CEO brings experience in reporting to a non-executive governing board, and has the ability to help us to evolve our approach to governance and effective oversight. You will be skilled in interpreting strategic information and presenting high-quality, honest, and solutions-focused reports. As an Accounting Officer, you will be skilled in strategic financial management, including budget formulation, to ensure the sustainability and development of our Trust.
As CEO, you will possess high personal standards of integrity and probity, along with qualities like enthusiasm, vision, drive and resilience. Both internally and externally, you will be an advocate for the Nolan Principles alongside Catholic values which are both fundamental to who we are and how we operate. The ability to foster loyalty and confidence among various stakeholders, including pupils, staff, parents and carers, directors, governors and others is also a key attribute.
Ultimately, as CEO of St Cuthbert’s RC Academy Trust, you should come with an educational philosophy and vision focused on maximising the life chances of all children, and the capability to translate it into practice. This recruitment provides the next CEO will an opportunity to realise the benefit of our scale, and co-create a long-term plan for the benefit of more than 6,500 children.
As this is a reserved post, our CEO must be someone who holds Qualified Teacher status and is a practicing Catholic who considers their faith to be a fundamental part of their identity. The successful candidate should understand the role of a Catholic school leader in nurturing the spiritual development of pupils and staff. They must also recognise the central importance of Religious Education as a core subject in our school’s curriculum, especially in the context of a diverse community.
Our commitment to the safety and well-being of children and young people is unwavering, and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. As part of the application process, candidates will be required to provide three references, including a Faith Reference, undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, and a Section 128 Barring check to align with the Safeguarding and Child Protection policies of our Trust.
Learn more about St Cuthbert’s Roman Catholic Multi-Academy Trust
For further information about the role, or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:
Eddie Caviezel Cox | eddiec@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07951 920768
Drew Richardson-Walsh | drew@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07739 364033
Welcome from the Chair
Dear Candidate,
Welcome and thank you for taking an interest in the information we have made available as we seek to recruit our new CEO.
The Trust wishes to recruit for Easter 2024 an exceptional candidate for this important role. The Trust is one of two Academy Trusts in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough and has responsibility for 15 schools in the south of the Diocese.
Over the last 18 months the Trust has undergone significant expansion and now supports RC schools across Hull, the coastal areas north of Hull, and more rural schools in parts of the East Riding of Yorkshire.
St Cuthbert’s Roman Catholic Academy Trust includes the country’s largest Catholic secondary school, St Mary’s College (OFSTED: Outstanding), which is one of only three leading world-class schools. The Trust enjoys an excellent reputation for pupil welfare and academic outcomes – and all this despite serving an area which experiences deprivation and many of the challenges facing small coastal towns.
The person we appoint will be a practising Catholic and will be able to demonstrate a track record of successful school improvement and leadership, as well as a strong grasp of current educational issues including the Trust’s integral and evolving role within the parish, Diocese and local community. They will be expected to lead and drive improvement across our schools and deliver improved outcomes for the 6,500 students within them.
The role of CEO requires a positive working partnership with the diocesan education service and the Director of Education who represents Bishop Terry. The person must be fully committed to ensuring that Bishop Terry’s vision to make Christ known and loved through the provision of excellent Catholic schools is realized and lived out in the trust schools. This requires an authentic living out and modelling of the faith in order for that vision to permeate throughout the trust.
The Trust prides itself on having a working environment where everyone is valued and where opportunities and successes are shared. As such it is important that the successful candidate can lead the team with enthusiasm and energy, have strong interpersonal skills and a passion for excellence.
We have retained the services of Peridot Partners for this search and if what you read here inspires you, then I encourage you to contact our advising consultants; Drew Richardson-Walsh or Eddie Caviezel Cox.
We look forward to hearing from you.
David Laws
Chair
Board of Directors
St Cuthbert’s Roman Catholic Academy Trust
For further information about the role, or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:
Eddie Caviezel Cox | eddiec@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07951 920768
Drew Richardson-Walsh | drew@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07739 364033
Thank you for your interest in this role. Please download the Job Description and Person Specification.
To formally apply, please submit a CV and supporting statement (ideally maximum 2 sides of A4 each) that clearly outlines your suitability for the role against the criteria provided in the person specification, including your interest and motivation in applying for this position.
Please ensure that your application is emailed to response@peridotpartners.co.uk inserting “St Cuthbert’s Roman Catholic Multi-Academy Trust – Chief Executive Officer” into the subject field.
For further information about the role, or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:
Eddie Caviezel Cox | eddiec@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07951 920768
Drew Richardson-Walsh | drew@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07739 364033
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If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the ‘essential’ criteria described in the person specification, please let us know.
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Recruitment selection processes are based on evidence of competence stated in the person specification and in relation to our values.
Timetable
Closing date: 9 a.m. Wednesday 22nd November 2023
Candidates informed of outcome: Monday 27th November 2023
First Stage interviews: Thursday 30th November or Friday 1st December 2023
Candidate informed of outcome: By 6 p.m. Friday 1st December 2023
Final stage assessment day: Friday 8th December 2023
Equal Opportunities Monitoring
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