Chair of Local Governance Committee - Southampton or Gosport

Chair of Local Committee – Southampton or Gosport

Purpose of the Role:

Lighthouse Learning Trust is a Multi Academy Trust comprising two sixth form colleges; Richard Taunton in Southampton and St Vincent in Gosport. The Local Committees support the Trust Board by providing strategic oversight, challenge, and assurance at local College level. They help ensure that the College’s values and founding principles are upheld, and that the college delivers high-quality education and outcomes for all learners. We are currently seeking Chairs for each of the Local Committees. This role has a significant level of oversight, monitoring and scrutiny of educational performance and experience of students and the safeguarding arrangements for students and staff.

Key Responsibilities:

• Chairing the Local Committee
• Proving effective leadership to the Local Committee and ensuring it meets its statutory duties
• Chair meetings effectively, promoting an open culture that allows ideas and discussions to thrive while ensuring clear decisions are reached
• Ensure the Local Committee has the required skills and commitment to govern well and that skills gaps are filled
• Ensure a diverse team that reflects the communities that we serve
• Championing inclusivity within the Local Committee but also across the wider college
• Build a strong relationship with the Executive Principal that allows for honest conversations, acting as a sounding board
• Ensure the Local Committee has the information it needs to monitor the progress of students and consider appropriate actions to improve outcomes
• Collaborate with Governance Lead to establish effective working procedures, to prepare for meetings and ensure statutory requirements are met

Strategic Oversight and Challenge

• Monitor and support the implementation of the college’s improvement plan.
• Hold senior leaders to account for performance, quality of education, and student outcomes.
• Scrutinise data and trends to ensure continuous improvement.

Governance and Leadership Support

• Contribute to succession planning and recruitment of Trustees, Governors, and senior leaders.
• Support performance management processes for governance and executive roles.
• Oversee pay, reward, and expenses in line with Trust policy and statutory guidance.

Policy and Compliance

• Ensure adherence to Trust-wide policies and statutory requirements, including safeguarding, equality, and health and safety.
• Monitor the deployment of resources and ensure effective use of funding.

Championing Trust Values

• Uphold and promote the Trust’s ethos, values, and founding principles.
• Act as a local advocate for the academy and the wider Trust.

Community Engagement

• Represent the views of parents, carers, and the local community.
• Support inclusive governance that reflects the diversity of the school community.

Committee Activities and Expectations:

• Review results and outcomes against agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Trust Quality Indicators.
• Monitor improvement priorities and evaluate the “enablers” behind performance, such as strategies, management approaches, and policies.
• Conduct trend analysis and year-on-year comparisons where appropriate.
• Report Committee outputs, including identified risks linked to the Trust’s risk register, to the Trust Board on a termly basis or more frequently if required.
• Produce and review a work programme that ensures statutory duties, Scheme of Delegation (SoD), and Terms of Reference (ToR) are fulfilled.

Skills and Attributes:

• Commitment to educational excellence and student success.
• Ability to analyse data and ask constructive, challenging questions.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Integrity, discretion, and sound judgement.
• Willingness to engage in ongoing training and development.

Local Committee meetings usually take place on weekday evenings at 5pm. Our preference is for someone who can attend the majority of meetings in person, at the relevant college. In addition to attending the meetings, the Chair will attend preparatory meetings (which can be held online or in person), an annual college visit day, the AGM which is usually held at the end of June, in addition to occasional other meetings as required. You will develop a close working relationship with the Executive Principal, the Chair of Trustees and the Governance Lead.

It is important to us that our Local Committee is as diverse as our student population and the communities that we serve. We welcome applications from individuals with a range of backgrounds and experiences although we have a particular need for people with experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Education or curriculum development
• Safeguarding
• SEND
• Sustainability
• Health and Safety

There will be opportunities to progress to a Trustee role for those who are interested. All new Local Committee members will be given a comprehensive induction, ongoing training and will be supported with specific training in line with their governance ambitions.

Meetings are mostly held during term-time, typically in the early evening. They are held in a hybrid format but we encourage attendance in person at the appropriate college site.