Chief Education Officer - Ethos Academy Trust | Closing Wed 22/4/26

Ethos Academy Trust

Salary: L25- L31: £89,830-104,040

Contract: Full time - full year

Location: Ethos Academy Trust. Office base at Reach Academy, Batley. Please note: This role requires significant travel to various school sites and should not be considered office-based. However, aspects of remote work are supported, offering flexibility where possible.

We are looking to appoint an experienced and motivated Chief Education Officer to improve and support young people’s education. The Trust comprises five Alternative Provision Academies and a specialist Free School based in Yorkshire. Our story began in 2018 when our three founding Kirklees schools (Ethos College, Reach Academy and Engage Academy) formed Ethos Academy Trust. Since then, the Trust has doubled the number of Academies, whilst quadrupling pupil numbers.

We are a mixed community of Alternative Provisions and a Special School, operating across three Local Authorities within West and South Yorkshire. Our work extends beyond our Academies to add value to the wider system through the offer of support to other schools and associated services. We celebrate and support the uniqueness of our academies in meeting the needs of their local communities. Our nurturing ethos, underpinned by our clear mission, vision and core values, enables our pupils, their families and our staff teams to thrive.

We provide extensive support and educational opportunities for pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) and wider needs. Trust staff work in partnership with schools, parents/carers and other professionals to support and promote the educational and social inclusion of pupils.

The Chief Education Officer role is also de facto Deputy CEO of the Trust. As such, you will provide strategic leadership, working collaboratively to shape the future of the Trust and its school communities. You will support the Chief Executive in driving the Trust through its next phase of growth and development.

In this role, you will have overall responsibility for the Trust’s Education Strategy and the performance of all schools within the Trust. You will also directly oversee all Headteachers and members of the School Improvement team.

We are seeking an experienced individual who is relentless in their focus on school improvement and is open to new ideas and innovations. We require someone who can demonstrate diligence, tenacity, enthusiasm, drive and self-motivation and respond positively to pressure whilst maintaining accessibility and consistency.

The Chief Education Officer will:

• Have overall responsibility for reporting to the CEO and the Board of Trustees on the strategy, improvement initiatives and performance of each academy.
• Support the CEO as de facto Deputy CEO to devise and implement the agreed strategy; project managing and demonstrating leadership in respect of the Trust’s central services and delegated model to schools.
• Ensure that the academies (under the day-to-day leadership of their respective Headteacher/Head of School) make impactful and sustained improvement, with minimal disruption to progress; ensuring that aspirations and standards continue to rise over time.
• Work with each academy to ensure they are prepared for regulatory inspections and monitoring visits. In conjunction with each Headteacher/Head of School, ensure improvement strategies (including those identified through inspection and monitoring visits) are mapped out, actioned and followed up.
• With the SENDCOs/Executive Headteachers, engage in local and national SEND related activity and secure access to key groups.
• Support the day-to-day operations of the Trust, working closely with members of the Executive Team, Central Team and school leaders to deliver sound operation services.
• Deputise for the CEO in their absence, working with others who share this responsibility.

Above all, we are seeking someone with a tenacious drive to provide a top-class education to our young people.

To find out more and register your interest for the role, please visit www.joinethos.co.uk

To arrange an informal, confidential discussion regarding this role, please contact Laura McGunigle at Satis Education on 07931 384683 or email Laura@satiseducation.co.uk

The closing date for applications is: TBC

Shortlisting will take place on: TBC

Interviews will take place on: TBC

Safeguarding Statement

Ethos Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including an Enhanced DBS check (including Children’s Barred List) and past employment references. Applicants are required, before appointment, to disclose any conviction, caution or binding over including ‘spent convictions’ under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.