Vacancy - Trustee and Education Committee Chair

Orion Education is a dynamic Multi-Academy Trust in Bromley and Kent, rebranded in August 2024 from its former name, Education for the 21st Century. The Trust oversees eight diverse primary and secondary schools and it is looking to add nurseries under a charity status.

By enhancing academic performance, enriching school culture, and investing in state-of-the-art facilities, Orion ensures that students receive a well-rounded and fulfilling educational experience.

In recent years, Orion Education has made tremendous progress in raising standards across its schools. One of its most notable achievements has been the introduction of a leadership structure which has strengthened the capacity of the schools to deliver exceptional education. Additionally, the trust has developed a teacher training program in collaboration with Teach First, equipping future educators with the skills and experience needed to make a real difference in classrooms. Orion emphasises collaboration among its schools, ensuring consistency in policies, behaviour management, and school culture, while still celebrating the unique qualities of each institution. This approach has led to positive improvements in student outcomes across the board.

Orion Education is embarking on an exciting journey over the next few years, driven by their three-year strategic plan. Key priorities include promoting social mobility, enhancing outcomes, developing leadership (especially at the senior level) and empowering Chairs, Trustees, and local Governors to unite and strengthen the Trust.

Orion's mission is to improve outcomes, transform lives, and promote social mobility, all while upholding its core values: Trust, Kindness, and Endeavour.

Role Specification

The Trustees of Orion Education are responsible for ensuring that high standards of corporate governance are maintained. They exercise their powers and functions with a view to fulfilling a largely strategic role in the running of the schools addressing matters such as:

Managing budgets and monitoring performance
Creating new approaches to re-engineer schools so that they can remain effective and improve in a challenging financial environment
Using the power of education to provide opportunities for children in the most deprived communities
Managing the trust’s large portfolio of land and buildings
Overseeing policy development and strategic development
Ensuring compliance with legal requirements
Establishing and maintaining effective internal controls
Setting the schools’ standards of conduct and values
Assessing and managing risk

Trustees are responsible for setting general policy, adopting an annual plan and budget, monitoring the schools by the use of the budget and the strategic development plan and making major decisions about the direction of the schools, capital expenditure and senior staff appointments.

Person specification

Orion Education is seeking to recruit a new Chair of our Education Committee. The Committee plays a vital role in providing challenge and support at Board level in relation to our educational outcomes, including our safeguarding, pastoral and co-curricular offer for pupils and families. Our Chair will bring experience in education system leadership drawn from working across a group of schools in an academy trust, or similar context, ideally across primary and secondary phases. We would value applications from individuals with prior Board-level experience.

Terms of appointment

The Board meets four times per year; these meetings will be in person (in Bromley and Kent). Board Committee meetings will be at least three times per year online and there is also an annual strategy day.  All meeting dates will be provided a year in advance. Trustees will be required to prepare for meetings with readings and provide remote support on occasion. The term of this appointment is four years and this is renewable. This role is unremunerated, but reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed.

Applications

If you would be interested in applying for this Trustee role, please send a cover letter and CV to Anna Machin (annamachin@orionedu.org.uk) and Rachel Gulyas (rachelgulyas@orionedu.org.uk) by Friday 6 March 2026.

Recruitment Pack