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The Trust

Barton Court Academy Trust (BCAT) is a multi-academy Trust which was established in 2017. It currently consists of three secondary schools: Barton Court Grammar School, an 11-18yrs, mixed selective school in the heart of Canterbury, rated “Good” with many outstanding features by Ofsted in February 2020; Barton Manor (Free) School, an 11 – 18yrs non-selective mixed school in the heart of Canterbury which opened in September 2022 and now has students in Y7&8 from September 2023 and The Charles Dickens School, an 11-16yrs mixed non-selective school in Broadstairs, rated “Good” by Ofsted in March 2023.

Plans for the Future

BCAT has recently successfully opened a non-selective, 11- 18yrs co-educational Free School on an adjacent site to Barton Court Grammar School in the heart of Canterbury. This school offers high quality educational provision to students who do not pass the Kent 11+ test. A joint Sixth Form with Barton Court Grammar School is planned with the grammar school offering excellence in academic post -16 courses and the Free school excellence in vocational post-16 courses.

Our key challenges are ensuring Barton Manor School continues to be highly successful as the school grows, ably supported by our other two schools. The Charles Dickens School continues to improve following its highly successful Ofsted inspection in March 2023 and Barton Court Grammar School continues to maintain the highest standards and highest quality education provision to achieve “Outstanding” in its next Ofsted inspection.

Trust Values and Ethos

BCAT has academic excellence and high aspiration at the heart of its vision and ethos. Its lead school, Barton Court Grammar School has a track record of academic excellence and innovation. Barton Court has a language specialism and has promoted internationalism and Global Citizenship as essential values in equipping our children for 21st century working and living. Barton Court is also an accredited Advanced Thinking School with Exeter University and BCAT promotes cognitive tools throughout its schools to improve teaching, learning and robust self-assessment.

Role Summary

Academy trusts are founded by Members, who may then appoint additional Members to join them. The first Members are the signatories to the memorandum of association which is drawn up when the academy trust is first established. These first Members agree the academy trust’s first articles of association, which include the academy trust’s charitable purpose.

Members have a general duty to exercise their powers, to further the academy trust’s charitable purpose. Members play a limited but crucial role in safeguarding academy trust governance. While they must ensure they do not stray into undertaking the Academy Trustees' role, they should assure themselves that the governance of the trust is effective, that Academy Trustees are acting in accordance with the trust’s charitable object(s) and that they, the Members, use their powers to step in if governance is failing.

Members should not be involved in the day-to-day business of the academy trust and must ensure they do not assume the powers of the Academy Trustees. However, they do have an important role in an academy trust, based on a number of key powers set out in the DfE’s model articles of association and in company law.

Members have a general duty to exercise their powers to further the academy trust’s charitable object, which in the majority of trusts is ‘to advance for the public benefit education in the United Kingdom’. It is essential are aware of the powers available to them and know when and how to use those powers effectively.

Appointment and Term of Office

Members are appointed for a period of 4 years by the BCAT Members. New Members will be required to declare that they meet certain eligibility criteria including restrictions relating to bankruptcy and convictions for an offence.

What to do next...

If you feel that the role of Member is one that you could contribute to, then please provide a CV and brief personal statement about your skills and reasons for applying. This should be emailed to clerk@bartoncourt.org for the attention of the Chair of the Trust.

If you would like to know more about the role or would like to speak to someone who is already serving as a Member, then please contact the Clerk (clerk@bartoncourt.org) who will be pleased to help you