Chair of Governors
| Posting date: | 11 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | This is an unsalaried, volunteer role |
| Hours: | Part time |
| Closing date: | 01 March 2026 |
| Location: | Strood, Rochester (Cedar Children's Academy) |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | The Thinking Schools Academy Trust |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: |
Summary
Chair of Governors – Lead, Influence, and Transform Futures
We are seeking an exceptional individual to lead our Academy Governing Board as Chair of Governors. This is a pivotal leadership position that offers the opportunity to make a profound difference to children’s lives while shaping the strategic direction of your local school.
As Chair, you will guide the board in its work, support and challenge the school’s leadership, and ensure that governance is purposeful, efficient, and grounded in our vision to transform the life chances of every young person.
⭐ What We’re Looking For
We are ideally seeking someone who brings one or more of the following:
Governance experience (either as a governor or in a comparable strategic role)
Experience within the education sector, or
Strong strategic leadership skills from any professional background
Above all, we are looking for someone who is:
Dedicated and able to commit the time
Open to learning and supporting others
Motivated by delivering the best outcomes for children and the community
A full handover, mentoring, and ongoing support will be provided.
What You Will Do as Chair of Governors
Lead with Purpose: Provide clear leadership to the Governing Board, ensuring meetings are focused, collaborative, and strategic.
Drive Impact: Help shape the long-term vision and priorities of the school. Your leadership will influence how effectively the board supports and challenges the school to continually improve.
Champion the Community: Represent the voice of pupils, staff, and families. As Chair, you will play a crucial role in strengthening the school’s place within the wider community.
Develop Board Leadership Skills: Chairing a governing board offers exceptional opportunities to grow in:
Strategic planning
High-level decision‑making
Influencing and negotiating
Building strong, effective teams
Why Become a Chair of Governors?
A Rarely Matched Sense of Fulfilment: This role allows you to directly improve the educational experiences of children in your area.
Professional and Personal Growth :Gain board‑level experience, broaden your leadership capabilities, and work with experienced professionals from diverse backgrounds.
Be a Force for Positive Change: Your leadership will help ensure the school continually strives for excellence, delivering the best of what the Trust and school can offer.
If you are ready to take on a meaningful, strategic, and deeply rewarding leadership role, we would love to hear from you.
About Us
At Cedar, we believe in a strong partnership between the school and parents, benefiting our children with stability and the ability to develop, an inspiring workforce who show a relentless dedication to school improvement.
“The school has developed an inspiring curriculum. It is broad and well sequenced,building towards ambitious goals for pupils.”
Ofsted, October 2024
We encourage pupils to be proud of their school and achieve in an exciting environment. We celebrate everyone’s success and provide each pupil with the life chances they deserve. We are relentless in pursuing the best and show care and hope for all our pupils who will become young adults of the future.
What you need to do now:
If you are interested in working in our school, benefitting from a supportive network of governors across our Trust, we would encourage you to apply.
Early applications are encouraged, and we reserve the right to close the vacancy if a suitable candidate is found.
Visits to our schools are encouraged. To arrange a visit please contact Danielle Donoghue (Danielle.Donoghue@cedar.tsat.uk).
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check. As per KCSIE we will also undertake online searches for all shortlisted candidates, if you have any questions regarding this process, please email recruitment@tsatrust.org.uk
We are seeking an exceptional individual to lead our Academy Governing Board as Chair of Governors. This is a pivotal leadership position that offers the opportunity to make a profound difference to children’s lives while shaping the strategic direction of your local school.
As Chair, you will guide the board in its work, support and challenge the school’s leadership, and ensure that governance is purposeful, efficient, and grounded in our vision to transform the life chances of every young person.
⭐ What We’re Looking For
We are ideally seeking someone who brings one or more of the following:
Governance experience (either as a governor or in a comparable strategic role)
Experience within the education sector, or
Strong strategic leadership skills from any professional background
Above all, we are looking for someone who is:
Dedicated and able to commit the time
Open to learning and supporting others
Motivated by delivering the best outcomes for children and the community
A full handover, mentoring, and ongoing support will be provided.
What You Will Do as Chair of Governors
Lead with Purpose: Provide clear leadership to the Governing Board, ensuring meetings are focused, collaborative, and strategic.
Drive Impact: Help shape the long-term vision and priorities of the school. Your leadership will influence how effectively the board supports and challenges the school to continually improve.
Champion the Community: Represent the voice of pupils, staff, and families. As Chair, you will play a crucial role in strengthening the school’s place within the wider community.
Develop Board Leadership Skills: Chairing a governing board offers exceptional opportunities to grow in:
Strategic planning
High-level decision‑making
Influencing and negotiating
Building strong, effective teams
Why Become a Chair of Governors?
A Rarely Matched Sense of Fulfilment: This role allows you to directly improve the educational experiences of children in your area.
Professional and Personal Growth :Gain board‑level experience, broaden your leadership capabilities, and work with experienced professionals from diverse backgrounds.
Be a Force for Positive Change: Your leadership will help ensure the school continually strives for excellence, delivering the best of what the Trust and school can offer.
If you are ready to take on a meaningful, strategic, and deeply rewarding leadership role, we would love to hear from you.
About Us
At Cedar, we believe in a strong partnership between the school and parents, benefiting our children with stability and the ability to develop, an inspiring workforce who show a relentless dedication to school improvement.
“The school has developed an inspiring curriculum. It is broad and well sequenced,building towards ambitious goals for pupils.”
Ofsted, October 2024
We encourage pupils to be proud of their school and achieve in an exciting environment. We celebrate everyone’s success and provide each pupil with the life chances they deserve. We are relentless in pursuing the best and show care and hope for all our pupils who will become young adults of the future.
What you need to do now:
If you are interested in working in our school, benefitting from a supportive network of governors across our Trust, we would encourage you to apply.
Early applications are encouraged, and we reserve the right to close the vacancy if a suitable candidate is found.
Visits to our schools are encouraged. To arrange a visit please contact Danielle Donoghue (Danielle.Donoghue@cedar.tsat.uk).
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check. As per KCSIE we will also undertake online searches for all shortlisted candidates, if you have any questions regarding this process, please email recruitment@tsatrust.org.uk