Clerk

Welcome to Juniper Education, where our mission is to champion educators, empowering them to shape the future generations. We're more than just a support system; we're the driving force that propels schools and Academy Trusts to new heights. With our proven school education management systems and services, we address a spectrum of needs, ensuring excellence in education. In the education and tech industry, your work directly influences the lives of students and educators.

Whether you're developing cutting-edge educational technology, supporting school leadership teams directly or designing solutions to enhance the learning experience, you could make a lasting and positive impact on the future.

Our mission statement says it all: We look after you, so that you can look after our children.

Dedicated to our core values, we are committed to:
Empowerment: Equipping everyone with the tools, intelligence, connections, and freedom to make informed decisions, recognised and respected by all.

Purpose: Supporting everyone to reach their highest potential, thereby enabling all children to achieve theirs.

Passion: Because we love what you do, you’re at the heart of everything we do.

Innovation: Delivering meaningful solutions with expertise and creative thinking to influence the ever-changing world of education.

Collaboration: The cornerstone of our success as it enables us to collectively harness diverse perspectives and strengths, ensuring that together, we achieve more than we could ever do alone. Every voice counts

The Role: Clerk Act as a professional clerk for governing bodies, committees, boards of trustees and specialist meetings. This is a part-time role based mainly at home but with the expectation that clerks will go into schools for governing body meetings that are not held virtually and also into the Juniper office for regular meetings as and when required.

Applicants must have their own transport and be prepared to work flexibly as governing body meetings are held both during the day and in the evenings.

**Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities**
- Advise the governing body on legislation and procedural matters where necessary before, during and after meetings; this requires the clerk to be up to date on all school governance matters
- Act as the first point of contact for governors with queries and best practice on procedural matters
- Keep up to date with current policies and procedures from the Department of Education / Education and Skills Funding Agency and other relevant bodies.
- Support the school to ensure that statutory policies are in place, notifying the school of revisions when necessary. Provide Policy Reviews where requested
- Provide advice on the annual calendar of governing body meetings and tasks. - Coordinate with the chair and headteacher to prepare a focused agenda for the governing body and committee meetings
- Advise the governing body about the decisions to be taken if a meeting is not quorate.
- Record the attendance of governors at meetings (and any apologies - whether they have been accepted or not), and take appropriate action in relation to absences
- Draft minutes of governing body meetings, indicating who is responsible for any agreed action with timescales, and send drafts to the chair and (if agreed by the governing body), the headteacher within 10 days of the meeting.
- Circulate the reviewed draft to all governors, the headteacher and other relevant body, such as the local authority/diocese as agreed by the governing body and within the timescale agreed
- Follow-up any agreed action points with those responsible and inform the chair of progress
- Advise governors and appointing bodies in advance of the expiry of a governor’s term of office, so elections or appointments can be organised in a timely manner
- Check the school register of governor pecuniary interests and ensure the record of governors’ business interests is reviewed regularly and lodged within the school and published on the school website
- Maintain governor meeting attendance records and advise the chair of potential disqualification through lack of attendance
- Ensure the governing body is properly constituted
- Maintain up to date records of the names, addresses and category of governing body members and their term of office, and inform the governing body and any relevant authorities of any changes to its membership
- Maintain copies of current terms of reference and membership of any committees and working parties and any nominated governors e.g. Child Protection, SEND. Submit this to the relevant staff member when there is a change.
- Ensure copies of statutory policies and other school documents approved by the governing body are kept in the school and published as agreed
- Manage information effectively in accordance with legal requirements.
- Attend internal training and update sessions on school governance, as well as taking ownership of own learning
- Use best endeavours to ensure