Make a Positive Difference. Become an Academy Councillor.

Academy Councillors play a vital role in ensuring our schools serve their communities and deliver the very best for children. Councillors provide support and constructive challenge to school leaders, keep our mission at the heart of decisions and help shape a culture where every child can thrive. You don’t need to have worked in education—what matters is your commitment and curiosity.

About the role

Find out more about the role of an academy councillor and how you can make a difference in our school communities.

What academy councillors do:

As an Academy Councillor, you will:

  • Champion the vision, ethos and aims of the school in line with TMET’s values.
  • Provide constructive support and robust challenge to the principal and senior leadership team.
  • Monitor progress towards school improvement priorities and evaluate the effectiveness of strategies.
  • Ensure safeguarding and wellbeing policies are effectively implemented.
  • Strengthen links between the school and its community, acting as a voice for parents, carers and others.
  • Support collaboration across the Trust, sharing best practice and improving value for money.
  • Uphold the highest standards of governance, integrity and confidentiality.

Who can be an academy councillor?

We welcome people from all walks of life to this role – you don’t need to have worked in education. Different skills, experiences and perspectives make our school communities all the more richer. What matters most is your commitment to helping children and young people thrive and your willingness to work as part of a team.

Key qualities include:

  • Curiosity, integrity, and openness to new ideas.
  • Confidence to ask questions and contribute to discussions.
  • Respect for the views of others and ability to work collaboratively.
  • Willingness to commit to training, development and self-reflection.
  • Adherence to the Nolan Principles of public life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Academy councillor roles are voluntary and unpaid. However, reasonable expenses incurred as part of your role will be reimbursed, as per our Trustee, Member and Councillor Expenses Policy. Many employers support staff to take on community roles through Employer-Supported-Volunteering (ESV), so you may be able to use this scheme if your workplace offers it.

Academy Councils usually meet four times a year. Meetings typically take an hour or so, with some time needed to read papers beforehand. Occasionally you may also join school visits or training sessions, but the workload is designed to be manageable.

Meetings typically take place at the school.

As an academy councillor you are likely to be encouraged to attend some school events and will also visit the school for learning walks and monitoring visits where your time allows.

Not at all. Our councillors come from all walks of life. What matters is your commitment to supporting children and young people and your willingness to learn.

Yes, you’ll receive an induction with our Director of Governance, safeguarding training and free access to a wide range of development opportunities. You’ll also have access to The Key and GovernorHub to support you in your role.

No – what matters most are personal qualities such as teamwork, integrity, curiosity and a willingness to learn. With training and support, anyone from any walk of life can thrive as an academy councillor.

Four years.

We have three different types of academy councillors, as per our constitution, each with a slightly different appointment route. They are:

  • Trust-appointed (community): These positions will be appointed by the Trust’s Executive Team.
  • Parent: When a vacancy arises, the school will invite nominations from parents and carers (you can nominate yourself). If the number of applicants matches the number of vacancies, those parents are appointed directly. If there are more applicants than vacancies, an election is held and parents vote to decide who will be appointed.
  • Staff: Similar to parent vacancies, schools invite expressions of interest, and if more staff apply than there are vacancies, an election is held.

Apply to join us

Parents and staff: If you’re applying for a role at your own school, your school will invite nominations when vacancies arise. If more people apply than there are places, an election will be held.

Community applicants: If you’re applying as a community member, click here to complete our application form:

If you’d still like more information…

If you’d like an informal conversation before applying, please contact our Director of Governance Cathy Brown at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to arrange a call. Alternatively, if you’re a parent/carer or staff member, you could talk to an existing parent/staff at your school.