Salary - Up to £73,819 | Full-Time
“Pupils flourish at this school. They are immensely proud of their school and its history. Pupils are consistently polite and respectful. Their conduct reflects leaders high standards. Pupils feel safe and happy at school. Teachers deal with any incidents of bullying swiftly and effectively.
Leaders have very high expectations of pupils academic achievement . Pupils experience an ambitious curriculum that is successfully designed to build a deep and secure body of knowledge over time They are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their education."
Ofsted 2022, The Blue Coat School.
“The school has created a warm and welcoming environment for pupils. Teachers get to know pupils well and they have high ambitions for their success.
From the very start of Year 7, the school instils clear expectations for pupils’ academic development. Teachers support pupils to build successfully on their prior knowledge."
Ofsted 2024, St. Anne's Church of England Academy.
We are excited to announce an opportunity for an exceptional Estates/ Facilities/ School Business professional, with the right blend of skills, talents, experience, and values to become the Estates Director of The Cranmer Education Trust, based at The Blue Coat School, Oldham, Greater Manchester.
Working with other senior directors on the executive team, the Estates Director leads on our estates strategy, planning and the major capital projects, supported by business and site managers in our schools. Smaller projects funded by devolved formula capital are managed by the schools themselves with the Estates Director advising, as necessary. As part of this role the Estates Director leads a network of our business managers, focusing particularly on estates, health and safety and operational issues.
At this point in our growth, we want to appoint an Estates Director who will lead our estates strategy and management. We are ambitious for the environment; we firmly believe that the environment inspires students and staff and shows them that they are respected and valued. In recent years we have extended (in effect rebuilt) Mayfield Primary School to 2FE, undertaken major improvement works at St Anne’s CE Academy and Blue Coat, developed a new Reception class area at St George’s and built a brand-new free school, The Brian Clarke CE Academy.
We have exciting projects under development including expanding to a two-storey extension, one of our primary schools to a full form of entry, with a possible expansion to 2FE in the future. We are extending St Anne’s CE Academy and planning the replacement of a building in The Blue Coat School site. We work with an expert team of advisers and professionals and have developed strong relationships with LA Officers and the Diocesan Estates Office for work on our designated CE schools.
We are looking for someone (such as a School Business Manager or equivalent) with a strong track record in estates management, preferably within the public sector, ideally across a number of sites and/or managing a wider facilities offer such as lettings and community use (in practice business managers manage this in our schools, but our Estates Director needs to have an overview). Experience in school or trust business management, operations, estates will be very helpful. Knowledge of the MAT sector is important. The diploma in School Business Management is desirable but not essential. As a growing trust, we are looking for someone with the potential to become a deputy COO - who would retain the responsibility for estates and would bring their expertise in leadership and management to develop other growing leaders across the trust.
The deadline for applications is 10am on Monday 18th November 2024.
Shortlisting will be later during the week commencing 18th November.
Interview and selection will be the following week.
We would like the successful candidate to start as soon as possible, but we realise that notice periods can be variable, and we are prepared to discuss the best start date for the right candidate.
*Salary will be between £70,293 and £73,819 depending upon the successful candidate's experience and current remuneration.
**A Relocation bonus compliant with Inland Revenue guidelines is available if a house move is necessary for the successful candidate to take up the role.
"Pupils are happy at school. They develop strong friendships and enjoy spending time with each other. Pupils said that staff make learning fun and that they help them if they find anything difficult.
Pupils value the wide range of opportunities that the school provides for them. These include a variety of clubs and roles of responsibilities that help pupils to develop new skills and to build their self-confidence. For example, pupils learn how to work as part of a team through business challenges. Older pupils show younger pupils how to become a ‘Mayfield Marvel’."
Ofsted, Mayfield Primary School, 2024
“Pupils, parents and carers who spoke with inspectors are proud to belong to this welcoming school community. Pupils described the many opportunities that are available to them, such as clubs, taking on leadership roles and learning outdoors. They said that staff help them to get better at learning. Pupils said that if they uphold the school’s values and try their best, they can achieve anything."
Ofsted 2022, St John's VA Church of England Primary School, Thornham
“East Crompton St George’s primary school is a friendly and welcoming place. Pupils are happy, feel safe and enjoy coming to the school. They are proud of the family atmosphere. Pupils value the education they receive and talk with pride about how much they learn. The school’s mission statement is known by all. Pupils can explain how they are able to ‘let our lights shine’ in all aspects of their education. The school promotes pupils’ personal development well. Pupils enjoy the roles and responsibilities that they hold across the school. They understand the importance of showing love and helping others, in their school and the wider world. Pupils also speak about how much they enjoy the many clubs that are available after school."
Ofsted 2019, East Crompton St George's C of E School
The Cranmer Education Trust was founded in 2011 at The Blue Coat School in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The trust's mission is to be a leader of education and a provider of excellent schools which nurture children and young people and enable all to achieve, progress, and experience success, and to become good people, good neighbours and good citizens, who we are all proud to know.
We are at an exciting point in our development. From 1st April 2025, the trust will include five large secondary schools, one with a sixth-form of 440 recruiting from across the borough, five primaries (two of which are two-form entry), the Manchester Nexus SCITT (which trains 50-60 new teachers every year - both secondary and primary), the East Manchester Teaching School Hub (which runs the Early Career Framework and National Professional Qualifications provision for (predominantly) Oldham and Tameside) and the Kinder Modern Languages Hub, one of only 14 Languages Hubs in England. This means that by 1st April, we will be educating more than 8,000 young people, employing more than 900 staff, and we will have a revenue exceeding £80M, plus the capital investment in our schools. By 2029, we plan to have increased our family still further, to some 11,000 pupils.
In October 2024, The Cranmer Education Trust comprises the following seven schools:
The Blue Coat School, Oldham, a large secondary school with around 1700 on roll, the founder school of the Trust, joining in 2011.
St Anne's Church of England Academy, Middleton, with around 770 pupils, which joined the trust on1st March 2021.
The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy, Oldham, which opened to Year 7, with an eight-form entry, in September 2022 and is growing year-on-year up to GCSE.
Mayfield Primary, Oldham, with 379 pupils, who joined us on 1st January 2016.
Little Heaton Church of England Primary School, Middleton, with around 200 pupils, who joined us in May 2024.
East Crompton St George’s CE Primary School, Shaw, Oldham, with 160 pupils, who joined us in 2018.
St John's Church of England Primary School, Thornham, Middleton, which joined the trust on 1st April 2024 and is growing to become a one-form entry school from 4-11 with an extension being built at the site. There are presently just over 100 pupils on roll.
Our Estates Director will need to anticipate, strategize, plan and communicate in a way that is clear, proactive, agile and resourceful. Communication at executive team level, with the strategic committee of headteachers, and with the trustees is essential. Ultimately, all the work of the Estates Director will be rooted in supporting our schools,their pupils and their staff, and ensuring our estate supports the delivery of a truly first-class education for all..
The trust currently has a very healthy resource of (currently) £2M+ and our budgets are balanced.
Full details of of how to apply for the role and other documentation can be found in the Candidate Application Pack which you can download by CLICKING HERE.
The following steps and deadlines will ensure you make a great application, and submit it properly within the timescale required
If you get your application pack now, we'll keep you informed and remind you of the deadline.
Want to talk?
This is a fantastic opportunity for any qualified Estates/ Facilities Professional or School Business Manager.
"The school has created a warm and welcoming environment for pupils. Teachers get to know pupils well and they have high ambitions for their success. From the very start of Year 7, the school instils clear expectations for pupils’ academic development. Teachers support pupils to build successfully on their prior knowledge."
Ofsted, St.Anne's Church of England Academy, 2024
