WORK FOR US
Whichever role you perform, when you join one of our primary or secondary academies as a member of our support staff or as a teacher, you will be part of a dynamic, exciting and friendly Trust.
Whether you are happiest in the classroom or working behind the scenes in one of many support roles, your contribution to the goals and success of the Vale Academy Trust is valued. Our schools could not function without important facilities such as catering, cleaning, office administration and site management. As either an employee or volunteer, wherever you are based you are assured of a warm welcome, whether it be in one of our smaller primary schools, larger secondary academies or at the Trust’s Central Offices.
With our academies situated within 10 miles of each other around Wantage and Abingdon, we support the educational provision of more than 4000 children and young people from 3 to 18 and have around 650 members of staff working for us, making us the largest employer in the area.
Our academies situated in and around the Wantage area include:
Charlton Primary School - Wantage
King Alfred’s Academy - Wantage
Millbrook Primary School - Grove
St James C of E Primary School – East Hanney
St Nicholas C of E Primary School – East Challow
Wantage C of E Primary School - Wantage
Our academies based in Abingdon are:
Larkmead School
Thameside Primary School
The Vale Academy Trust is a workplace based on respect; this is supported by our Dignity at Work Policy and our Code of Conduct. We believe that everyone should be treated equally with courtesy and fairness.
The Vale Academy Trust recognises that our employees have priorities outside of work. We support our employees in a variety of circumstances wherever possible through a range of policies such as: enhanced maternity leave, shared parental leave, flexible working, parental leave, an Unpaid Leave Policy (enabling employees to apply to take a career break from work) and an Employee Assistance Programme.
Many of our employees work flexibly in different ways, including part-time. We are happy to discuss these options and the flexibility they offer at interview and also later on during your employment with us.
Our support staff benefit from a competitive Holiday Entitlement and we also offer Emergency and Special Leave arrangements which allow our employees to apply for paid time off to deal with both unforeseen emergencies and to attend significant events.
The Vale Academy Trust works in partnership with relevant Trade Unions, seeking their input into our people policies and initiatives.
Pay - As a Trust we follow the School Teachers Pay and Conditions and the Conditions of Service for School Teachers in England and Wales (the “Burgundy Book”). These are the pay and conditions used by local authorities.
For our Support Staff we use the Local Government Terms and Conditions (THE “Green Book”), which is a National Agreement on pay and conditions of service. This is supported by the NJC Job Evaluation Scheme to ensure that our pay structure is fair, equitable, and consistent for everyone.
Pension Schemes: Teachers Pension Scheme and Local Government Pension Scheme - All employees are enrolled into a Defined Benefit Pension Scheme – Teachers joining the Trust will become a member of the Teachers' Pension Scheme and for support staff we adopt the Local Government Pension Scheme
Your Health and Wellbeing is Important to Us - Employees have access to support through Occupational Health and a Counselling Service; this includes a 24/7 confidential Employee Assistance Programme with access to specialist financial, legal and personal advice. We have several Mental Health First Aiders in our schools trained to promote well-being and to signpost staff to relevant support agencies. Funded eye tests and glasses are available for DSE users (subject to T/Cs).
We run a successful and popular cycle purchase plan via Cyclescheme, whereby you can get 25-39% off a new bike, paying for it out of your salary on a monthly basis.
We also offer all staff an enhanced sick pay scheme.
Professional Development - We are a diverse workforce; we offer excellent career progression, equality of opportunity and continued professional development to those who seek to join us, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or physical need.
Newly qualified teachers benefit from the excellent Early Career Framework training delivered by OTSA (Oxfordshire Teaching Schools Association) and can also access developmental opportunities across the trust.
Our bespoke Leadership Development Programme provides aspiring leaders with opportunities to develop their understanding of leadership and work more collaboratively across Trust schools to support their route to senior leadership.
For those with a passion and talent in a specific area of learning, there are opportunities to specialise and share expertise by becoming a Trust Leading Teacher or Specialist Teaching Assistant. In addition, there are opportunities to take part in wider training and development such as National College of Education training and National Professional Qualifications.
Gender Pay Gap - The Vale Academy Trust recognises and supports the aim of Gender Pay Gap reporting to help employers identify any gaps in their organisation and take action to ensure that women have the same opportunities as men to fulfil their potential in the workplace.
Apprenticeships - The Vale Academy Trust is committed to developing Apprenticeships. We use the apprenticeship levy not just for new employees, but also to help current colleagues access exciting, relevant Continuing Professional Development opportunities.
Our close proximity as a group of schools means that working in partnership is thoroughly embedded. As well as many informal collaborations that arise naturally, we have a programme of school improvement activities which we undertake together. Heads meet regularly to discuss strategy and direction of the trust; a wide range of forums meet several times a year to support each other and develop best practice; subject leads and senior leaders support deep dives and school reviews; all teachers meet for shared moderation such as writing.