DescriptionSupporting documentsEmployerLocation
Lead Change. Inspire Futures. Become an Academy Councillor at Airfield Primary Academy – a brand-new academy in Weston-super-Mare, opening September 2026.
🌟 Volunteer and be part of the founding team helping to shape an academy from its very first intake of children. 🌟
Are you passionate about helping young people thrive? Do you want to influence education in your community and play an active role in shaping a new school?
As an Academy Councillor, you’ll act as a critical friend – providing both support and challenge to school leaders, helping to drive improvement, ensure strong safeguarding and champion positive outcomes for all pupils.
Airfield Primary Academy will open with a Reception class of 30 pupils, growing year-on-year into a thriving three-form-entry primary school with a 102-place nursery offering all-year-round provision for children aged 2-4. When full, the academy will accommodate up to approximately 700 pupils.
Located on the former Weston Airfield site, the academy will serve the expanding Haywood Village community – an area set to include around 6,500 homes – and will play a central role in local education provision.
The purpose-built school will feature extensive outdoor spaces designed to support learning and play, including nature areas, sports pitches and shared community facilities, establishing the academy as a vibrant hub for both education and community life.
As part of Cabot Learning Federation (CLF) – a family of 36 academies (37 once Airfield opens) across the South West – this is a unique opportunity to help shape the academy’s ethos, routines and standards from day one, contributing to strategic direction, holding leaders to account and ensuring an inclusive, aspirational environment for pupils, families and staff.
We’re looking for committed volunteers to join the Academy Council at Airfield and help shape the future of learning.
Key Responsibilities of an Academy Councillor
As a Sponsored Academy Councillor, you’ll act as a critical friend to the academy, providing challenge and support to Principals and leadership teams. Your responsibilities include:
1. Attend Council Meetings regularly (around 5 per year, 2 hours each).
2. Champion Safeguarding & Wellbeing: Ensure health and safety policies are implemented and statutory training is met.
3. Monitor Risk & Improvement: Review risk registers, academy improvement plans, and responses to Ofsted/DfE inspections.
4. Hold Leaders to Account: Oversee student attainment, attendance, and curriculum effectiveness.
5. Policy & Compliance: Approve and monitor local policies and procedures.
6. Panel Participation: Take part in panels for exclusions, complaints, and key decisions.
7. Financial Oversight: Review financial plans and monitor resource allocation.
8. Recruitment & Appraisal: Engage in senior leadership recruitment and contribute to Principal appraisals.
9. Champion Inclusion: Advocate for disadvantaged pupils and educational equity.
10. Act as an Ambassador for the academy, its pupils, and staff.
Average time commitment: around 1 hour per week across the year.
Why Volunteer at Airfield?
11. Influence Education: Help guide strategic decisions and hold leaders accountable.
12. Professional Growth: Develop skills in leadership, governance, and strategic planning.
13. Community Impact: Make a tangible difference to children and families in your area.
14. Networking: Connect with over 300 passionate CLF volunteers across the South West.
We welcome volunteers from all walks of life. No prior education experience needed, just enthusiasm and commitment. We especially encourage applications from underrepresented and global majority groups.
How to apply:
Click ‘Apply’ on the advert page to access the CLF Governance page and complete the Expression of Interest form, clearly stating your interest in Airfield Primary Academy. A member of the Governance Team will then get in touch to arrange an initial conversation and outline next steps.
Stay and Play Sessions / Academy Visits
For those interested in becoming an Academy Councillor, we warmly invite you to attend one of our upcoming transition events. These sessions offer a valuable opportunity to experience the academy environment and engage with our community at an early stage.
Academy Councillors are welcome to attend either the Stay and Play sessions or the school picnic:
Location:
All events will take place at the temporary school site (BS23 8ES), next to Haywood Village Academy. Parking is available at The Quadrant (Co-op), Haywood Village car park, or nearby street spaces.
Stay and Play Sessions
Families are invited (following sign-up) to visit the school and take part in two Stay and Play sessions within the Reception classrooms. We encourage children to attend both sessions where possible.
15. Tuesday 30 June – 1:00–1:45pm or 2:00–2:45pm (with parents)
16. Wednesday 1 July – 1:00–1:45pm or 2:00–2:45pm (without parents)
Picnic on the School Field
17. Monday 13 July, 11:00am–12:00pm
New families have been invited to attend a picnic on the school field (weather permitting). This informal event provides a great opportunity for families and children to meet ahead of the new term.
Academy Councillors are very welcome to attend, offering a chance to connect with families and support the school community.
We also welcome visits outside of these dates – please state if either of these opportunities are of interest when completing your expression of interest form.
Safeguarding & Inclusion
We take safeguarding seriously. All volunteers must complete an application form, provide references, and undergo checks, including a DBS.
CLF is a Disability Confident Committed Employer. If you need adjustments during application or onboarding, please let us know how we can support you.
Safeguarding Statement
The Cabot Learning Federation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All roles across the trust have a varying level of responsibility for ensuring safeguarding practice, with some roles holding significant responsibility and involving working with children on a daily basis in regulated activity. Regardless of the level of responsibility and involvement in each role, we expect all staff, visiting professionals and volunteers to share this commitment.
All successful candidates will undergo a comprehensive pre-employment checking process, including an enhanced DBS check (including a further check against the appropriate barred list), references from current and previous employers, health, right to work in the UK, child disqualification (where applicable), prohibition from teaching/management and online checks. You must also tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.