Gad’s Hill School is governed by the Governing Body which operates using a number of Committees and meets as a Full Board at least five times a year. Many of its members are old Gadshillians or have children who are Old Gadshillians or currently in school.
The day to day management of the school is delegated to the Headmaster and Bursar, supported by the Senior Leadership Team.
The composition of the Governing Body looks to ensure a mix of skills, background and competence.
What is the role of the Board of Governors?
The Board of Governors plays an essential part in raising school standards. ISI (a Government approved inspectorate responsible for the inspection of association independent schools) notes that the most effective schools demonstrate excellent leadership and management and that includes the governing body.
The role of Gad’s Hill School’s Board of Governors is a strategic one. They operate and make decisions as a group: no one governor has the power to make decisions. They have three important roles to play:
- Setting the strategic direction – we are involved in setting the aims and objectives for the school and the policies and procedures needed to achieve them
- Ensuring accountability – we monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making against its objectives. We also monitor the budget
- Acting as a critical friend – we provide support and challenge to the Headmaster and teaching staff
How do they do this?
Gad’s Hill School currently hold five full governors’ meeting per year which every governor attends. We also have several sub-committees which meet periodically through the course of the year, including:
- Finance covering the budget
- Standards and Compliance ensuring that Gad’s complies with the requirements of the Independent Schools Inspectorate
- Curriculum Development covering all aspects of learning, teaching, the curriculum and emotional wellbeing
- Health and Safety
- Marketing
- Staff Salary Review Board covering all aspects of recruitment, performance and staff pay
Governors’ meetings include a variety of the following:
- Updates from the Headmaster on all aspects of the school from pupil performance through to budget management
- Briefings/updates from the subject leaders on their particular curriculum area
- The opportunity to challenge and ask questions about the running of the school
- The chance to thank staff and congratulate them on successes
- Discussion of particular problems/issues arising in the school and how they can be resolved efficiently and effectively
- Debate about how best to spend particular parts of the school budget
- Approval of the school policies and procedures
If you have any queries or questions the Chair of Governors, Dean Martin, can be contacted via either the Clerk to the Governors, at ClerkToTheGovernors@gadshillschool.org or via ChairOfGovernors@gadshillschool.org
