GOVERNORS

Requirement

Worksop College and Ranby House (the School) are constantly seeking to appoint Governors with backgrounds which allow the School to maintain a balance of skills and experience on its Board.

The School is part of the Woodard Corporation but in day to day terms is largely autonomous.

The appointment as a Governor is a voluntary one, usually for a term of five years with the option to renew for a further five years.

The Governors are trustees of the School for the purposes of charity law and directors of the School for the purposes of company law.

The Board is currently seeking to appoint two or more Governors and is particularly looking for individuals who, in addition to their general suitability as Governors, can bring experience from the following areas:

• Finance / Audit. A person suitably qualified and experienced in the technical aspects of accounting to support the Board, the Finance & General Purposes Committee and the Audit Committee in meeting its reporting obligations. Experience of charity accounting would be particularly applicable.

• University Academic. A person in an academic role at a University who is suitably experienced in the transition from School to University and the requirements of university life.

• Legal. 

Role Summary

The role of the Governors is to hold ultimate control of and responsibility for the management of the School, including: ensuring the School acts in accordance with the School’s Constitution; educating, safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of pupils; ensuring compliance with the inspection regime; and managing the School’s activities in furtherance of its charitable objects in the context of its dual regulation by the Charity Commission and Companies House.

The Governors’ key responsibilities are to:

• set a clear vision, mission and strategic plan for the School and ensure that the necessary structures are in place to deliver those as part of the strategic management of the School (Strategic Responsibility);
• ensure the performance of the School in all its various activities both inside and outside the classroom (Performance Responsibility);
• ensure that the School complies with all legal and regulatory requirements (Compliance Responsibility);
• act as guardians of the School’s assets, both tangible and intangible, taking all due care over their security, deployment and proper application (Responsibility to Safeguard the Assets); and
• ensure that the School’s governance is of the highest possible standard (Governance        Responsibility).

Governor person specification

All Governors should: 

• Show commitment to and be supportive of the objectives, ethos and values of the School and the Woodard Corporation.
• Show commitment to the principles and requirements of the school’s role in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people
• Understand and discharge legal and regulatory duties and obligations.
• Understand and respect boundaries and particularly that between the executive management and the governance functions.
• Have time to fulfil the duties of the role - prepared to prioritise his or her contribution and to take a fair share of the work load.
• Understand the purpose and importance of meetings and be committed to timely attendance and well as effective preparation and participation.
• Show a commitment to undertaking induction and all mandatory training as well as keeping up to date generally with the duties of the role.
• Show a commitment to attend and participate in key school events
• Confirm eligibility to serve as a Trustee of a Registered Charity and as Governor of a School.

We would love to hear from people who:

• Can bring strategic leadership skills with Board level governance experience and specialist financial knowledge
• Will build effective working relationships and show respect and consideration for the viewpoint or position of others
• Work well in a team whether in a lead or supporting role at any time and are willing to express an opinion, whilst being respectful about the opinions of others
• Challenge constructively when appropriate, but is prepared to stand by collective decisions once taken
• Show energy, drive, courage and resilience
• Act reasonably and responsibly in undertaking duties and will maintain strict confidentiality when appropriate
• Are able to demonstrate leadership, selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness and honesty.

Application

If you are interested in applying to be a Governor at Worksop College and Ranby House, and can bring the skills and experience required by the Role and Person specifications above, please complete the application form (link below), returning it to:

clerk@wsnl.co.uk