As a parent-owned school, our Governing Body consists of up to 15 elected parental and non-parental Governors. The Unicorn School is a registered charity and a limited company: Governors are, therefore, trustees of the charity and board directors. Unicorn Governors work together as a team, being supportive of the school yet also constructively critical.
Governors uphold the ethos and direction of the school and act as guardians of its assets (such as land, building, equipment, investments and cash). They meet as a main body at least once a term to receive a detailed report from the Head and reports from the various committees. Key issues are discussed and future strategy agreed, with the board having responsibility to approve the accounts, school development plan and risk assessment documentation as well as meet the school’s legal obligations (via oversight of compliance with all regulations from the Department of Children, Schools & Families).
The Governors also have oversight of the leadership and management of the school and are responsible for hiring the Head and Bursar, both of whom report to the Chair of Governors.
For full details about the role of Unicorn School Governors, click here
| Chairman: |
Mrs Vicky Hastings |
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| Company Secretary: |
Mrs Marjorie Curry |
Parental Governors
| Mrs Vicky Hastings |
Mr Keith Snedden
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| Mrs Caroline Barrington |
Hon Giles Wigoder |
| Mrs Anne Fowler |
Mrs Valerie Wilmot |
| Mr David Kenningham |
Mr Nick Woolf |
| Mr David Lester |
Mr Tim Wort |
| Mr Rupert Obholzer |
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Non-parental governors:
| Mr John Collenette |
| Mr Philip Cottam |
| Mr Adrian Floyd |
Governor Committees
There are seven Governor committees, set up to cover particular work, with all Governors involved on one or more of them. These meet on a termly basis, sometimes more frequently.
A chair is appointed for each committee. The chair sets up meetings with agendas and minutes, liaises with the Chair of Governors and the Head on key issues, reports back to other Governors at termly meetings with debate on any specific issues, and co-ordinates all the workings of that committee. Each has agreed objectives and aims for the future that must be reviewed annually. The current chairs are:
| Finance: |
(Chair – Mr David Lester) |
| Building: |
(Chair – Mr Rupert Obholzer) |
| Education: |
(Chair – Mrs Valerie Wilmot) |
| Risk Assessment: |
(Chair – Mr Keith Snedden) |
| Marketing: |
(Chair – Mrs Caroline Barrington) |
| IT: |
(Chair – Mr Tim Wort) |
| Staffing: |
(Chair – Mr Philip Cottam) |
Any correspondence for the Chairman of Governors should be addressed, c/o The Unicorn School, 238 Kew Road, Richmond, TW9 3JX and marked ‘Private & Confidential‘.