Trustees and Council

The Board of Trustees are elected by the Council of Members from amongst its membership and appointed as the legal directors of the Foundation.

For further information please click here.

They set the Foundation’s strategic direction and are accountable to all stakeholders, meeting regularly throughout the year.

Trustees serve for a term of four years before being eligible for re-election. Prior to being recommended for re-election they are appraised by a committee of Trustees and the Chairman, as appropriate. With the exception of the Chairman, who in addition to time as a Board Member may serve as Chairman for ten years maximum, Trustees may not serve more than three terms of four years.

The Trustees bring experience from the charitable, educational, financial and commercial sectors, the clergy, the armed forces and civil services. They carry a considerable burden of responsibility on an entirely voluntary basis and the Foundation is very grateful for their untiring support and commitment.

The Board of Trustees delegates the day to day running of each School to its Head, under the overall leadership of the Warden. Any parental concerns should be raised with the Heads or with the relevant member of staff in the first instance.

The current Board of Trustees is:

Revd M Allen, BA
Mr S Bullingham MSC, BSc
Mrs K A Carden, BA MPhil
Brig Matthew Cansdale BA
Mrs H S L Daltry, BA
Mr S Holliday MA
Mr M Hughes, BSc
* Mrs F L Knight BA
AVM R Lock, CBE, BSc
Mr G McDonald, B Comm B Acc
Mr F J Shaw MA, MSc, CEng, CSci
Mr M P Smith MA
Mr M Smith, MA, MBA, ACIB
 

Visiting Trustee: Bishop of Gloucester.

Kathryn Carden has been Chairman of the Trustees since July 2014. Kathryn has over 30 years’ experience working with organisations in both the public and the private sector, as a line director, a non-executive director, project manager, consultant and lecturer. She was appointed as the first Chairman of the Welsh Revenue Authority in April 2017. Kathryn is currently an Associate Fellow of the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, where she directs and teaches on leadership programmes for professional service firms, multi-national corporations, the National School of Government and the Civil Service.

Mrs Kathryn Carden
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
c/o The Bursary
Dean Close Foundation
Dean Close House
67 Lansdown Road
Cheltenham GL51 6QD

The following committees meet regularly to assist the Board in the governance of the Foundation. The committees report to the Board of Trustees and their terms of reference are regularly reviewed. Meetings are also attended by Senior Leaders from the Foundation, as appropriate.

• Finance And General Purpose Committee: Financial policy and detailed governance of the School.
• Foundation Estates Planning Committee: A sub set of the F&GP, this committee considers the medium and long term needs of the physical assets of the Foundation and advises the F&GP accordingly.
• Nominations Committee: Consideration of prospective Council and Board Members and recommendations to the Board of Trustees, together with succession planning. New Trustees and Council Members are proposed to Council by the Board of Trustees.
• Concessions Working Party: Policy on the granting of fee discounts and review of larger awards.
• Remunerations Committee: Review of senior staff remuneration.
• Safeguarding Committee: Supports the Designated Safeguarding Leads in each of the schools in fulfilling their responsibilities to ensure every child in our schools is kept safe. Trustees have a responsibility to ensure the Foundation has appropriate policies and procedures to ensure the safety and welfare of pupils is prioritised, and this committee reports on such matters to the full Board at every meeting.
• Curriculum Development Committee: Provides a forum for the discussion of the schools’ plans to improve and enhance their provision in its widest sense. This committee does not have any statutory duties but gives the Warden, Heads and Deputy Heads Academic a chance to exchange views and ideas with Trustees, many of whom have a wealth of educational experience of their own

The Members of the Company are known collectively as the Council. The Members act as ambassadors for the School, using their wide range of knowledge and experience for the benefit of the School.

Council members are appointed following a recommendation to the Nominations Committee, a small sub-committee of Trustees. If anyone is interested in being considered for membership of the Council, they should approach the Clerk to the Governors for further information. Any applications will be considered by the Nominations Committee with reference to the Foundation’s needs and the ability of the nominee to contribute; if appropriate they are recommended to the Board and Council for election. Council Members serve for a term of five years before being eligible for re-election.

The primary function of the Council is to elect the Trustees and to hold them to account for the policy and direction of the School. It meets formally twice a year to receive the Annual Report and Accounts and to elect the Board of Trustees. At these meetings the Council is given presentations on various aspects of the Foundation’s activities.

For further information please click here.

The Council is led by the President, currently Lord Ribeiro, CBE.

Mrs J Bee BSc
Mrs V Beevers Bed
Mrs S Bennett BA
Capt A Bird BA LVO
Mr M Bowen
Mr H Bradby
Mr R Byrd FCA, FCCA
Brig. M.T Cansdale MBE BA
*Mrs E Clark BA
Mr B R Davies OBE 
*Mrs N C Davies BA
Mrs C Dowler
Mr C S S Drew, MA
Mr I Duffin FCA Bcom
Mrs R Eden
Mrs C Fletcher MBA
Mr S Foster BA
Mr L C Glaser MA ACA
Mr J Hall BA
Mr B Harding MBA
Mr P Harvey MA
Dr J Haynes Bm Bch MA FRCPsych
*Mr R Hildick-Smith MEng CEng IMechE
Mrs A Hillman
Mrs S L Hirst, BEd
Mr A J Hunt
Mr A Judge
Mr I Kilpatrick BA, BEd
Miss R A Keens BEd
Mr T R Lewis BSc Hons
The Revd R Mackay
Mr D Main FCA FCCA
Mrs A Marsden BSc MAEd
*Mr J Moos MComp (Hons) CCP MCIS
*Mrs C Morris LLB Hons
*Mr D Mullins
Mr B Nicholas MA
*Mrs C J Pack BA MRICS
The Rev'd H Palmer BA
*Mr M Philip-Sorensen
Dr A Porter
*Lord Ribeiro CBE, FRCS
Mrs K Riding LLB
Mr D Richie BA
Mr P Silvester ACIB, BA
Mrs C Stallard BA
Mrs B Sullivan
Mr S Thomas BA, LLM
Mr S Thomas BA, LLB
*Mr A J Thompson BA
*Mr J Townsend MA
*Mr T Widdowson 
The Revd Canon P R Williams MTh
Rt Revd P Williams

*Old Decanian

Emeritus Members.

*Mr C J Buckett
Mr M Cartwright
Mrs G M Cocks
Mrs P G Napier, MBE
Mr C Rank
Mr R Taylor
Revd Canon T Watson