Beechwood Park is a leading Hertfordshire independent prep school and nursery, providing an outstanding education to boys and girls aged 3 to 13. Beechwood educates over 500 children, making it one of the UK's largest preparatory boarding schools. With day places throughout and boarding places from Year 5 upwards, the school is proud to teach children in line with its Mission to Nurture, Engage and Inspire. Beechwood develops confidence and independence in all of its pupils, establishing in them the skills which will prepare them for life beyond the classroom and instil a life long love of learning.

Set in over 35 acres of beautiful wooded parklands originally designed by Capability Brown, Beechwood is an idyllic enclave. The School profits from its natural environment through stellar sports facilities and a unique Forest School. Pupils benefit from a wide range of co-curricular activities, ranging from swimming to music to performing arts, whilst a strong focus on pastoral care ensures that they go on to the next stage of their education as balanced and resilient individuals. Building on a strong, rounded academic foundation, Beechwood achieves outstanding results in 11+ at 13+ exams, with most of its pupils going on to leading selective secondary schools.

Beechwood Park continued to thrive through the pandemic, growing its pupil numbers and performing strongly financially. The school has no borrowings. The Board is delighted to have appointed Christian Pritchard as new Head with effect from September 2023, following a rigorous recruitment process that attracted a high level of interest. The Governors are looking forward to working with Mr Pritchard in this exciting new phase.

A current key strategic priority is increasing market awareness for the School within a wider catchment area. Beechwood has a unique proposition: its boarding provision provides a distinctive and competitive edge and its location just North of London combines a close and well networked link to the capital, with a leafy Hertfordshire setting. Under the guidance of the Beechwood Board, it is hoped that the School can build on its already strong reputation to become known nationally as a first-choice preparatory school.

The Board of Governors is responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of the school; its core functions include setting the school's strategic vision, monitoring its performance, and ensuring its financial sustainability. Beechwood benefits from a strong Board on both the educational and operational side, with a broad knowledge base across its Governors, led by Chair Mark Hammond.

In partnership with the Head, they work together to ensure that Beechwood provides a high-quality education and creates a supportive and inclusive community for its pupils, staff, and stakeholders. Through its oversight and leadership, the Board of Governors plays a critical role in ensuring the success of the school.

The Board of Beechwood Park is looking for a skilled and committed Governors, with a passion for education and a commitment to ensuring that all children have access to the best possible start in life.

Governor (Education)

For this particular appointment, the Board is looking to appoint an educational professional with deep experience within the early years foundation stage (EYFS). Beechwood's dedicated nursery, Woodlands, and the younger years of its pre-prep stage are a core part of the school, ensuring that children have a strong foundation to build on as they move up pre-prep and on into prep. The Board is therefore keen to ensure that it has the perspective of an EYFS specialist involved in strategic discussions, who can bring a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities presented by this important stage of a child's development, as well as a close familiarity with the curriculum and best practices in early childhood education.

Furthermore, safeguarding is naturally one of the Board's highest priorities. Whilst it currently has a strong core of safeguarding knowledge, the Governors are keen to ensure strong succession planning by bolstering this area of expertise further, and hopes that a Governor with experience in EYFS will also be able to strengthen the Board's knowledge of this crucial topic.

Governor (Digital)

As Beechwood strives to stay on the front foot in the evolving digital world, it would value the perspective of a Governor with experience in digital strategy, who will act as a critical friend to the Board and provide advice on various matters including IT infrastructure and cybersecurity. Perhaps with a professional background as a Chief Information Officer or Digital /  IT Consultant, they will provide an informed and current perspective on the rapidly-changing technological environment within Board discussions, helping to ensure that Beechwood is poised to take advantage of new opportunities.

For further information about the Board, please click here.

There are three full Board meetings per year, and Governors tend to join at least one sub-committee; the overall time commitment is in the vicinity of 2-3 meetings each term. This role is unremunerated, but reasonable domestic travel expenses may be covered.

Beechwood Park welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, belief or disability. As women and those from an ethnic minority background are currently under-represented on the Board, applications from those individuals would be particularly encouraged. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.