Clifton High School is a forward-looking school set in beautiful surroundings in the heart of Clifton. An independent school, educating boys and girls from 3-18 years, Clifton High School is on an extraordinary growth pathway having increased its pupil roll from 580 to 800 over the last three years. ‘Realising Individual Brilliance’ is more than just a tagline at Clifton High, it is something the School truly invests in. Coupled with four strong and defining values (Curiosity, Empathy, Love and Direction) Clifton High School is fundamentally a family school where community comes first, and families buy into a culture of belonging for themselves and their children.

Clifton High School is the only School in Bristol to incorporate the successful Diamond Edge Model into its teaching methods, allowing pupils to be supported in their individual dynamic needs, teaching boys and girls separately in the core subjects of Mathematics, English and the Sciences during the key stages of Years 7, 8 and 9. This eliminates the need for parents to explore single sex schools, as the children benefit from maximised learning experiences in a socially conducive environment. This flexibility allows for adapting to global changes and the future career offerings that pupils will encounter. Guided by gentle encouragement and strong support, pupils leave Clifton High School at the end of their education with clear future pathways, confident in their value in the world but also respectful of long-lasting relationships.

The new Governor will join the Council of Governors at an important juncture in the evolution of the School, and will contribute significantly to a series of exciting and transformative projects. Soon, Clifton High School will celebrate its 150th anniversary and the next Finance Governor will be passionate about maximising the potential of this significant milestone and ensuring the School is robust, and able to adapt to future opportunities and challenges. 

Governors are responsible for the overall management and control of Clifton High School, ensuring that the School meets its mission to provide the necessary education, training and support to enable all pupils to develop their potential.

They will do this by:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the School and its pupils, and the performance management of staff
• Overseeing the financial performance of the School and making sure its money is well spent

The successful candidate will be expected to join the Finance & General Purposes Committee.    

Clifton High School School is seeking an outstanding finance professional to join its Council of Governors as a Governor. The Finance Governor will leverage their financial expertise, providing a high level of scrutiny, challenge and strategic direction to the Board.

The successful candidate will be a high performing leader with analytical finance skills, who brings senior-level financial expertise to support / advise the Board on financial risk and strategy. Applicants will have senior strategic experience from a similarly sized / complex organisation. 

• This candidate could be be a chartered accountant, with a background as a financial practitioner in a large accounting firm. They may have gone on to other roles, such as CFO or Director of Finance of a large commercial business.
• Alternatively this person could come from the third sector having held the role of CFO or Finance Director. Candidates arising from the world of housing associations or other regulated industries are also of significant interest.
• Clifton High School would also like to consider candidates with investment management expertise, experience of which could have been gained as an investment banker or investment manager, or in a financial leadership role.

Above all, candidates will have an interest and strong personal commitment to co-educational independent education, and will share Clifton High School's vision to provide an ambitious, thoughtful, rounded education for its pupils.

You can read more about the Board here.

There are 6 Board meetings per year (each lasting 2hrs) which are held in person at the School. These typically take place at 3pm on Wednesdays and occur every half term. Additionally, there are 4 Finance & General Purposes Committee (F&GP) meetings, which take place at 4pm on Wednesdays. There are 2 F&GP meetings in the Autumn term, and one per term across the Spring and Summer terms. Governors are also expected to engage with the Board on an ad-hoc basis (such as attending extra-ordinary Board meetings and some School events). This role is unremunerated. Reasonable, pre-agreed expenses will be reimbursed.

As Board meetings are held in person, candidates will either be Bristol based or willing to travel for meetings. Candidates may occasionally attend meetings via video link.

Clifton High School is a place where diversity is celebrated, and individual brilliance is valued. Clifton High School is a place where everyone can belong. Together with Nurole the School is committed to providing an inclusive environment and attracting, developing, and retaining individuals with diverse experiences. Nurole welcome applicants from all sections of the community including those from the global majority, LGBTQ+ community, neurodiverse, and disabled individuals. Nurole and Clifton High School community is collaborative and committed to shared learning from multiple perspectives. We provide a supportive, respectful, and empowering environment where everyone can achieve their full potential. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent appointment process.