The Mount Kelly Foundation is a leading independent day and boarding school offering education from 3-18 years, for young people with a wide range of abilities. Set on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in Tavistock, Devon, the School combines academic excellence with an outstanding range of opportunities beyond the classroom, and exceptional pastoral care. It is proud to be a close-knit School where family values pervade every aspect of school life, and where there is a strong sense of community throughout. 

The School is recognised globally as having a leading swimming programme, but its strengths beyond the classroom are supported by a rich academic offering suited to all abilities. Since the merger of the Kelly College Foundation and the Mount House School Trust in June 2014, the School has become a vibrant, integrated community of more than 640 pupils and 200 staff across two sites and 50 buildings. The School has achieved a great deal in this period, including an outstanding ISI report, growing pupil numbers and considerable academic and sporting success.

With a new Chair recently appointed and significant expansion on the horizon, the Mount Kelly Foundation will be driving a large programme of refurbishment of its boarding house. With a £1m project in summer and other capital projects for the buildings and grounds, it's an exciting time for a health and safety specialist to join the School. Currently in the second year of its five-year strategy, key priorities moving ahead include investment and sustainability / energy management, while continuing to drive strong academic performance.

The day-to-day running of the Foundation rests in the hands of the Executive team under the Principal Guy Ayling (who is also the Chief Executive), the Senior Leadership Team and the staff. The Governors are the Foundation’s Non-Executive Directors, Trustees and Members, and are responsible for the following:

• Ensuring that there is a clear long-term strategy for the Foundation with a financial model to suit, and making sure that strategy is adjusted and delivered
• Working as a team with the Executives, allowing them to have the scope and confidence to handle the day-to-day challenges, but holding them to account through constructive challenge
• Ensuring that the Foundation is meeting the financial and regulatory requirements which are set, and that it operates within its Memorandum and Articles, delegations, and the rules set by the Charity Commission
• Offering insight to understand how the Foundation is performing through the use of committees, and the checking of policies and procedures, personal experience on the ground, and through questioning the Board and looking at external benchmarking and audit
• Acting as the Foundation’s proprietor, with particular responsibilities for safeguarding, asset preservation and statutory compliance

The Mount Kelly Foundation is seeking a health and safety Governor to join the Board and play a key role in its expansion and capital projects as it looks ambitiously to the future.

The successful candidate will bring a broad awareness of the legal obligations regarding health and safety e.g. compliance, training and safe working practices. They will ideally have experience of working in a senior health and safety role or will have held oversight of health and safety in a broader function. Candidates will bring a practical mindset, whilst being able to advise the Board and senior leadership team on mitigating risk. Individuals with an IOSHH or NEBOSHH qualification would be desirable to bring credibility to the role. Though experience in education isn't required, candidates will need to understand the complex nature of having multiple sites and buildings. 

The School is very open to first time Non-Executive Directors. The individual will need to be committed to the role, as well as being aligned with the Foundation's purpose to offer a values-led, life-defining educational experience. 

To find out more about the Board of Governors, please see here.

The time commitment is four Board meetings per year, which are held mid-morning. These are held in-person but occasional attendance over Teams is offered. Additionally, there will be three health and safety Committee meetings, which are held in-person. There may be an opportunity to also join the finance and general purpose Committee, which would be a further four meetings. There will also be an expectation to visit the Schools in-person. In total, candidates can expect the role to be 10-15 days per year. The term is for four years, which can be renewed twice and could be extended if the Board mutually agrees. Reasonable pre-agreed travel expenses will be reimbursed.

As the Governors visit the School for Board and Committee meetings and also to engage more widely with the community, being within relatively easy reach (up to one hour away) of Tavistock would be highly desirable.