St Margaret’s is a co-educational independent day and boarding school located in Bushey, Hertfordshire, offering an outstanding education to pupils from 2 to 18. Set in over 60 acres of beautiful grounds, the School has a reputation for supporting pupil wellbeing whilst nurturing academic talent and progress. St Margaret's believes that, in a supportive environment, pupils feel happy and secure and want to learn and do well. Its pupils are confident, courteous and considerate. All benefit from superb teaching by committed subject specialists, underpinned by excellent pastoral care. The School prides itself on working for and with individuals.

St Margaret's was established in 1749 as a charitable foundation to help orphans, specifically the children of deceased clergymen of the Church of England. It was initially situated in Southwark; the first of five locations before its arrival at Bushey in 1897. In 1999 the School marked its 250th anniversary with a grand Service of Thanksgiving in St Paul’s Cathedral in the presence of HRH Princess Alexandra. As the School moved into the 21st century, it was graced with the presence of more royalty as the John Owen Sports Centre was opened in 2005 by HRH Princess Anne. Today, St Margaret’s is a modern co-educational all-through school, although its history has left an indelible mark on its character and ethos.

The past few years have been a time of considerable positive change for St Margaret's. The School recently began admitting boys for the first time in its history and it is now proudly co-educational for all ages. Enrolment has reached record highs, with pupil numbers standing at over 750 today, and this has necessitated significant investment in its estate and facilities. While this growth is hugely positive, the School is mindful of needing to maintain the small, warm, kind, family-oriented feel which its success is built on. St Margaret's has a fantastic Head of School in Lara Péchard, who joined in January 2020 just as the pandemic hit. Under Lara's leadership, the School was judged to be 'Excellent in all areas' by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) last Autumn. 

Collectively with other members of the Board of Governors, the Chair will act as a Charity Trustee, Company Director and Governor of St Margaret’s.

The key responsibilities of the Chair of Governors are to:

• Support the Head of School: be a critical friend by offering support, challenge and encouragement, holding them to account and ensuring their performance management is rigorous and robust
• Lead effective governance: give the Governing Body a clear lead and direction, ensuring that the Governors work as an effective team and understand their accountability and the part they play in the strategic leadership of the school and in driving school improvement. This includes line management of the Clerk to Governors
• Build the team: attract Governors with the necessary skills and ensure that tasks are delegated across the Governing Body so that all members contribute and feel that their individual skills, knowledge and experience are well used, and that the overall workload is shared. Set out membership of sub-committees and appoint a Chair to each sub-committee
• Improve the School: ensure school improvement is the focus of all policy and strategy and that Governor scrutiny, monitoring and challenge reflect school improvement priorities
• Lead the business: ensure that statutory requirements and regulations are met, that the School provides value for money in its use of resources and that Governing body business is conducted efficiently and effectively
• Represent the School: be a positive ambassador of the School externally. championing its cause, aims and values

The Governing Body is a corporate entity and its power and authority rest with the Governing Body as a whole. On occasions, the Chair may need to take Chair’s action, but any such action must be reported to the whole Governing Body as soon as possible.

St Margaret's is seeking to appoint a committed and inclusive new Chair to provide vision, leadership and guidance to the Governing Body, Head of School, and wider School community.

The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong and visible passion and commitment to education in general, and to St Margaret's specifically. They will have operated at a senior, strategic level in an organisation, with significant Board exposure as both an executive and non-executive. While some connection with the education sector would be advantageous, the School is interested in individuals from any sector and functional background, including those coming from the commercial world. What is important is an ability to build relationships, to listen and engage effectively, to lead the Board with tact and diplomacy, and to represent the School as an effective ambassador. 

As the Chair will need to spend time at the School, it is preferred that they live within 60 minutes travel of it, and ideally know the Bushey area well. Applicants who do not have a direct connection with the School are strongly encouraged to apply. 

The Governing Body is currently made up of 10 Governors. Governors are Trustees of St Margaret’s, are collectively responsible for the long term vision and development of the School, and come from a wide range of professional fields.

The main Governing Body delegates much of the detailed work to the following Committees which meet termly: Finance, Estates & General Purposes (FEGP); Education; Pastoral; Marketing & Admissions; and Governance & Nominations.

A full list of current Governors can be found here.

This is an unremunerated role, however reasonable expenses will be reimbursed. The Governing Body meets four times per year. Two of these meetings take place on weekdays in the afternoon / early evening and last for three hours; two of them take place on Saturdays and last a full day with time allocated to Board training / strategic planning. The Chair would also be expected to sit on one Committee, which meet three times a year, as well as attending (ex-officio) the Finance, Estates & General Purpose Committee, which meets five times per year. In-person meetings are the strong preference, though occasional dial-ins where absolutely necessary can be accommodated. All Governors, including the Chair, are encouraged to visit the School regularly to attend events, meet with staff, engage with the pupils, and complete site walks. The Chair and the Head also have a regular weekly check-in. The appointment is for an initial four-year term, which can be renewed at the discretion of the Board.

Candidates will ideally live within a short commutable distance of the school. 

St Margaret's School welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, belief or disability. 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.