The Archbishop of Canterbury, John Whitgift (1538-1604), founded The Whitgift Foundation, now known as John Whitgift Foundation in 1596. His aims were to provide education for the young and care for the elderly. The Foundation, a registered charity incorporated under the Whitgift Charity Act 1969, owns and manages three independent schools – Whitgift School, Trinity School and Old Palace of John Whitgift School, together with an Almshouse, two care homes and carers centre, all located within the Croydon area. Income generated from the Foundation’s investment and property portfolios provides funds for substantial bursary support to nearly half of its 3,000 pupils and also helps to support the running of its care homes. 

More than 400 years later the Foundation supports about 45% of its 3,000 current students at three independent schools through generous means-tested bursaries amounting to over £6 million a year, plus generous scholarships provided by the schools. Such support to families allows talented boys and girls from Croydon and further afield to be educated at three outstanding independent schools in the UK. The John Whitgift Foundation also owns and manages three care homes, the Almshouses, Whitgift House and Wilhelmina House. These offer a range of care needs from sheltered accommodation to full nursing care.

Whilst the Foundation is firmly established in the community, The John Whitgift Foundation's role in Croydon is constantly expanding its valuable services to the wider community. With four centuries of providing education and care to older people, the Foundation is eager to continue to deliver high quality services. As it looks ahead with increasing operating costs and the cost of each bursary and scholarship on the rise, the Foundation is constantly reviewing commercial opportunities and looking at generating long term income. It's also currently undergoing a strategic review of how it delivers care.

The Foundation is governed by the Court, which is made up of 15 governors, who meet at least four times a year. They are ultimately responsible for ensuring the Charity Commission requirements are met and provide overall strategic direction to the organisation. 

A governor is expected to:

• Assist with future planning and development of the Foundation and/or its various operations
• Ensure that our establishments comply with legislative and regulatory requirements and acts within the confines of the charity’s governing document
• Have input into budget planning and monitoring financial performance
• Draw on their particular area of expertise, participate fully at committee meetings and in decision making processes
• Act in the best interests of the Foundation at all times, pursuing the delivery of the Foundation’s charitable objects
• Positively and pro-actively promote the Foundation’s schools and care homes to the wider community
• Maintain absolute confidentiality about all sensitive/confidential information received in the course of governors’ responsibilities to the Foundation about the Foundation’s staff, residents, parents, and pupils, ensuring compliance with the conflict of interest policy
• Attend various events and functions across the Foundation whenever possible, for example school performances and special events at our care homes
• Undertake any training identified as necessary for a governor of the Foundation

All governors are required to undertake an enhanced DBS check with barred list check on appointment.

Court Governor (Commercial Property)

The John Whitgift Foundation is looking for a new Court Governor with senior commercial property experience to join its Board to advise on various property and investment matters. They will be a sounding board for the executive team and Board in terms of overseeing negotiations linked to property investments and capital projects in the coming years. As a large proportion of its income comes from the Whitgift Centre, one of the largest shopping centres in greater London which comprises 1,302,444 sq ft of retail space, this person will offer advice and guidance on the renegotiation of a deal.

The ideal candidate will bring strong property investment expertise at a senior strategic level to negotiate complex contracts with commercial property companies. This person will be highly commercial and will have excellent negotiation skills. In addition to the commercial property experience, they will bring strong financial acumen to advise on large capital projects the Foundation will be doing in the coming years. This person will ideally have operated at senior executive or Board level at one of the large property companies and experience in retail would be advantageous but is not necessary.

Court Governor (Human Resources / Organisational Development)

The John Whitgift Foundation is looking for a new Court Governor with senior human resources or organisational development experience to join its Board to advise on various strategic HR, people and remuneration-related issues. They will be a sounding board for the executive team and court on various people related matters. 

The successful candidate will be a senior leader with a wealth of experience in dealing with strategic people and remuneration issues. In addition, candidates will bring strong commercial acumen and an understanding of the business pressures of the Foundation. Candidates would ideally come from the commercial sector but the Foundation is open to individuals from government, education or non-profit sectors. 

Above all, they will be aligned with the Trust’s values and bring a passion for transforming the lives of children and older people. As its beneficiaries come from various backgrounds, the Foundation is looking for the Board to reflect its diverse population.

To find out more about The John Whitgift Foundation's Governors, please visit here. 

There are four Court meetings per year. The Court is supported by three school committees and some members of the Court will serve on each of these. There are various other subcommittees and members of these committees are elected for three-year terms and may be re-elected to a maximum tenure of nine years. Most committees meet three times a year; meetings last for approximately two hours and usually commence at 5pm. Each Court Governor is elected for a three-year term and may be re-elected to a maximum tenure of 12 years. The role is unremunerated but reasonable, pre-agreed expenses will be reimbursed.

UK-London (Croydon)

The John Whitgift Foundation welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. As women and those from ethnic minority backgrounds 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.