Board of Trustees

Every three years Frimley School parents are asked to elect a new Board of Trustees.   The present board’s three year term concludes in April 2010, necessitating an election for the new Board of Trustees during March next year.  From the present Board, Sue Wilcox, Julie Sturch and I will not be standing for re-election while Ian Horsefield and Carl Petersen have indicated that they are prepared to serve a further term.  As the election is only a few months away, the time seems appropriate to outline the duties and responsibilities of a Board of Trustees.

A Board of Trustees is accountable to the Ministry of Education and is empowered to act in a governance capacity.  Governance is about vision, and the translation of vision into policy.  Accordingly board members are in effect, the school’s overseers and are required to act in the best interests of the staff, students and parents of its school. 

The Board of Trustees’ responsibilities include: ensuring that the financial model and budget are followed; translating the school’s vision into policy and most importantly, enabling the senior management team and staff to implement the strategic plan and carry out the core business of the school. It is not the task of a Board to play a management role; the Ministry employs the Principal and staff to fulfill this duty.  Management 

is about making the decisions needed to implement policy. 

At Frimley we are particularly fortunate to have a superb team expertly led by Malcolm Dixon who as CEO reports monthly to board members on all management decisions which have impacted on the school.  In this way the Board of Trustees is fully informed about what is happening in the school but needs only to concern itself with relevant governance issues. 

If you are considering a position on the Board of Trustees and would like to know more about how the Board operates, you are most welcome to attend any of our regular meetings or contact myself or another Board member to discuss this further.  We are seeking candidates for the board who are willing to give of their time for Frimley School and act in its best interests. 

Murray Richardson 

Chairman - Board of Trustees