Governance

Guildford High School is a part of United Learning whose Trustees hold the ultimate responsibility for the governance of each United Learning school.

The Department for Education’s governance handbook 2019 identifies the essentials of effective governance as follows:

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

The proprietor is the United Learning Church Schools Trust (UCST). The Chair of the UCST Board is Dr Rosalind Given-Wilson. She can be contacted at the United Learning Head Office:

United Learning, Worldwide House, Thorpe Wood, Peterborough, PE3 6SB

Telephone: 01832 864444

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.unitedlearning.org.uk

United Learning’s Trustees delegate certain key roles and responsibilities to the school’s Local Governing Body and these are set out clearly in our Scheme of Delegation which can be seen on the United Learning website.

Click here to view the Scheme of Delegation

Local Governing Body (LGB)

Guildford High School’s LGB deals with issues specific to the school in conjunction with the Executive Head and other members of staff. A list of current members of the LGB and their biographies can be found below.

Anyone wishing to contact the Chair of Governors should do so in writing. Please direct all communication to:

Chair of the Governors, c/o The LGB Clerk’s Office, Guilford High School, 25-29 London Road, Guildford Surrey GU1 1SJ

Ms Kate Richards

Chair of Governing Body
Read bio

Ms Kate Richards

Chair of Governing Body
Founding director and CEO of Enrich Education Consultancy, Kate Richards, has extensive experience of both the state and the independent sectors in a variety of roles and, most recently, as Chief Inspector for the Independent Schools Inspectorate, where she was responsible for the end-to-end inspection process. Her broad remit included strategic planning for excellence and innovation, for maintaining the quality of inspection and the inspector workforce, for providing evidence-based insight to develop practice, and for representing the professional expertise of ISI at national and international level.

As chief inspector, school improvement advisor, associate vice principal and teacher, Kate has had a wide range of roles and experiences in leading, developing and supporting children, adults and organisations. Currently she offers bespoke consultancy, working with MATs, individual schools, governing bodies, and charitable trusts.

Kate believes passionately in the right of every child and young person to an education which keeps them safe, nurtures, supports and inspires them and which enables each and every one to develop breadth and depth in their skills, knowledge and understanding as individuals and as members of diverse communities.

Ms Karen Braganza

Complaints and E-Safety Representative
Read bio

Ms Karen Braganza

Complaints and E-Safety Representative
Karen is an alumna of both the Junior and Senior School, having spent 13 happy years attending GHS. After reading Law with European Studies at St John’s College, Cambridge University, she trained and qualified as an intellectual property solicitor at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. As a Vice President at Warner Bros., she now manages the Business and Legal Affairs team for WB's Home Entertainment business, advising on the distribution of films and TV programmes across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Karen has been a governor since May 2015. She feels privileged to be able to give back to a school and community that gave her so much: a fantastic education, high aspirations and friends for life.

Mrs Anna Lise Gordon

Safeguarding Representative
Read bio

Mrs Anna Lise Gordon

Safeguarding Representative
Anna Lise is the Director of the Institute of Education at St Mary's University in Twickenham, London. Her role involves the training of over 800 new primary and secondary teachers each year as well as providing professional development and MA in Education and Professional Doctorate programmes for more experienced teachers. Her research interests focus on the resilience and wellbeing of students and teachers. Anna Lise is the designated safeguarding governor for GHS. Her two daughters attended the Senior School at GHS.

Ms Zip Jila

EYFS Representative
Read bio

Ms Zip Jila

EYFS Representative
Zip spent 14 years as a pupil at GHS (1988 - 2002) before studying Law at St John’s Cambridge. After graduating with a double first she took a Masters at Harvard Law School and qualified as a solicitor in 2009. Zip spent eight years in private practice as a restructuring and insolvency solicitor before joining a special situations fund in London as their General Counsel, a role she tries to balance with spending two days a week with her young girls at home in Abinger Hammer. She is an enthusiastic and active GHS alumna, who is very proud of the school's (and its pupils’) achievements.

Dr Sian Jones

Health and Safety, Sustainability & Wellbeing Representative
Read bio

Dr Sian Jones

Health and Safety, Sustainability & Wellbeing Representative
Born and brought up in West Wales, Sian qualified from the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine in 1985. Her post registration experience has been varied, including working in a rural surgery in Glastonbury, as a GP in Australia and a community paediatrician in Bristol and Guildford. Her particular interests are in children’s and women’s health. Sian is a GP in Wonersh, initially salaried and as a partner from 2002. Sian has been the school doctor at Guildford High School for nearly 20 years, one of her most rewarding roles, working closely with the nurses, headmistress and pastoral team. In 2018 Sian was appointed to be Clinical Chair at Guildford & Waverley CCG and Clinical Lead for Cancer and End of Life Care. Sian’s main link with GHS is as a parent of three daughters who all attended GHS from 4-18 years.

Mr Robert Turnbull

Vice Chair & Finance Representative
Read bio

Mr Robert Turnbull

Vice Chair & Finance Representative
A native of Scotland, Robert studied chemistry at Edinburgh University. He is a tax consultant and has spent most of his working life in the City, but lives in Guildford. Robert has a son and two daughters, both of whom are GHS pupils.

Mr Richard Webb

Read bio

Mr Richard Webb

Richard Webb is Managing Director of JPMorgan Asset Management International Equity group in London and manages Core European and Global Sustainable Strategies and Pan European mandates for institutional clients. Born in Kenya, Richard grew up mainly in Africa and boarded at Cranleigh School.

He obtained a B.A. in Modern History and Politics from the University of Durham and an M.A. in European Management from Cranfield School of Management. He is married with three daughters who all had a happy and successful time at GHS. Richard has a strong interest in conservation and continues to play competitive tennis.

Mr Nigel Wickham

Health and Safety & Wellbeing Representative
Read bio

Mr Nigel Wickham

Health and Safety & Wellbeing Representative
Nigel has lived in Guildford for 26 years and has been serving the community as an operational firefighter since 1994. He is currently a Crew Commander at Guildford Fire Station. Nigel has always been keen to help and promote the school. Through his role as chairperson of FoGHS, Nigel played an active part in fundraising and organising community events for the school. Nigel is married and has four children, two of which are currently at GHS.