With its origins dating back to 1552, The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL) was formed by the merger between the all-boys Leeds Grammar School and the Leeds Girls’ High School. Previously spread across different sites, since September 2020, GSAL's Nursery, Primary School, Senior School, and Sixth Form Provision have been housed on one campus. The largest independent school in the UK in R-13 provision, it boasts outstanding academic results, and in 2021 was named the North Independent School of the Decade by The Sunday Times Schools Guide.

GSAL’s unique diamond model gives pupils the educational benefits of a single-sex institution, yet ensures that pupils benefit from the social aspects of co-education. This sees boys and girls taught separately between the ages of 11 and 16. Lessons are tailored to suit different learning styles and teenagers are free from the pressure of performing in mixed-gender groups.

GSAL also invests in creating the right environment, equipment and expertise for a variety of pursuits, from music to CCF, drama to Duke Of Edinburgh - as well as a wide range of sporting facilities, including a 3G pitch. From the moment children start with GSAL in Nursery through to when they leave at 18, the School provides an abundance of purpose-built facilities that inspire pupils academically, creatively and physically.

GSAL is inclusive and provides the very best of everything for everyone with a world-class curriculum. It is committed to ensuring a balance between academic drive and pastoral support and to helping young people to be inquisitive, to want the best for themselves, and to focus on high performance. With a rich history, strong educational record, outstanding facilities, and plans underway to broaden the School's bursary provision, now is an excellent time to join GSAL. 

GSAL Governors are responsible for setting a clear vision and strategic direction for the School, working with their fellow Board members and the senior leadership team.

Specific duties of individual Governors include:

• Focusing on the strategic direction of the School. Governors have overall responsibility for delivering the mission, strategies, values and objectives of the School. They are responsible for ensuring the School’s long-term financial security
• Providing leadership in delivering the internal controls, risk management, equality and diversity of the School, ensuring it complies with its regulatory, fiduciary and legal responsibilities and obligations and delivers its planned outcomes
• Regularly reviewing and appraising their own effectiveness as a board: they are committed to constant renewal, recruitment of people with the appropriate and necessary skills, and the creation of a cohesive but challenging and candid culture
• Composing and organising themselves to discharge their responsibilities effectively: as trustees their individual duties include providing information and advice, skills and experience and the development of and support for the senior leadership team
• Clearly setting out the functions and responsibilities, as well as monitoring the performance, of their own sub-committees, the Principal and other members of the senior leadership team 
• Aiming to be open, responsive, and accountable to all stakeholders through good communication and consultation while being careful not to involve themselves in the day-to-day executive and operational management of the School
• Always acting in accordance with the highest standards of ethics, probity and corporate governance to eliminate risk of personal benefit or conflict of interest
• Taking advice from such bodies as The Independent Schools Council on what is best practice for schools such as GSAL and also complying as appropriate with the principles of CC30 and SORP 2005

As it looks to maintain its strong financial position and expand its bursary provision, GSAL now seeks a new Governor with senior fundraising experience to join its Board. 

The successful candidate will bring a solid track record in charitable or educational fundraising and will have experience of raising large sums of money such as five to six figure donations. They will have operated at a senior strategic level and will ideally have existing links to the city and with industry. Candidates will bring excellent excellent relationship-building skills and have the ability to open new doors for the School and increase its profile. They could have experience as a Development Director for example, or have fundraised as part of a non-executive role. 

Applicants will bring a passion for education and enjoy working with children / young people. Above all, the successful candidate will subscribe to the FREDIE principles on which GSAL runs: fairness, respect, equality, diversity, inclusion and engagement.

A list of current Governors can be found here.   

There are five Board meetings plus approximately four to five Committee meetings per year. Additionally, Governors will be expected to attend one annual strategy day and the AGM, both of which are held on Board meetings dates. The appointment is initially for a one-year term, and with the Board's approval this can be extended at the end of the Governor's first year, to five years in total. The role is unremunerated but reasonable, pre-agreed expenses will be reimbursed. GSAL prefers in-person meeting attendance for both Board and Committee meetings, but some virtual attendance can be accommodated.

Candidates will be able to attend in-person meetings in Leeds and will be UK-based. 

GSAL is committed to continuous improvement in how representative it is of its local communities, including gender, ethnicity, religion, age, and all other aspects of diversity. 

All appointments will be made in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.