We are are seeking to appoint a full time Clerk to Governors & Compliance Officer.

Clerk to Governors reports to: Chair of Governors (close liaison with Headmaster)

Compliance Officer reports to: Chief Operating Officer

Hours: Full time (flexibility regarding working hours required)

As the governance professional, it is the responsibility of the Clerk to Governors to be the guide and guardian of the School’s governance and to ensure the quality and efficiency of the School’s governance is performed at the highest level.

In respect of the duties of Clerk to Governors, the position holder reports directly to the Chair of Governors and should communicate regularly about governance matters. The Clerk will also liaise very closely with the Headmaster and with members of the Executive Team and Senior Leadership Team as necessary.

The Clerk will provide professional clerking services to the Governing Body, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements, supporting effective governance, and ultimately enable the School and Governing Body to fulfil its strategic responsibilities.

As Compliance Officer, the individual will support regulatory and inspection compliance. They will advise Governors and senior leaders on actions required to maintain compliance and support leaders who are responsible for maintaining areas of compliance. They will support the oversight of compliance with the:

· Independent Schools Standards Regulations (ISSRs)

· National Minimum Standards for Boarding

· UKVI Sponsorship requirements

· DfE and ISI regulatory guidance

They will provide support to the Senior Deputy and PA before, during and after inspection visits, keep senior leaders and Governors informed of changes in legislation and regulatory requirements and conduct internal compliance audits as required. While responsibility for compliance remains with the relevant post holder, and the Compliance Officer plays an important supporting role in this regard; the position reports to the Chief Operating Officer.

Whitgift is one of Britain’s leading independent boarding and day schools for boys aged between 10 and 18 years, with approximately 1500 pupils and over one hundred boarding pupils. It is set in an attractive 48-acre parkland site in South Croydon enjoying excellent links to London, Surrey and the south coast.

We invite interested candidates to apply as soon as possible as applications will be reviewed on a daily basis, and interviews may take place at any time. This vacancy may close earlier than the stated deadline if sufficient applications are received, so early submission is encouraged.

How to apply: Please visit www.whitgift.co.uk/vacancies or click here to apply. For any queries, please telephone 02086889222 or email the Human Resources Department at [email protected]

Whitgift School (part of the John Whitgift Foundation) is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.  Where applicable, applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service and online media checks. It is an offence to apply for a role at the school if you know that you are barred from regulated activity with children.

All roles within the school involve contact with children and are therefore classed as regulated activity. Child protection and safeguarding are the responsibility of everyone who works or volunteers in our school. All staff must be committed to providing a safe environment for children and supporting the school’s safeguarding ethos.

The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Applicants are required to declare all convictions and cautions, even those that are “spent” unless they are “protected” under the DBS filtering rules, to assess suitability to work with children. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to disclose information relevant to safeguarding prior to interview.

The Chair and Governors (Trustees) are seeking to appoint a Governance Professional at the Mill Hill Education Group.

About the role: Reporting to the Chair, the Governance Professional will offer professional and administrative support to the Court and provide advice on governance, constitutional and procedural matters. The Court seeks a talented and dynamic professional who enjoys the educational environment and will enjoy the satisfaction of contributing to the success of our Foundation.

The ideal candidate will be pro-active, approachable and a very effective communicator. Applicants are likely to be or have been a senior professional with strong administrative, organisation and planning skills, a good understanding of governance, and ideally charity law, combined with excellent interpersonal skills”.

How to apply: To be considered for the position, please complete an application in full by clicking the link below:

Governance Professional

Benenden School

Role: Clerk to The Governing Council

Full Time (37.5 hours per week), Term Time Plus 4 Weeks

Salary : Salary Range £49 to £55K pro rata, dependent on skills and experience

Start date : As soon as possible

The Clerk to the Governing Council plays a critical role in ensuring the effective governance of Benenden School. Drawing on best practices from leading independent schools, the Clerk will support the Chair of Governors, Council and Senior Leadership Team members in fulfilling their strategic, compliance, and fiduciary responsibilities. Key responsibilities include:

• Governance Oversight and Compliance
• Meeting Management and Documentation
• Training, Induction and Communication
• Strategic and Inspection Support
• Panel Support and Appeals

We are seeking applications from candidates who are excellent communicators, proactive and approachable; who have a talent for collaboration with our outstanding executive and non-executive leadership teams; who are experienced in overseeing best-in-class governance in a comparable (but not necessarily identical) environment; and who will relish playing an active role in our brilliant and supportive school community. A legal or governance qualification is essential as is excellent written and oral communication skills; diplomacy and discretion. Applicants must have a good understanding of charity law, educational regulations, safeguarding and data protection.

About Benenden School

Benenden is a leading girls’ boarding school with an international reputation for excellence.

Routinely the recipient of industry recognition, the School has recently been named by Spear’s as one of the world’s 100 leading schools for the fourth year running, while inspectors from the Independent Schools Inspectorate issued a rare “significant strength” for Benenden’s innovative curriculum of non-examined courses.

Benenden has been an expert in teenage girls and at the cutting edge of girls’ education for more than 100 years.

The School was founded in 1923 by three pioneering teachers from Wycombe Abbey who saw an opportunity to offer a different style of education for girls. They founded Benenden School, in a Victorian mansion set in 250 acres of attractive parkland in Kent, where their mission was to offer girls a well-rounded education which enabled them to follow their own path.

Today, that same objective has evolved into the School’s mission to shape future generations of successful, visionary women. We achieve this using our renowned Complete Education model; taking the Founders’ vision for the School, Benenden prepares every student for her future through an innovative curriculum that blends academic, co-curricular, wellbeing and personal and professional development.

There are 550 girls in the School, aged 11-18. We are a boarding school whose boarding ethos enables everyone to thrive: 10% of our students are day girls and these students benefit from the boarding philosophy that underpins Benenden; our day girls are fully integrated into School life, immersed in the Houses and the wraparound co-curricular offer and pastoral care that are hallmarks of Benenden’s Complete Education.

Benenden is a school in demand that is looking to the future with confidence. Its family of schools currently comprises a UK prep school, Orwell Park in Suffolk, and Benenden Schools Guangzhou in China, with ambitious plans for further growth both domestically and internationally.

Benefits

Benenden offers its own generous pay structure, responsibility allowances and benefits. Staff are provided with meals whilst on duty. The school’s leisure facilities, including wonderful grounds, a fitness gym and swimming pool are also free for staff to use when available.

For a full Job Description, and to apply, please complete the application form on the vacancies page of our website www.benenden.school. Completed applications should be received by 9:00am Friday 31 July 2026. Interviews likely to be held early to mid August.

The post-holder will be responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children with whom they come into contact.  They must ensure compliance with the School’s Child Protection Policy Statement at all times, this appointment will be subject to enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks. Benenden School is committed to equal opportunities and equal pay for all employees.