Leadership & Governance
Leadership & Governance
We have a dedicated team of Staff and Governors who work together to achieve the best for every pupil at Godolphin.
Senior Management Team
The Senior Management Team (SMT) is responsible for the effective day to day running of the school. The SMT comprises 8 senior members of staff who report directly to the Head. Each member of SMT has specific responsibilities within the overall management of the school: academic, pastoral care, co-curriculum, admissions, marketing, finance and operations.
Please see our full staff list on our Staff Directory page.
Governance
Godolphin 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.
United Learning’s trustees delegate certain key roles and responsibilities to the school’s Local Governing Body (LGB) and these are set out clearly in our Scheme of Delegation which can be seen on the United Learning website.
Godolphin's Local Governing Body (LGB) reviews local issues and meets with the Head and other staff as necessary.
Anyone wishing to contact the Chair of Governors should do so in writing. Please direct all communication to: c/o LGB Clerk’s Office, Godolphin, Milford Hill, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 2RA
Nominated Members
| Name | Bio |
|---|---|
| The Bishop of Salisbury, Mrs R Hawley | Bishop of Salisbury representative, Rosemary Hawley, born in India, has a degree in English from London University and an honorary doctorate from the University of Liverpool. She taught at a teacher training college in Ghana before various community work jobs in Wales, Wolverhampton and London. She lived in Liverpool for nearly thirty years where she was over time chair of three different NHS trusts and also of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, a magistrate, school and university governor, and for one year High Sheriff of Merseyside. She moved to Wiltshire on retirement seven years ago, and is proud to be the Bishop of Salisbury’s nominee on the school’s governors |
| Revd J M Guillebaud(Chapter, Salisbury Cathedral) | Maggie Guillebaud is the Dean's Representative on the Governing body. After training for the priesthood at Ripon College Cuddesdon in Oxford she came as a Curate to the Cathedral and has been there ever since. She has been at the Cathedral for over 15 years, holding other Diocesan jobs in Salisbury as well, and has also served in the Diocese of Europe in Italy. She has been a Governor at Sarum Academy for over 10 years. Before ordination Maggie worked in arts and health, as well as sitting as a magistrate for 10 years in Gloucestershire, where she used to live. She was Chair of South West Arts, and was a member of the Arts Council of England, where she chaired Education. She was heavily involved in urban re-generation in Bristol, being a member of the Bristol Cultural Development Partnership which delivered a hundred million pound project on time and on budget in the docks area. She lectures on an occasional basis on early Church History, and holds 3 degrees - in English, Theology, and an Honorary degree from UWE in recognition of her work for Arts and Education in the South West. She lectures on an occasional basis on early Church History. |
Co-opted Members
| Title | Name | Bio |
|---|---|---|
| Chairman of Governors | Lieutenant General Sir Nick Pope | Lt General Sir Nick Pope has been the Deputy Chair of the General Staff of the British Army since 2015. After joining the Royal Corps of Signals in 1981, Nick read Economics at Jesus College, Cambridge. During his subsequent career, he has served in Germany, Cyprus and Hong Kong and has deployed on operations in Bosnia and Afghanistan.In between times, he has held a number of staff positions in the Ministry of Defence in London. In his current employ, Nick is the de facto Chief Executive for an 80,000 strong business. He is also the Master of Signals, Colonel Commandant of the Brigade of Gurkhas and Chairman of the Gurkha Welfare Trust, a Salisbury-based charity which supports Gurkha veterans in Nepal. His youngest daughter left Godolphin in 2020. |
| Dr Christine Mannion Watson | Dr Christine Mannion Watson (BA, MSc, PhD) has worked in education for over forty years, most recently as Head of an all-age girls’ school and as a Reporting Inspector for the Independent Schools Inspectorate. She represented GSA at HMC West, has served on the GSA Education and Inspection Committees, the OCR Examining Board’s Modern Languages A level panel, and regional advisory committee, and was Chair of the Board of Central ISIS (Independent Schools Information Service). Having studied Modern Languages at the University of Birmingham, she is author of several French and Spanish text-books. She has gained an MSc in Education Studies, an OU Certificate in Managing for School Effectiveness, and a PhD from the UCL Institute of Education. Her research was focussed on aims and evaluation in independent education. Christine has a strong commitment to Godolphin’s aim of providing a stimulating, all round-education in a supportive environment. She is Chair of the Education Committee | |
| Mr Patrick Smith | Patrick was born in Oxford and attended the Dragon and St Edward’s Schools. After training at Sandhurst, he served in the Royal Green Jackets both in Germany and the UK. On leaving the Army, he went into industry and then management consulting working at De La Rue, Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) before leading Vantagepoint, a public sector focussed management consulting business until its acquisition. He subsequently became a partner at Atos Consulting before joining the FTSE 100 group Capita where he led government business development and relations for eight years. Patrick is now an independent advisor working with techUK, the technology trade body, and various venture capital backed businesses. He is a Visiting Fellow at the Henley Business School and a director at Restart, a Kenyan children’s charity, and the Sandhurst Trust. Patrick is married to Dee and lives in Winchester. They have two sons and a daughter, Annie, who was at Godolphin. His main interests span sport, travel as well as UK and international current affairs | |
| Mr Nick Dixon | Nick was brought up in Devon and attended King’s College Taunton, from where he read PPE at Oxford University. He started his professional career with Shell Oil where, among other roles, he restructured Shell’s UK filling station network. Nick then completed an MBA at Columbia Business School, New York, before working as a strategy consultant in the energy and pharmaceutical sectors. He then went into pensions & asset management serving as Marketing Director for fintech Skandia and more recently as Chief Investment Officer of Aegon who sponsored UK tennis. He now leads the Avon pension scheme which serves the cities of Bristol and Bath along with Somerset and Gloucestershire. Nick is married to Kate and lives near Stockbridge. They have two sons and a daughter Hettie who completed her A-levels at Godolphin in 2022. His main interests span cycling, tennis, travel, and investment markets. | |
| Mrs Sara White | Sara, a barrister, worked in London for 8 years as a property and commercial civil lawyer. She also worked as a night lawyer for The Times and The Sunday Times before moving to the West Country. After 3 years in the media law department of a firm in Exeter she took a family related career break during which time she was chair of governors of a First School, vice-chair of a Middle School and chair of the Exmoor Coast Federation of Schools. Sara returned to Salisbury in 2010 and is now Head of Litigation at Parker Bullen, Salisbury. | |
| Mrs Lucy Beney | Lucy was born in London to a naval family, and spent her childhood on the move. Following her senior education at Godolphin, she went on to study History at Bristol University. A career in political journalism and public affairs followed, until she married Charlie, and a life on road beckoned again. During fourteen years abroad, Lucy welcomed her two children, worked in public affairs and continued to write, as well as volunteering with local children’s projects. She was an editor with "The Good Schools Guide International" and served as a governor of The British School in Rio de Janeiro. Upon her return to the UK in 2009, Lucy took an MA in Archaeology and Heritage Management at Exeter University. Then designing and creating archive exhibitions, Lucy produced Godolphin’s exhibition to mark the centenary of the First World War. However, in 2016, Lucy opted for a career change, and began her Advanced Diploma in Integrative Counselling. Since then, Lucy has worked as a counsellor with teenagers in a large comprehensive school. She also works with young families in a school readiness project and in private practice. Her daughter, Isabelle, also attended Godolphin, leaving in 2017. |
Ex-Officio Members
Mrs Jenny Price, Head, Godolphin
Mrs Fiona Boulton OBE, Head of Independent Schools, United Learning
Mrs Louise Johnston, Chief Financial Officer, United Learning
Committees
The School Governing Body has the following Committees:
Full Board
The Full Board meets termly with the School’s management team in attendance. Reports are received from the five Committees who also meet termly.
Management and Finance Committee
This Committee oversees both the performance of the school and the varied management issues that arise.
Development Committee
This Committee oversees marketing, development and fundraising.
Prep and Education Committee
The role of the Committee is to oversee the all-round education of the pupils (pastorally and academically) and management issues in the Senior School and the Prep School and to act on the authority of the Governing Body in a monitoring and advisory role. The committee subsequently refers to the Full Governing Body any proposals for major change. Its findings and recommendations are reported to the Governing Body for ratification or further consideration.
Governance Committee
This Committee oversees the School’s Policies and the appointment of Governors.