Governance
Dunottar 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.
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.
Local Governing Body
A Local Governing Body (LGB) is in place at Dunottar School. This body reviews local issues and meets with the Headmaster and other staff as necessary. The Chair of the Local Governing Body is Andy Porteous.
Any correspondence for the Chair of the LGB should be sent to the Dunottar School office.
Mr Andy Porteous – Chair of Governors
Andy lives close to the school and first became a governor at Dunottar in 2014 after the school became part of United Learning. He was heavily involved in the Love Dunottar campaign and believes deeply in what the school stands for. He became Chair of the Local Governing Body in 2022.
Mr Richard Ewbank
Richard is a parent to three former Dunottar pupils and is married to an alumna.
Working mainly in the media and entertainment industry, Richard runs a single family office and a multi-media production company.
Mr Dan Hawker
A local resident of Reigate, and a parent of children who have benefited from Dunottar’s excellent Warrior Learning approach and focus on value-added results, Dan feels privileged to contribute to a school which makes a difference to the lives of so many local children.
Mrs Sally Hull
Sally lives close to the school and became a governor after the school became co-ed, which she feels enhances the educational offering the school provides for Reigate and the surrounding areas. She believes strongly in the school’s ethos and the focus on education being both inside and outside of the classroom.
Mrs Suzanne Laird
Suzanne is a highly accomplished, multi-award-winning business lawyer and author of the best-selling book GDPR for Dummies, for which she was honoured with the prestigious 2023 Picasso Europe Privacy Author Award. A sought-after media commentator and international speaker, Suzanne regularly shares her expertise on privacy law and business.
Ewan is Assistant Head (Academic Enrichment) at Guildford High School. After reading Geology at Imperial College and a masters degree at Royal Holloway, he completed a PhD in Geology at the Natural History Musuem in London and consulted on engineering projects including the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and the Dublin Port Tunnel.
Oliver is a long-standing local resident and has two primary-aged daughters. An Exeter graduate, he has worked in education for 27 years in a career spanning the Atlantic and has been Headteacher at Reigate Priory School for nine years.Mrs Ginevra Stoneley
Ginevra is an alumna of Dunottar, having attended from age 11 to 18, and ultimately holding the role of Head Girl. After studying English Literature at Queen Mary University, she spent 15 years in industry in a range of roles, before starting a family.
Mr Andrew Telford
As the parent of two children at Dunottar, Andrew is committed to supporting the school’s continued success, and enjoys building connections between parents, the community and the school. Andrew brings extensive experience from both corporate leadership and consulting to his role as a governor at Dunottar School.
Mrs Gina Watson
Gina was a pupil at Dunottar for eight years, thriving in the individual care and encouragement, excellent teaching, sporting opportunities, and spacious grounds at the school.
She read Law at Southampton University and, after a year working in the marketing department of an Australian travel company, she joined a large City law firm.
