Wednesday 10 March 2010
Membership of the Company is restricted to FPs of the School and it is to them that the Board is accountable at its AGM. The Board of Governors are the equivalent of a Board of Directors in a company but as it is a charitable trust they give their services and time voluntarily and are precluded by law from deriving any financial benefit from their link with Albyn. The School is enormously grateful to them for the amount of time and effort they put in to ensuring the School continues to develop and thrive.
In 1948 the female Governors were all Former Pupils and the men were all fathers of girls who attended Albyn School. The President of the FP Club sat as an ex officio member of the Board. The Board was created to guide the school through ‘years of great development and assist in the formulation and implementation of crucial decisions’.
In many ways the make-up of today’s Board has not changed very much since 1948. Just over half of the current Board are either FPs or parents of pupils at Albyn School and the President of the FP Club continues to sit on the Board.
The challenges of guiding a school in the 21st Century are similar to those faced by the predecessors of the current Board who have to balance a constant need for modernisation with a desire to maintain the traditions of the School.
It is a very exciting time for the School. The move to co-education and the construction of the new Lower School building are two of the most important developments undertaken by the School since its foundation in 1867. The excellent exam results and recent inspection report are a source of great pride to Board members, all of whom give their precious time and energy most generously in support of the staff and pupils at Albyn.
The Board appreciates the valuable financial assistance given to School by the Parents’ Association (ASPA) and the Former Pupils’ Club who tirelessly raise funds, which provide so many extra resources to all departments of both Lower and Upper School. These are items which could not be funded out of normal fee income, so are all the more welcome.