Trustees
Role of the Trustees
The role of the trustees is primarily a strategic one. The trustees decide the purpose and the overall goals of the school and set a framework for their implementation and achievement. Their key responsibilities are to:
- Set suitable aims and objectives
- Set a budget which allows the school to fulfil its purpose
- Appoint the senior leadership team
- Agree policies, targets and priorities
- Monitor and review the performance of the school
Critical Friend
The trustees also act, both individually and as a group, as a critical friend to the senior leadership of the school, providing support and challenge by:
- Giving support and constructive advice
- Being a sounding board and a second opinion for ideas
- Seeking information with which to improve proposals
- Challenging and asking questions
The trustees, together with the senior leadership team, are committed to open communication with parents, staff, and the wider community, to the extent that it is possible without damaging the school’s future. At least once a year, the Board and the senior leadership team holds an open meeting for parents and staff to discuss the manner in which the school has been, and is to be, conducted.
The Board and the senior leadership team carries out a survey of parents at least once a year, and of staff at least once every two years, to obtain views on the way in which the school is perceived to be operating.
Composition of the Board
The Board currently consists of a minimum of 16 members, including the Principal. The Board seeks an appropriate balance of parents and other members of the international community with specific skills and experience that will benefit the school. Trustees may serve in office for a normal term of 4 years, with two further extensions of 2 years each on re-election by the Board.
The Board elects from its members a Chair. Decisions regarding the appointment, extension of term of office and removal of a trustee are made by a majority of all other trustees. All other decisions are made by a majority vote of trustees, with the Chair having a casting vote in the event of a tie. No trustee has a right of veto. Most decisions are reached by consensus and are unanimous.
The Trustees
Comino Tamura (Chair) (P)
Malcolm Begg
Colin Bell
John Cook
Stuart Gibson
Paul Habeshaw (P)
Jonathan Hewitt
Isamu Inohara (P)
Peter Kilner (Secretary)
Simon Mather
James Nepaulsingh
Helen Smith (P)
Hiromi Tengeji-Sugimoto (P)
Laura Weeks (P)
Rie Yamada
Ian Clayton (Principal)
(P) Parent
Membership of committees and brief biographical information about the current trustees is set out on the Committees page.
The Chair of the Board of Trustees is Comino Tamura. She can be contacted at the following address: ctamura@bst.ac.jp
The Board as a whole or individual trustees can also be contacted through the Secretary to the Board of Trustees.
The Board Secretary’s Email: boardsecretary@bst.ac.jp
MEETINGS
There are 5 regular meetings of the full Board during the year, and normally 2 to 3 additional ad hoc meetings during the year. Committee meetings are held before each regular full Board meeting. Minutes of board meetings are available on the Parent Portal.
SERVING ON THE BOARD
All trustees serve on the Board on a voluntary basis. If you are interested in contributing as a member of the Board, please send your brief CV to the Secretary to the Board (Email: boardsecretary@bst.ac.jp).