Head of Governance

Location: Cheam

Head of Governance at Girls' Learning Trust About this Role

The opportunity:

This is an exciting time to join the Girls' Learning Trust. With Weald of Kent Grammar School joining in November 2026, the Trust is growing to four schools, extending its geographical reach and increasing the scale and complexity of its governance and compliance arrangements. The successful candidate will join an organisation with strong governance foundations already in place, including established structures, clear processes and experienced Trustees, governors and senior leaders.

The opportunity is therefore not to rebuild, but to strengthen, refine and develop these arrangements as the Trust continues to grow. The role has a broad remit across governance, selective admissions, internal scrutiny and data protection. It also plays a significant part in supporting Headteachers and other school leaders, providing trusted advice and helping them navigate complex governance, compliance and statutory processes.

As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Head of Governance will also contribute to wider Trust development and decision-making. There is genuine scope to shape systems, assurance and future practice, while helping ensure that governance and compliance remain proportionate, effective and supportive of strong school leadership.

What we offer:

To support the achievement of our education mission, we recognise that our strength lies in the talent and dedication of our staff. We are committed to attracting and retaining high-performing people who share our ethos and want to contribute to the success of our schools. We are continuously developing the support available to colleagues, both professionally and personally. This includes opportunities for professional development and career progression, a strong focus on staff wellbeing, access to employee support schemes, generous leave arrangements and flexible working where appropriate to the role.

We offer great flexibility. While there is an expectation that the successful candidate will be able to work some evenings across the year to support the governance committee cycle, there is plenty of scope to work flexibly across the week to accommodate this. We are also happy to consider few than 36 hours per week and term-time working. The successful candidate will also benefit from working across four high-performing schools and alongside an experienced network of senior leaders, Trustees and governors.

Our commitment to you:
Professional growth and personal wellbeing are central to our approach. We will provide opportunities for continued learning and development and support colleagues to grow within their roles and careers. We are committed to a culture based on integrity, collaboration and reflection, where people are trusted, supported and encouraged to contribute ideas, challenge constructively and continuously improve how we work. Key responsibilities for the role include:
Providing strategic and professional advice for governance across the Trust Board, its committees and Local Governing Bodies. Acting as the Trust's Governance Professional and Company Secretary. Supporting the CEO, Chair of Trust Board, Trustees, Headteachers and senior leaders with governance, compliance and complex statutory matters. Leading the Trust's assurance of selective admissions, including supporting Headteachers with admissions appeals and reporting to the Admissions Committee.

Managing the Trust's programme of internal scrutiny and coordinating reporting to the Governance, Audit and Risk Committee. Leading the Trust's operational approach to data protection and supporting the CEO in their role as Data Protection Officer. Developing governance systems, policies and…