What is governance?
The way an organisation is controlled and operates and the ways in which it’s held to account is called ‘governance’. An organisation’s ethics, risk management, compliance and administration are all covered under the term ‘governance’.
Our company
Canberra Girls Grammar School was incorporated as a company in 1980. It’s limited by guarantee under the ACT Companies Ordinance 1962 and is a Trustee for the Church of England Property Trust, Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. The company owns all School properties.
Our Board
The operations of our company are controlled by a 12-member Board of Directors, responsible for the strategic direction of the School. Five members are appointed by the Bishop-in-Council of the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn, with five additional Directors elected by members of the company. Our Board is made up of individuals across both the private and public sectors, and includes a mix of current and past parents, and independent members. All Board Directors are unpaid volunteers.
There are four committees of the Board – the Executive Committee; the Finance and Audit Committee; the Development, Master Plan and Building Committee; and the Risk Management Committee. To ensure we adhere to good governance principles, an independent chair leads the Risk Management Committee.
Our Principal
The CGGS Principal is appointed by the Board, in consultation with the Bishop-in-Council, and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the School, including the appointment of staff. Our Principal reports to the Board, and is supported by a Head of Senior School, Head of Junior School, Chief Operating Officer, more than 125 qualified teachers, Boarding House staff and ancillary staff.
Our governance
For over 42 years, our Board has worked diligently with our Principal and committed CGGS staff members to ensure Canberra Girls Grammar School is not just an excellent school, but consistently one of the top schools in Australia. This remains our focus now and into the future.
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu has provided external auditing services to CGGS and the Gabriel Foundation for over 10 years. For good corporate governance, a decision was made to review our external auditor, and as a result, RSM Australia Partners has been appointed as the new auditor of CGGS and the Gabriel Foundation. This is effective from the audit for the year ended 31 December 2021.