Section 172 statement (2024-2025)

Trustees’ duty to promote the success of the charity – Section 172 statement

Trustees have a duty to promote the success of the charity and, in doing so, are required by section 172(1) of the Companies Act 2006 to have regard to (among other matters) the issues set out below.

S172(1) (a) “The likely consequences of decisions in the long-term”

GDST Council (comprising our Trustees) identifies the major risks to which the GDST is exposed and ensures that action is taken to mitigate them. The management of these risks is subject to regular review and monitoring by the GDST Executive Leadership Team and by the Audit Committee.

The Executive Board has delegated authority for the systems and procedures for managing both strategic and operational risks. The risks and actions being undertaken to mitigate these risks are reviewed annually by GDST Council, with more in-depth scrutiny undertaken by the Audit Committee at each meeting. The Audit Committee also reviews departmental risk registers annually. In addition, a nominated Trustee attends the Trust’s Health & Safety Committee meetings, and another Trustee is the Council’s Safeguarding Lead.

The key controls in place at Trust Office and in the schools include:

• Policies and procedures to ensure regulatory compliance and the adoption of best practice, including those required by law to protect the vulnerable
• Detailed terms of reference for all committees
• Formal agendas for Council, Committee and School Governing Board meetings
• Comprehensive strategic planning, budgeting and management accounting
• Schemes of delegation, formal financial regulations and systems of internal control
• Clear authorisation and approval levels
• An internal audit function reporting directly to the Audit Committee, a sub- committee of Council
• Expert advice and support from professional Trust Office teams including HR, Finance, Estates, Legal, Health & Safety, Marketing and Communications

Council is satisfied that the major risks identified have been adequately mitigated where necessary and to the extent possible.

S172(1) (b) “The interests of the charity’s employees”

The GDST Council (comprising our Trustees) recognises that GDST employees are fundamental and core to the charity and the delivery of our strategic aims. The success of the GDST depends on attracting, retaining, developing and empowering skilful employees. GDST Council considers and assesses the implications of relevant decisions on employees and the wider GDST family. GDST Council seeks to ensure that the GDST remains a responsible employer, including with respect to pay and benefits, equality, diversity and wellbeing, health and safety issues, and the workplace environment.

Employee engagement

The GDST provides staff with information relevant to the progress of the charity through the Heads and the Chief Executive. Schools and Trust Office hold regular all-staff meetings and other sessions to brief staff on developments. The GDST has a long-established staff consultative structure with Staff Consultative Committees in schools and a central Joint Consultative Group.

The GDST recognises the National Education Union (NEU) for the purposes of collective bargaining for school staff. The GDST participates in regular surveys to measure employee engagement.

Disabled employees  

Full and fair consideration is given to applications for employment from registered disabled persons, with due regard to their aptitudes and abilities. Disabled employees are accorded equal opportunities for training, career development and promotion. Sympathetic consideration is given to the retention of a newly disabled employee, allowing, if necessary, for a period of rehabilitation and training. 

S172(1) (c) “The need to foster the charity’s relationships with third-party stakeholders, including pupils, parents, partner state schools, alumnae, donors and funders, contractors and suppliers, independent school organisations and national and local government”

Delivering the GDST’s strategic aims requires strong, mutually beneficial relationships with our third-party stakeholders, including parents, pupils, partner state schools, alumnae, donors and funders, contractors and suppliers, independent school organisations and national and local government. We seek to promote and apply certain general principles in such relationships including fairness, transparency and respect, and continually assess the priorities related to our third-party stakeholders. 

• Pupils – At the GDST, we foster academic excellence and develop character beyond the curriculum, ensuring our 19,000 pupils are confident, resilient and fearless. We encourage our pupils to embrace every role and subject and, as a result, they trust their own abilities and are alive to every opportunity.   
• Parents – Parents place their trust in us for the education of their daughters. We never take for granted the fact that they have made a choice to invest in their daughter’s education, and we remain very grateful that they choose to do so.
• Partner state schools – The GDST understands the power of partnerships and the benefits they bring, not just to our girls but to our staff and the wider local community. We value highly the collaborative work that takes place between GDST schools and partner state schools to help raise aspirations and learning outcomes for young people and foster community cohesion, particularly in disadvantaged areas.
• Alumnae – Being a GDST alumna offers unparalleled opportunities. From mentoring to professional networking, self-development and social events, the network offers a community unlike any other.
• Donors and funders – Our supporters are vital members of the GDST community, and we strive to provide the best experience for them possible. The GDST is registered with the Fundraising Regulator with all of our central and individual school fundraising activities carried out in accordance with the standards set out by the Code of Fundraising Practice. 
• Contractors and suppliers – There are regular reviews of major suppliers’ performance to ensure the operational needs of GDST schools and central functions are being met, alongside suitable governance practices within contractor and supplier operations. 
• Independent school organisations – The GDST is proud to be a founding member of the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS) and participates in their annual conferences, as well as other events. We also liaise with and are members of other relevant bodies and organisations, including the ISC, GSA, HMC, ISBA and AGBIS.
• National and local government– When appropriate, the GDST has contact with local authorities and politicians on pertinent issues.

Comprehensive updates on a variety of topics that indicate how these stakeholders have been engaged are presented to GDST Council across the year. These include: i) significant operational updates relating to each area of the business, e.g. investments, flagship projects, commercial highlights and achievements; ii) the development of new business systems and innovation via collaborations with partners, suppliers and others; and iii) external, political or regulatory developments. 

S172(1) (d) “The impact of the charity’s operations on the community and the environment”

Community impact 

 Every day, as throughout our history, the GDST is driven by our mission to reach as many girls as possible. Central to this mission is providing access to an outstanding education for girls from all backgrounds and all walks of life. We do this by ensuring that a GDST education remains as competitive and accessible as possible for families who wish to give their daughter an all-girls’ education in one of our schools; through supporting bright and ambitious young women via our leading bursary and financial assistance programmes; and by working with our schools and like-minded individuals and organisations to extend our reach way beyond our schools’ walls, into our local communities and beyond. 

Environmental impact 

As the largest educator of girls in the UK, the GDST has an important role to play in championing a brighter, more sustainable future. Everything we do at the GDST is seen through the lens of sustainability. It is vitally important to our students and to us as an organisation that we make the planet and its viability a key driver of behaviours we champion and encourage.    

Three years on from the GDST’s 150th anniversary when we reaffirmed our commitment to our sustainability goals, we continue to follow our One GDST strategy and its ethos of One World, One Future, One Chance, combining our collective efforts towards achieving the GDST’s ambitious sustainability target of Carbon Net Zero by 2050. 

S172(1) (e) “The desirability of the charity maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct”

The GDST is both a charity and a limited company. Charity and company law determine how we operate and define the role of our Trustees (known as the Council of the Trust) and Executive staff.  

The GDST’s Council (comprising our Trustees) is responsible for the overall organisation. It has 13 members (as at December 2025) and meets between six and eight times a year. The principal roles of the Council are:  

• To set the Trust’s strategy 

• To monitor performance against key performance indicators including academic achievement  

• To maintain the financial stability of the Trust  

• To ensure the Trust has policies and procedures that provide for adequate internal control and mitigate risk 

During 2024-2025, the Council delegated some of its responsibilities to four committees: 

• Audit – This committee’s role is one of oversight, assessment and review of the controls and procedures which management has put in place to gain assurance that GDST finances are prudently and effectively managed, and that financial and non-financial risks are identified and mitigated. 

• Education & People – Sets the appropriate policy frameworks and processes for appointment panels, appoints Heads on behalf of the Council, provides oversight and governance on issues of appointment and remuneration, and reviews HR policies. The committee also considers key aspects of the GDST’s educational strategy, provision and outcomes, and monitors safeguarding.  

• Investments – Oversees the GDST’s investments strategy and monitors the performance of the Trust’s investments, property and cash deposits.   

• Estates – Provides strategic oversight of the GDST’s estate, including the Capital Investment and Long-Term Maintenance Programmes. Responsibilities include setting priorities for major projects, monitoring progress against budgets and timelines, advising on risk management, and ensuring compliance with statutory requirements and best practice in health and safety. 

Each committee consists of up to four Council members whose expertise may be complemented through the appointment of external committee members.  

There are also three operational committees, all of which have a nominated Council Trustee in attendance. 

• Safeguarding (reports to Education & People Committee)– Oversees the monitoring of and reviews the effectiveness and implementation of the GDST’s safeguarding policy and procedures

• Health & Safety – Responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of the GDST’s health & safety policy and strategy, and its implementation at all levels across the Trust.  

• Information and Cyber Security (reports to Audit Committee) – Oversees the development of the information and cyber security strategy and monitors the implementation of the associated policies and programmes of work. 

The Council delegates the day-to-day management of the Trust to the Chief Executive and the Executive Leadership Team. The Executive Leadership Team meets regularly to discuss and decide on matters delegated to them by Council. 

The Council and the Executive Leadership Team are committed to ensuring that the GDST’s governance structures and processes are of the highest standard, and these arrangements are reviewed annually by the Council. 

GDST Academy Trust  

The GDST Academy Trust is responsible for the two academies in our network of schools. As sponsor, the GDST appoints the majority of the GDST Academy Trust Board, and it is chaired by a GDST Council member. Trustees include the Chairs of the Academies’ Local Governing Boards and others drawn upon for their skills and experience.  

School Governing Boards  

 Each of the GDST’s schools has a local School Governing Board, whose members provide an invaluable mixture of support and challenge to the Heads of their schools, as well as being vital links between the school, its pupils, supporters and their local communities. We are very grateful for their contribution and commitment. 

S172(1) (f) “The need to act fairly in achieving the charity’s purpose”

The GDST remains wholly committed to the same charitable purpose of our pioneering founders over 150 years ago, to reach as many girls as possible, empowering them through an excellent all-girls’ education. 

As a charity, we seek to benefit the public through the pursuit of our objectives and aims, as set out in the Trust’s Articles of Association. 

The charitable aim of the GDST is to advance the education of young people (principally girls but, where the Council think fit, also boys) by such means as the Council shall determine and in particular by the provision of: 

• Schools in the United Kingdom or elsewhere 

• Services (including support services) to other educational charities, schools and institutions 

• Other ancillary or incidental educational activities 

• Other associated activities for the benefit of the community 

It is the opinion of the Trustees that, in exercising their powers, they have complied with their duty to have regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission when exercising powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant. 

Fundraising 

GDST Trust Office and GDST schools employ professional in-house fundraisers. They fundraise within the Code of Fundraising Practice and comply with the standards set by the Fundraising Regulator. To protect vulnerable people and others from unreasonable intrusion on their privacy, unreasonably persistent approaches or undue pressure to give, we have guidelines for fundraising involving vulnerable people and a fundraising complaints procedure. No formal complaints were received about any GDST fundraising activity, and there has been no failure to comply with the Code of Fundraising Practice. The Trust Office Philanthropy & Alumnae Team report on fundraising activity to Council each term.