Heriot's Governance

As a registered charity Heriot's operates under a constitution in the form of the George Heriot's Trust Scheme 1992, also known as the Trust Orders.

The George Heriot's Trust was established in 1624, and its main stipulation was to found and erect a hospital for the maintenance, bringing up and education of "poor fatherless bairns, who were the sons of freemen of the City of Edinburgh".

This aim has been adhered to through the centuries, first of all through the building of George Heriot's Hospital (now School), and the unbroken link of providing education and support to Foundationers each year since 1659. The Trust Orders have been revised at various stages to reflect the world in which the School operates. The most significant changes have been the transfer from Hospital (which provided residential accommodation) to Day School in 1886; the move from being a school for boys to a fully co-educational school in 1979; and the end of grant-aided status, which finally led to the establishment of George Heriot's School as a fully independent school in 1985, with a Governing Body nominated by various institutions and bodies.   

The most recent amendments to the Trust Orders were in 1966, 1979, 1980 and 1992. Under these and earlier revisions, the School has extended its original purpose to educate and provide for the sons of widows, to include the provision of education to over 1,600 boys and girls and to offer significant financial assistance to children from families of limited means, in addition to that provided to Foundationers. In pursuance of these aims, the criteria for the Foundation, the award of scholarships and bursaries and the management of the various funds at the disposal of the Governors are all laid down in the Trust Orders, as are procedures for the management of the School.  

The George Heriot's Trust Scheme 1992 is therefore a modern version of the original founding document and is still at the heart of the Governors' duties and responsibilities.

The current composition of the Governing Body is:

  • 14 Nominated Governors nominated as follows by: 

The Heriot Club 3
The Edinburgh Presbytery of the Church of Scotland 3
University of Edinburgh 1
Heriot Watt University 1
The City of Edinburgh Council (one serving Councillor and one who is not a Councillor but has experience of education)  2
Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce 1
The Royal College of Physicians 1
George Heriot's School Parents' Association 2

  • 2 Co-opted Governors 

The Governing Body seeks to maintain a broad range of experience and professional expertise in its membership. Fields represented in the current membership include: accountancy, the Armed Forces, banking, charities, the church, commerce, education (primary, secondary, higher, and LEA administration), engineering, IT, law, local government, medicine, parenting, property.

The Full Board meets seven times during the School session. It is supported and advised by a number of standing sub-committees responsible for the following areas:

  • Education
  • Finance
  • Buildings
  • Investments
  • Governors-Parents Liaison
  • Bursaries and Scholarships
  • Board of Heriot Enterprises
  • FP Sports Club Liaison                                    

Governors are very actively involved in the life of the School, and provide great support, through their attendance at many school events (Founder's Day, Prizegivings, sporting events, concerts, dramatic performances, end of term services etc.). In addition to their monitoring of the School's work through the formal processes of the full Board and its Sub-committees,  Governors also familiarise themselves with activities in the School by meeting with staff in a variety of contexts and periodic shadowing of  pupils in class, by arrangement with the School's senior management.   

The current membership of the Board is as follows:

Mr M J Gilbert CA (Chairman)
Rear Admiral D M Dow CB DL (Vice Chairman)
Mrs J Alexander
Ms Kathleen Fitzgerald
Rev Dr R Frazer
Professor P R Green
Mr F Henderson
Mr J D M Hill CA
Dr N M Irons CBE JP DL
Councillor M A MacLaren
Mr S Paton MCIBS FRSA
Mr H L Philip
Dr M W J Strachan
Dr Pauline Sangster
Mr G Sydserff
Mr J Thomson