Constitution

Constitution

MELVILLE-KNOX CHRISTIAN SCHOOL GLASGOW CONSTITUTION

1. Name

1.1 The organisation shall be known as Melville-Knox Christian School Glasgow.

2. Purpose

2.1 The organisation’s purpose is to advance education with Christian principles by the establishment and maintenance of non-denominational Christian schools thereby assisting parents in carrying out their Biblical responsibility to educate their children in a Christ centred manner according to God’s Word.

3. Statement of faith

3.1 We believe and accept the revelation of the triune God given in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, variously expressed in the Reformed Confessions, namely the Westminster Confession (1646), Baptist Confession (1689), 39 Articles of Faith, Three Forms of Unity and Savoy Declaration. We therefore believe in:

3.2 The divine inspiration of Holy Scripture and its supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

3.3 The sovereignty and grace of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in creation, providence, revelation, redemption and final judgement.

3.4 The sinfulness and guilt of man, making him subject to God’s wrath and condemnation.

3.5 The substitutionary sacrifice of the incarnate Son of God as the sole and all-sufficient ground of redemption from the guilt and power of sin, and from God’s wrath and condemnation.

3.6 The justification of the sinner solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ crucified and risen from the dead.

3.7 The regenerating, illuminating, indwelling and sanctifying work of God the Holy Spirit.

3.8 The abiding authority of the moral law of God.

3.9 The personal, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ in power and in glory to judge the world.

3.10 The bodily resurrection of all mankind, the believer to life everlasting and the unbeliever to eternal damnation.

4. Education Principles

4.1 The organisation seeks to ensure that children are taught in an environment where the word of God rules and the Lordship of Jesus Christ is recognised in the whole ethos, curriculum and discipline of the School. The curriculum is to embrace the cultural mandate expressing a Christian world and life view, “bringing every thought captive to Christ.” This will enable the children to develop their individual God-given gifts for a life of service to God and thereby to the world.

5. Leadership/Governance

5.1 The school shall have a three tier structure, consisting of a Board of Directors, a School Management Committee (SMC) and a Parents and Friends Association.

5.2 The Board of Directors shall

1. govern the organisation
2. bear the collective and individual responsibility for the purposes of the title to heritable property
3. administer all funds.
4. carry the overall Spiritual responsibility for the organisation
5. ensure the organisation will achieve its aims and glorify God in all its activities.

5.3 The School Management Committee shall

1. report to the board and be responsible for the day to day management of the school
2. devise and implement the Board agreed curriculum
3. manage the schools operational budget
4. inform the board of the schools facility needs
5. promote the school
6. inform the board regarding compliance issues with education legislation requirements for the school
7. inform the board of any issues affecting the schools operation.

5.4 The Parents and Friends Association shall

1. participate in the management of the school by electing two representatives from the parents and friends group to sit on the School Board and two to sit on the School Management Committee
2. support the purpose of the school by participating in the social activities of the school
3. support the purpose of the school by assisting in fund raising activities of the school

5.5 All employees are appointed by the board. They must be committed Christians and members of a Church. They have to sign the Statement of Faith of the School and the principles of doctrine (Appendix C) before being accepted as employees.

5.6The final decision on all matters concerning the school lies with the Board of Directors.

5.7 Being a Board Director does not prohibit membership of the School Management Committee or the Parents & Friends Association.

6. The Board of Directors

6.1 The members of the Board shall be legally recognised Directors or Trustees and Members of the Company and Charity.

6.2 The Directors are to be committed Christians and members of a Church. They have to sign the Statement of Faith of the School and the principles of doctrine (Appendix D) before being accepted as members of the Board.

6.3 The School Board shall consist of not less than 5 and not more than 12 members.

This shall include church nominated members, up to 2 members of the School Management Committee (as decided by the Board) and 2 members nominated by the Parents and Friends Association. There shall be no restriction on members being re-nominated.

6.3.1 The Principal Teacher will attend Board meetings.

6.4 The Board shall, at its discretion, ask churches with an unqualified commitment to one of the recognised confessions of faith detailed in Section 3.1 to nominate representatives with a maximum of two representatives being nominated from any denomination.

6.5 Churches shall appoint their representatives to commence their board membership on the 1^st June.

6.6 Church appointed Board members shall serve on the board for an initial minimum term of 3 years. Thereafter a member may be re-appointed by their church on an annual basis.

6.7 In the event of a member being unable to fulfil their responsibility the relevant church will be asked to appoint an interim member.

6.8 The Board will decide if an additional church or denomination will be invited to nominate a representative. (This will be agreed by a unanimous vote only)

6.9 The decision to cease asking a church to nominate a representative will be decided by the Board. (This will be agreed by a unanimous vote only, excluding the affected representative(s))

6.10 As much as possible, it should be ensured that at least one Representative

Member of a denomination will be sitting at the School Board. However, if Board members have a grave concern regarding suitability of a Representative Member sent by their denomination to represent them, the Board will write to the denomination detailing their grave concerns and asking for a replacement Representative to be sent to the meetings.

6.11 The Board may invite a maximum of 3 individuals at any one time to join the Board for reason of their particular gifts to perform a specific role. They shall serve for a maximum period of 1 year but may be reappointed as the Board decides. Membership of the Board is subject to meeting the requirements of 6.2

6.12 Meetings of the School Board require a quorum of 55% of membership.

6.13 The School Board shall elect from among its members a Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary or from out with their number a non-voting minute secretary.

6.14 The Board shall be required to have a regular meeting at least once a school term.

6.15 All meetings of the Board shall be opened and closed with prayer.

6.16 The School Board will ensure the School is managed and organised in accordance with school policies.

6.17 A minute record of all Board meetings shall be taken by the

Secretary or other nominated person for the purpose of minute taking and minutes will be taken as read and agreed at a subsequent Board meeting.

6.18 A minute of each meeting will be produced within 14 days of the board meeting taking place.

6.19 An agenda will be forwarded to each member of the board 7 days prior to the meeting taking place.

6.20 Board members may request items to be included on the agenda by writing to the board chairman/secretary 14 days prior to the board meeting.

6.21The Board shall receive with the agenda a financial statement. At the subsequent board meeting the Treasurer will speak to this report.

6.22 The Board shall receive with the agenda a report from the SMC. At the subsequent board meeting the Principal Teacher will speak to this report.

6.23 The Board shall meet with the SMC at least twice a year to discuss the management of the school.

6.24 Directors of the School wishing to resign must tender their resignation in writing to the Board Secretary.

6.25 School officers wishing to resign must tender their resignation from office in writing to the Secretary or Chairman. This will be reported at the next Board meeting and a new officer will be elected.

6.26 In case of voting deadlock the Chairman shall exercise their right to a casting vote.

7. The School Management Committee (SMC)

7.1 The SMC shall consist of the Principal Teacher, Deputy Principal(teacher), Finance Administrator(where appointed by the board), Secretarial Administrator (where appointed by the board) and two representatives nominated from the Parents and Friends Group.

7.2 All members of the SMC are to be committed Christians and members of a Church. They have to sign the Statement of Faith of the School and the Principles of Doctrine (Appendix D) before being accepted as members of the SMC.

7.3 The SMC shall consist of no less than 3 and no more than 6 members.

7.4 The SMC may invite individuals to attend its meetings in order to seek expertise and advice.

7.5 Nominated members of the SMC will serve 1 year at the time. There shall be no restrictions of nominated members being re-elected.

7.6 The SMC shall meet at least 4 times a year

7.7 All SMC meetings will be chaired by the Principal or other member nominated to chair the meeting in their absence.

7.8 A minute record of all SMC meetings shall be taken by the Secretarial Administrator or in their absence a member nominated for the purpose of minute taking.

7.9 Minutes taken will be forwarded to SMC members within 7 days of the meeting.

7.10 An agenda will be produced and distributed to members 5 days prior to the meeting.

7.11 A nominated member of the SMC wishing to resign must tender their resignation in writing to the Secretarial Administrator.  However there will be no election for a replacement until the next Parents and Friends Annual General Meeting.

7.12 In case of voting deadlock the SMC Chairman shall exercise their right to a casting vote.

8. Parents and Friends Association.

8.1 The Parents and Friends Association shall be comprised of parents, teachers and friends of the school who join the Association

8.1.1 Members of the association will pay an annual fee, set at the discretion of the Board.

8.1.2 The PFA will hold an AGM to elect three members to serve in the offices of chair, secretary and treasurer and elect two members to serve on the Board and two to serve on the SMC, subject to ratification by the Board.

8.1.3 The parents and friends association committee will be comprised of the Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Principal Teacher and School Secretarial Administrator (appointed by board).

8.2 Parents and Friends Association meetings.

8.2.1 The Parents and Friends Association will hold at least 4 meetings per annum.

8.2.2 Minutes of the meeting will be taken by the secretary and distributed to members within 14 days of the meeting.

8.2.3 An agenda will be produced for the meeting and distributed to the committee members 7 days prior to the meeting.

8.2.4 In case of voting deadlock the Chairman shall exercise their right to a casting vote.

9. General Meetings

9.1 The organisation shall hold an Annual General Meeting and such other meetings as maybe called. The time, place and agenda of such meetings shall be determined by the Board and communicated to the members of the company not less than six weeks before the date of the meeting. The meeting is to be chaired by the Board Chairman or other Board member nominated by the Board.

9.2 Members shall be entitled to table items for the agenda. Items for inclusion in the agenda must be tabled one month before the meetings, and the agenda distributed not less than two weeks before the meetings. Items may, in addition, be raised under A.O.C.B. but will not be discussed or voted on at that meeting, except at the discretion of the chairman. Any proposals regarding the running of the School must not be inconsistent with the Word of God.

9.3 Special meetings may be called at any time at the discretion of the School Board. Such a meeting must state the reason for calling the meeting, and notice of a special meeting must also include a statement of these reasons.

9.4 A minute record/transcript of all Annual General Meetings shall be taken by the Secretary or Secretarial Administrator or other Board member nominated for the purpose of minute taking.

9.5 In case of voting deadlock the Chairman shall exercise his/her right to a casting vote.

10. Finance

10.1 The School Board shall endeavour to obtain the necessary funds for operation, maintain accurate records and determine how the funds shall be distributed. Funds may be raised by the payment of tuition fees, from donations, from subscriptions and from such other means as are consistent with the Constitution.

10.2 The School Board will aim to raise sufficient funds through donations and sponsorships in order that assisted places at the School could be offered to families with recognised difficult circumstances.

10.3 The School Board shall have power to borrow funds as required.

10.4 Funds raised shall be used to further the aims of the School. No member (apart from hired staff) is entitled to receive any payment out of the School’s property or finance, other than actual expenses.

11. Property

11.1 The organisation shall have power:

• to purchase, lease, hire or otherwise acquire any heritable or movable property for occupation or use by the school in accordance with its stated purpose.
• to sell, feu, let on lease or tenancy, or otherwise dispose of or deal with buildings or land or any interest therein.
• to erect, alter, maintain or repair and generally promote the preservation of any buildings or land vested in the association

11.2 Any purchase, selling or erection of property must be agreed by the Board

12. Amendment

12.1 No amendments shall be made which would have the effect of causing the organisation to cease being a recognised body.

12.2 No amendments shall be made regarding the purpose (section 2), Statement of Faith (section 3), educational principles (section 4) and amendments (section 12).

12.3 Any change to this Constitution shall only be made at a properly convened General Meeting with a 75% majority vote.

13. Principles of Doctrine.

13.1 We believe in the inerrancy of the Scripture.

13.2 We believe there must be unqualified acceptance of one of the confessions named in the Statement of Faith – Section 3.1.

13.3 We believe the world was created in 6 literal days and that God rested on the seventh.

13.4 We believe in the abiding authority of the moral laws of God as summarised in the Ten Commandments.

13.5 For the sake of unity and making allowance for the few areas in which the confessions referenced in 3.1 are not in agreement – there should be no teaching at variance with the doctrines of these named confessions in the school.

13.6 For the sake of unity, sung items of praise being offered explicitly as worship to God should be from the Book of Psalms and should not be accompanied with instrumental music.

14. Public Meetings

14.1 The organisation shall hold an Annual Public Meeting (APM) and such other meetings as maybe called. The time, place and agenda of such meetings shall be determined by the Board and communicated to the SMC and Parents and Friends Association not less than six weeks before the date of the meeting. The meeting is to be chaired by the Board Chairman or other Board member nominated by the Board.

14.2 The purpose of the APM is to publicly state the finances, report on the past year and share plans for the future with those present.

14.3 Members of the SMC and Parents and Friends Association shall be entitled to table items for the agenda. Items for inclusion in the agenda must be tabled one month before the meetings, and the agenda distributed not less than two weeks before the meetings. Items may, in addition, be raised under A.O.C.B. but will not be discussed or voted on at that meeting, except at the discretion of the chairman. Any proposals regarding the running of the School must not be inconsistent with the Word of God.

14.4 Special meetings may be called at any time at the discretion of the School Board . Such a meeting must state the reason for calling the meeting, and notice of a special meeting must also include a statement of these reasons.

14.5A minute record of all Annual Public Meetings shall be taken by the Secretary or Secretarial Administrator or other Board member nominated for the purpose of minute taking.

14.6 In case of voting deadlock the Chairman shall exercise his/her right to a casting vote.

14.7 Any vote taken at an Annual Public Meetings is not binding for the Board.

15. Dissolution

15.1 In the case of dissolution, the property and monies of the organisation shall, after realisation and settlement of debts be donated to an organisation involved in the promotion of Christian education, which is itself a charity for tax purposes. The choice of organisation shall be at the discretion of the School Board.

15.2 Dissolution shall only take place where a 75% majority of the board members are in favour of it.

15.3 Each board member undertakes that if the company is wound up while he/she is a member (or within one year after he/she ceases to be a member), he/she will contribute up to a maximum of £1 to the assets of the company, to be applied towards:

1. Payment of the company’s debts and liabilities contracted before he/she ceases to be a member;
2. Payment of the costs, charges and expenses of winding up;
3. Adjustment of the rights of the contributories among themselves.

APPENDIX A

 Application for Parents and Friends Group Association membership

I hereby declare that:

I intend to send my child/foster child (or children) to the Melville-Knox Christian School Glasgow full or part-time

I am a teacher at Melville-Knox Christian School Glasgow

I fully support the aims of the Melville-Knox Christian School Glasgow and wish to give of my time/effort/resources to further the cause of Christian education through the School, as I am able.

(tick appropriate box)

I have read and understood the Constitution of the School and will abide by its rules and agree with its aims.

I have paid the associations £10 Annual Membership Fee on __________________.

Name: _______________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Telephone: ____________________________________________________

Email: _______________________________________________________

Signature: ______________________________ Date: __________________

APPENDIX B

Application for Board Membership

I hereby declare that I have been chosen by my denomination to represent our Denomination in the School Board

I have been invited by the Board to join as a member for next 12 months

(tick appropriate box)

I have read and understood the Constitution of the School and will abide by its

rules and agree with its aims.

I have signed the Statement of Faith form

I have presented an endorsement of my status as the representative of my

denomination to the organisation, in the form of _________________________.

Name: _______________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Telephone: ______________________________________________________

Email: __________________________________________________________

Name of Denomination: __________________________________________

Signature: ______________________________ Date: __________________

 APPENDIX C

Statement of Faith

(This must be signed by all wishing to serve in the Leadership of the

School, either in the School Board or in the School Management Committee)

I hereby declare that I agree with the aims of the School and am able declare agreement with the  Statement of Faith (Section 3) and Principles of Doctrine (Section 13)with good conscience.

I have read and understood the Constitution of the School and I know of no reason why I shouldn’t be serving in the School Board for the allotted time.

Name: _______________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Telephone: ______________________________________________________

Email: __________________________________________________________

Name of Denomination: __________________________________________

Signature: __________________________ Date________________________