Ownership and Management of Ipswich High School
Since Ipswich High School’s first Headteacher Sophie Youngman began challenging local prejudice about schooling for girls, Ipswich High has enjoyed a proud tradition of being a forward thinking, principled community, with academic excellence at its heart.
From that first day in 1878, Ipswich High School has undergone many significant changes. Today Ipswich High School is a flagship school in a major international education group, supporting thousands of students worldwide. This group includes one other UK independent school as well as schools in mainland China, including the 2,600 capacity Shandong University High School and the Yipu High School, an independent boarding school with capacity for 2400 pupils which opened in 2020. The group is headed by Ms. Xuyan Lin who is the controlling Director of Ipswich Education Ltd, the Private limited Company which owns Ipswich High School.
Ipswich High School is licenced and regulated by the Department for Education and subject to exactly the same rigours of inspection as all other independent schools. Day-to-day, the school is managed by its Senior Leadership Team. We are fully committed to delivering an education to promote Fundamental British Values and Ipswich High School has no links to any pollical party, domestically or internationally. The Senior Leadership Team have full control over all areas of educational quality including curriculum design, staff recruitment and retention, pastoral care and the school’s other strategic improvement priorities. It is the school’s aim to keep academic standards at Ipswich High School exceptionally high and not just to offer the finest education in East Anglia, but to help use this unique partnership to equip our students with the confidence, outlook and ambition to make their own unique mark on the world.
Our Board
Ipswich High School is a proprietorial school owned by Ipswich Education Limited (IEL), whose Board has the legal responsibility to ensure that all regulatory requirements are met. This means that the Proprietorial Board has a role that is different to many independent schools. It is the role of the Proprietorial Board to provide the school with strategic guidance and oversight. The Proprietorial Board, therefore, have powers of scrutiny and are enabled to make recommendations for change and improvement. The Proprietorial Board are supported by voluntary advisors who will offer their advice as a “critical friend”.
You can contact our Board in the first instance via email to the Clerk at f.carter@ipswichhighschool.co.uk.
Alternatively, send correspondence to governors@ipswichhighschool.co.uk.
Jamie Smith – Chair
Jamie is Group Finance Director for Vertas Group, a multi-service facilities management company operating across the UK. Prior to joining Vertas Group, Jamie was Deputy Chief Executive at Swan Housing Group, and before that he worked in a number of Finance Director roles in the construction sector. A qualified accountant, he sits on the board of Thrive Homes and Vertas Group and has previously held a number of board roles. Jamie lives locally and has three children.
Kimberley Pigram
Kimberley started her life attending primary and secondary school in one of the most deprived wards in the country. She then went on to read History at the University of Warwick. She has had a career in education for over 13 years as both a teacher and a senior leader. Kimberley is also a former Her Majesty’s Inspector (SHMI) with Ofsted. Over time in this role, she had responsibility for Area SEND inspections, SEND, alternative provision, independent schools, complaints about schools, and inspection schedule in the East of England. She now owns and manages her own school improvement business and is a contracted Ofsted inspector.
Neil Tyler
Neil has worked in finance for his entire career. After qualifying as a chartered accountant at KPMG, he has spent the last twenty years working as an investment analyst. Having held positions at Credit Suisse and JP Morgan, he currently works at Redburn, a leading independent equity research firm. Neil holds an MA in Modern Languages and European Studies from the University of Edinburgh and has three daughters who all attend Ipswich High School.
Glenn Granger
Glenn has spent 30 years in the field of consultancy and software working in over 30 countries for many big brand name clients including the UK government. He was a Partner at the consulting firm Accenture and a Senior Director at the Boston Consulting Group; and is a serial entrepreneur, founding two firms – one in consulting and the other in artificial intelligence software. Glenn is the author of ‘Raindancing’ a book that sets out the case for how advanced analytics can be used to inform business decisions. He has a degree in Mathematics from Oxford University and a Master’s degree in Philosophy from London University. Glenn has previously served as a Governor of West Mersea Primary School, a Magistrate in the City of London and a trustee of the Young Enterprise charity.
