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The Rose & Portcullis Emanuel School Alumni Magazine 2020
FRANCIS ABBOTT, Chair of Governors 2004-2019 Francis Abbott stepped down as chairman of the board of governors in 2019 after 15 years in the role. Francis has served on the Board for 35 years and continues to do so as a governor. In this article, we ask Francis to reflect on his time on the board, the changes that have occurred at Emanuel and some of his favourite memories. On behalf of the whole school community, we would like to thank Francis for his dedicated service to Emanuel. Francis Abbott joined Emanuel’s Governing Board in February 1985 but the family connection to the school dates back to 1921. Three generations of Abbotts have served on the Board starting with his grandfather, Francis A Abbott OBE (1932-1949) and followed by his father, Frank Abbott (1950-1990). Francis himself became Vice Chairman of the Governing Board in 1990 and was elected Chairman in 2004. Clearly, Emanuel is in the Abbott DNA. Francis notes that his connection with the school is just a drop in the ocean compared with the Dacre family. A descendent of the family has supported Emanuel since 1594, often with a member on the board. The Wates family’s relationship with Emanuel is equally impressive, dating back around a century. In 1985, with many changes occurring at Emanuel, the school was looking to add legal expertise to the governing body. In Francis they found a conscientious lawyer with a true love of the school. Emanuel at the time was a boys’ school, heavily reliant on the Assisted Places Scheme and struggling to forge a new way forward since going independent in 1976.
The role of governor was also changing. Francis estimates that in his role as Chairman he visited the school around thirty times a year, split between attending annual functions and sporting fixtures and business meetings. The Board have a key role to play in supporting the Headmaster, agreeing policies and the school’s long-term plans as well as anticipating future trends and potential threats. One of the biggest changes during Francis’ time was the decision in the early ‘90s to admit girls to Emanuel. The initiative was supported wholeheartedly by both parents and staff, including long-standing members like Jeremy Edwards. This decision allowed the school to maintain healthy pupil numbers, despite the end of the Assisted Places Scheme, and very gradually the number of girls increased to an almost even split today. Francis looks back with pride at the extensive range of successful building projects which have taken place during his tenure on the Board. Under Mrs Ann Marie Sutcliffe (Headmistress 1998-2004) Emanuel saw the development of the sports centre which offered new sporting opportunities and brought Emanuel in line with local competitors. Mrs Sutcliffe also dreamed of a new modern library, which was realised by Mark Hanley-Browne in 2007. Both projects freed up space to develop the dining hall and the Fiennes Theatre, which were all crucial projects in the modernisation of the site. In Francis’s view, the appointment of the Head is the most important decision that a Governing body must take – it being so crucial to the future success and development of the School. There have
been four Heads appointed during the time he has been a governor but it was Mark Hanley Browne and our current Head Robert Milne who were in post whilst Francis was chairman of governors. Given that the strength of the working relationship between the Head and the Chairman is of considerable importance both to the smooth running of the school as well as its aims and achievements, Francis has always considered himself most fortunate to have been able to work with two such excellent, committed and – so important – good humoured Heads as Mark and Rob. As Francis looks back he is delighted by the growth in the school’s reputation and the improvement in academic results alongside the ever-increasing extracurricular offering. One highlight of his role has been the opportunity to see the many wonderful musical and theatrical events performed at Emanuel. Francis believes the school is in a very strong position. It continues to adapt to meet its challenges and to support pupils through events like the current Covid-19 pandemic. A key focus of the current governing board is the need to continue to widen the demographic of the children who attend Emanuel through the transformative free places campaign. While we would love to be able to offer places to students irrespective of their financial background, a first step is the 430 campaign which aims to offer 43 free places by the school’s 430th anniversary in 2024. Francis is delighted to have handed the role of Chairman on to Markus Jaigirder (OE1975-82) with Jayne Sutcliffe holding the role of Vice Chair.
