THE SCHOOL : The Board of Governors
Sir Andrew Cubie (Chair)
Andrew Cubie is a Consultant to Fyfe Ireland LLP. He has been variously Chairman and Senior Partner of that firm having specialised in Corporate law. He holds a number of non-
He has been engaged in education issues throughout his professional career. He has been Chairman of Governors of George Watson's College, Chairman of the Court of Napier University, and the Chairman of the Committee of University Chairmen for all UK Universities. He was Convenor of the Independent Committee of Inquiry into Student Finance in Scotland ("the Cubie Committee") which brought about the abolition of tuition fees in Scotland. He is a former Chairman of the Confederation of British Industry in Scotland.
He is currently the Chair of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework, chairs the JNC of the Universities Superannuation Scheme and is a Director of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education. He acts as a consultant to Higher Education institutions and organisations both in the UK and abroad and is currently an adviser to the World Bank in regard to governance issues for higher education in India. He serves as a member of the Management Board of HMIE. He was a Fulbright Commissioner until January 2009. He is Chairman of a number of not for profit organisations, engaged with the arts, health and the sea.
Prof. Angus Skinner (Depute Chair)
Angus was Chief Inspector and Chief Social Work Adviser to Scottish Ministers from 1991 to 2005. He led many major reviews of services for children, always with strong cross-
Joyce Cullen Joyce has been a partner with leading Scottish law firm Brodies for almost 25 years and has served as the firm’s Chairman for last 5 years, with particular responsibilities for leadership, professional standards and ethics. She has experience of advising and litigating in court for and against a diverse cross section of the Scottish public, ranging from representing financial sector clients in high profile commercial actions in the Court of Session to appearing for a legally aided claimant in a disability discrimination case. She has represented a number of educational institutions, advising on sensitive issues, including reputational risk. Nominated by the Scottish Ministers, she served as a Member of the General Teaching Council, Scotland for 2 terms, from 1998 to 2006, representing the public interest. In that role she served on the Council’s Discipline and Finance and General Purposes Committees. Joyce became a Solicitor Advocate with extended rights of audience in the Civil Courts in 1995. She is rated as an expert in Commercial Litigation and Employment in both Legal 500 and in Chambers’ legal directories. She is an accredited specialist in employment law and is the Convenor of the Law Society’s Employment Law Sub- Joyce lives in Edinburgh and is married, with 3 teenage children.
John Cummings John has had extensive experience in education most recently as the first civilian Head of the Duke of York's Royal Military School, Dover. This was a large boarding school exclusively for those whose parents are in the Armed Forces. Prior to that had been Head of Keil School, Dumbarton, Head of Sixth Form and English and Drama at Wycliffe College, and had taught at Tonbridge School, Melbourne Grammar School, and The Glasgow Academy. Sophie Dow Journalist and Founder of Mindroom (www.mindroom.org) – an organisation that works to create awareness about all kinds of learning difficulties. Born and raised in Sweden. Married to a Scot, two children (now adults). Lived 12 years in London, where she worked as correspondent for Swedish press, radio and TV (arts and culture). Moved to Edinburgh 1994 where she still lives. Daughter Annie, who has learning difficulties and is inspiration behind Mindroom, is a former pupil at The New School, where she spent 6 happy years. Colin Liddell Colin Liddell is the third generation in his family solicitors’ firm, J. & H. Mitchell W.S. of Pitlochry. He is a graduate of Oxford and Edinburgh Universities, and an accredited specialist in Charity Law. Colin is a Trustee of a number of charities, including the Scottish Community Foundation and Pitlochry Festival Theatre and at one time was Vice- In his spare time, Colin enjoys ski- Magnus Linklater Magnus Duncan Linklater is columnist and Scotland Editor of The Times of London. A former Chairman of the Scottish Arts Council, he was Editor of The Scotsman newspaper from January 1988 until July 1994. He has held a number of senior journalistic appointments in British newspapers over the past 30 years. Born in Orkney on February 21, 1942, he is the son of the Scottish author, Eric Linklater and Marjorie Macintyre of Edinburgh. He was brought up in Easter Ross in the North of Scotland. He attended the local primary school at Nigg, then Belhaven Hill School, Dunbar, and Eton College. After courses at Freiburg University in Germany and the Sorbonne in Paris, he went to Trinity Hall College, Cambridge in 1961, where he studied law, then modern languages, gaining a second class honours degree (BA). His career in journalism began in 1964. He has worked for The Daily Express, The Evening Standard, and The Sunday Times where he was for 14 years, holding a number of senior editorial posts. He was Managing Editor (News) at The Observer, Editor of The London Daily News, and The Scotsman. He now contributes a weekly column for The Times from Scotland, as well as being its Scottish Editor. Mr Linklater is the author of several books about Scotland and current affairs. He holds honorary doctorates at Glasgow University, Queen Margaret University, Aberdeen University, and Napier University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He was Chairman of the Scottish Arts Council, the Edinburgh Book Festival, and is currently Chairman of The Little Sparta Trust. He is married with three children (two sons and a daughter). His wife Veronica is a Life Peeress, and founder of The New School, Butterstone. Kenneth McDowell, CA Kenneth qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1995 and spent the majority of his working career with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Kenneth joined Chiene + Tait in April 2003 and was assumed into the partnership in January 2004. Kenneth has a range of charitable and commercial clients and is the Chairman of our Charities & Education Group. He also has a personal interest in standard setting and is the Scottish representative on the Accounting Standard Board’s Committee for the Accounting for Small Entities. Kenny specialises in assurance, advisory and technical accounting matters for the charitable sector. Bart McGettrick Bart McGettrick is Dean of Education at Liverpool Hope University. He is Emeritus Professor of Education and also Dean Emeritus, of the Faculty of Education at the University of Glasgow. He was originally a teacher of Geography, and became Principal of St Andrew’s College for teacher education in Scotland from 1985 to 1999, and first Dean of the Faculty of Education at Glasgow University in 1999. He has been Professor of Education at Glasgow University since 1993, leaving the University in November 2005. He is now Dean of Education and Professor of Educational Development at Liverpool Hope University. He has widespread international experience and is a Regent of Bethlehem University, Palestine and is heavily involved in Christian Education in The Holy Land. He undertakes work with the First Nations of Canada, and directs a Summer Institute there. Currently he is actively engaged in developing teacher education and leadership in education in Lithuania. He is a member of the Scottish Social Services Council , dealing with aspects of Social Work and Social Care. He is also responsible for setting up the Scottish Forum for Professional Ethics in Scotland. He chairs a number of Boards of Governors of schools and other organisations. He has given the keynote addresses to national and international conferences, and has contributed to congresses, conferences and seminars of international standing in every continent – except Antarctica! Toby Metcalf Age 53, Married to Noreen, three sons 18, 16 and 11, educated at Ayr Academy, Royal Agricultural College Cirencester and North of Scotland College of Agriculture. Qualifications Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Diploma in Rural Estate Management and Diploma in Farm Business and Organisation. Partner in the National Firm of Land Agents and Surveyors Smiths Gore for 20 years. With Noreen we also run a small arable farm in East Lothian. Interests include people, the rural economy, strategic planning, field sports and the all too infrequent game of golf. Tina Thomson Katrina Thomson has spent 35 years in the retail sector the last 20 of which has been spent running her own business in Ullapool. She lives locally to The New School and has four grown up children.
