The King's School Chester has been named the AGBIS School of the Year.

The school was awarded the accolade during the annual conference held by the Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools (AGBIS) in London on 19 March.

Its chief executive, Richard Harman, praised the the Wrexham Road school's governing body for their commitment, strategic focus and positive working relationships.

He said: "AGBIS members are leaders in governance and this award is all about recognising excellence in leadership.

"At our recent AGBIS review of The King's School, we saw positive evidence of effective and imaginative governance.

"There are healthy working relationships at senior level, in particular in that key triangle of chair, head and bursar, as well as effective stakeholder engagement and communications.

"Through their excellent Clerk (the Bursar), governors at The King's School show commitment to appropriate training and have a clear-sighted focus on strategy, collaborating appropriately with the senior leadership team to put together a well-articulated strategic plan."

The award was accepted by bursar, Mrs Hayley Jordan, who is also clerk to the governors, and chair of governors, Dr Sandra Verity.

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Mrs Jordan thanked the governors for their dedication, as she said: "The importance of an effective governing body cannot be underestimated.

"The continued success of The King's School relies on the hard work and tireless commitment of our governors, all of whom give their time and expertise for free.

"Within our governing body, we have an extraordinary breadth of experience and specialist knowledge and we are very grateful that the school benefits so greatly from this very rich resource."

Headmaster, George Hartley, said: "The governors of The King's School are committed to ensuring that the school is run efficiently, prudently and always with an eye on ensuring the school's future success.

"I find it particularly fitting that the governors were commended by the judges for their exemplary collaboration with the school leadership, truly exemplifying one of our three core school values."