Governance

How we govern and operate

Our proprietor is Thomas’s London Day Schools (TLDS), a private limited company. The Thomas family hold a majority share alongside a long term investor, Oakley Capital,  who took a minority stake in March 2023.

Boards
Information
  • Shareholders
  • Education Board
  • Operations Board
  • The Registered Office

Thomas’s London Day Schools is governed on behalf of the Shareholders by a Board which consists of three directors. The Board has liability and governance responsibility. The Board sets the strategic direction of TLDS, maintain legal oversight, monitor all activities, set executive KPIs, assess the performance of the schools and establish and review material policies and practices governing the life of the schools.

The Board is mindful that it has an overriding responsibility to ensure that all safeguarding, health and safety, ISI, OFSTED and statutory obligations to our pupils, parents, the Department for Education and the Education and Skills Funding Agency are met. The TLDS Board has an overriding duty to act freely and in the best interest of TLDS at all times.

Directors:

  • Tobyn Thomas, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

  • Ben Thomas, Chair of the Shareholder Board and Chair of the Education Board

  • Sam Fenton-Whittet, Oakley Capital

Executive responsibility rests with Tobyn and Ben Thomas jointly as Principals, who carry out all relevant duties including reviews under the Complaints and Exclusion Policies.  

The Education Board develops and leads on educational strategy, admissions and marketing strategy, and aims, vision and values.

The Operations Board provides support to the educational, central operations and administrations teams ensuring rigorous compliance and high expectations in terms of effective and efficient strategies for management of finances, HR, legal, procurement, estates management, and all areas of compliance including health and safety, IT, data, risk and talent management.

The Operations Board is led by: 

  • Matt Nicholl, Chief Operating Officer (COO),  Chair of the Operations Board and nominated Health and Safety Governor

  • Sophie Rees, Chief People Officer (CPO) and nominated Safeguarding Governor

  • Emma Baxter, Chief Finance Officer (CFO)

Membership also includes: 

  • Michael Swart, Director of IT

  • Kate Thomas, Director of Marketing

  • Vanessa Rodnight, Head of Compliance and Health & Safety

  • Tamasine Barrett, Head of HR

  • Justin Aitken, Group Estates and Health & Safety Manager

Thomas’s London Day Schools
Brightwater House
Market Place
Ringwood, Hampshire BH24 1AP
Tel: 01425 481500

Company Number: 7881899, England and Wales