1. Name

1.1 The organisation shall be known as Melville-Knox Christian School Aberdeen.

 

 

2. Purpose

 

2.1 The organisation’s purpose is to advance education through promoting and assisting the establishment and maintenance of non-denominational, Reformed, Confessional Christian schools; early years, Primary and Secondary, in Aberdeen and surrounding districts.  In seeking to attain its purpose the organisation will seek to assist parents in carrying out their Biblical privilege and responsibility to educate and train their children, by the grace of God, and in accordance with His inerrant and infallible Word.   The goal will be to provide the highest possible standard of education, suitable for the widest range of intellectual ability, in an environment which cares for each child as an individual.

 

 

3. Statement of Faith and Principles of Doctrine

 

3.1 The members accept and believe the revelation of the triune God, given in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

               We therefore believe in:

a. The divine inspiration and in- errancy of Scripture, its supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

b. The sovereignty and grace of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in creation, providence, revelation, redemption, and final judgement.

               c. The world was created in 6 literal days, and that God rested on the seventh.

               d. The sinfulness and guilt of man, making him subject to God’s wrath and condemnation.

e. The substitutionary sacrifice of the incarnate Son of God as the sole and all-sufficient ground of redemption from the guilt and power of sin and from God’s wrath and condemnation.

f. The justification of the sinner solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ crucified and risen from the dead.

               g. The regenerating, illuminating, indwelling, and sanctifying work of God the Holy Spirit.

              h. The abiding authority of the moral laws of God as summarised in the Ten Commandments.

               i. The personal, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ in power and in glory to judge the world.

j. The bodily resurrection of all mankind, the believer to life everlasting and the unbeliever to eternal damnation.

 

3.2 The practice of the organisation will be unreservedly and without exception grounded in the truths expressed in the Reformed Confessions, namely:

               - The Westminster Confession of Faith, and Larger and Shorter Catechisms (1646),

               - Three Forms of Unity (Belgic Confession 1561, Heidelberg Catechism 1563, Canons of Dort 1619),

               -  The London Baptist Confession (1689). 

               - The Savoy Declaration (1658)

 

3.3 Members of the Board of Directors will annually sign a document stating their unqualified acceptance of one of these Confessions. 

 

3.4 For the sake of unity:

a. There will be no teaching at variance with the doctrines of these named Confessions. Common sense will be exercised in the few areas where the Confessions are not in agreement.

b. When the schools are participating explicitly in the worship to God, such as assemblies, praise will only be sung from the Book of Psalms and shall not be accompanied with instrumental music.

 

 

4. Education Principles

 

4.1 All aspects of Melville-Knox schools, educational, governance and community life shall be conducted in the compliance with the God's Word. 

 

4.2 The gracious doctrine of the Mediatorial Kingship of Christ shall set the parameters for the ethos, curriculum, and discipline of the Schools.

 

4.3 School life shall be marked by a harmonious and happy culture, in which the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) are actively pursued.

 

4.4 Through clear instruction children will be encouraged and enabled, by the grace of God,  to develop and own for themselves the reformed Biblical Christian world-view. 

 

4.5 Children will be pro-actively encouraged to utilise creatively their individual God-given gifts towards a life of glorifying and enjoying God.

 

4.6 In respect of the issues of equality and diversity.  Children will be taught to oppose unjust inequality, and to be generous in their assisting of those who are in need, as defined and exemplified in the Word of God.  Whilst children will be taught to hold firmly and advocate what God has revealed in His Word,  they will be also be taught that with humility they are to show respect and be gracious to those who do not submit to the will of God.

 

4.7 Melville-Knox Schools will warmly receive and accept pupils from all faiths, subject to their parent(s)/guardian(s) signing a document stating that they both understand and promise to uphold the School’s Constitution by not seeking to undermine it.

 

4.8  The Board may from time to time produce additional statements to clarify their educational principles.

 

 

5. Leadership/Governance of the Melville-Knox Schools

 

Management Structure

5.1 Melville-Knox Schools have a contractual agreement with the Board of Reformed Christian Education Scotland.  The BRCES's purpose is to establish non-denominational Christian schools; early years, Primary; and Secondary, throughout Scotland.   These Schools shall hold to a reformed biblical world view as expressed in the various Confessions stipulated in this Constitution. As a BRCES Member School, having entered into a contract with the BRCES,  this organisation will receive support from the BRCES by whatever legitimate means it can provide in the pursuit of the shared purpose and goals. 

 

5.2 The management of the early years, Primary, and Secondary Schools shall have a three tier structure.  This structure shall comprise the Board of Directors,  a School Management Committee (SMC) and a Parents and Friends Association (PFA).

 

5.3 The Board of Directors shall;

               a. govern the organisation,

b. bear the collective and individual responsibility for the purposes of the title to heritable property,

               c. administer all funds,

               d. carry the overall Spiritual responsibility for the organisation,

               e. ensure the organisation will achieve its aims and glorify God in all its activities.

 

5.4 The School Management Committee shall;

               a. report to the board and be responsible for the day to day management of the school,

               b. devise and implement the Board agreed curriculum,

               c. manage the school's operational budget,

               d. inform the board of the school's facility needs,

               e. promote the school,

f. inform the board regarding compliance issues with education legislation requirements for the school,

g. inform the board of any issues affecting the school's operation.

 

 

5.5 The Parents and Friends Association shall;

a. participate in the management of the school by electing two representatives from the Parents and Friends Association to sit on the School Board and two to sit on the School Management Committee,

b. support the purpose of the school by participating in the social activities of the school,

c.  support the purpose of the school by assisting in fund raising activities of the school.

 

Staff Employment

5.6 The Principal of the school must be a committed Christian and communicant member of a Reformed, Confessional, Protestant Church. They shall be interviewed and appointed by the Board.  They shall be required to sign the document Appendix B, stating that they subscribe to the Statement of Faith and the Principles of Doctrine, as per Section 3 prior to being appointed.

 

5.7 To teach at the school, the individual must be a committed Christian and communicant member of a Reformed, Confessional, Protestant Church.  They shall be interviewed by a Committee appointed by the Board.  Their appointment must be considered and approved by the Board.  They shall be required to sign the document Appendix B, stating that they subscribe to the Statement of Faith and the Principles of Doctrine, as per Section 3, prior to being appointed. 

 

5.8 The Principal and all teaching staff will be required to sign the document Appendix B at the commencement of each academic year.  Failure to do so will result in termination of their contact of employment terminated.

 

5.9 Temporary teaching appointments, (not exceeding one term), can be made by the Principle Teacher to meet a specific short term need.  The appointment will be reported by the Principal Teacher at the next Board meeting.  Temporary appointees must be a committed Christian and member of a Protestant Church. They shall be required to sign the document Appendix B, stating that they subscribe to the Statement of Faith and the Principles of Doctrine, as per Section 3, prior to being appointed.  

 

5.10 All non-teaching employees must be committed Christians and members of a Protestant Church.  They shall be interviewed by a Committee appointed by the Board, not necessarily comprising solely its members.  Their appointment must be considered and approved by the Board.  They will be required to sign the document Appendix C, stating that they will uphold and not seek to undermine the School's Statement of Faith and the Principles of Doctrine, as per Section 3, prior to their employment.

 

5.11 The final decision on all matters concerning the school is the responsibility of the Board of Directors.

 

 

6. The Board of Directors

 

Board Membership

6.1 The Members of the Board shall be legally recognised Directors or Trustees and Members of the Company and/or Charity.

 

6.2 The Board shall consist of not less than five and not more than twelve.  This shall include the members appointed by Churches, up to two members of the School Management Committee (as decided by the Board) and two members nominated by the Parents and Friends Association.  Board meetings require a quorum of 55% of its membership.

 

6.3 The members of the Board must be a committed Christian and communicant member of a Reformed, Confessional, Protestant Church and be able to articulate clear evidence of saving faith.  They must sign the Statement of Faith and the Principles of Doctrine, Appendix B, before being accepted as members of the Board.

 

6.4 Each member shall commit to serve on the Board for a minimum term of three years.  There shall be no restriction on members being re-nominated.

 

6.5 Members wishing to resign must tender their resignation in writing to the Board Secretary.

 

6.6  The Principle Teacher shall attend Board meetings.

 

6.7 The Board shall, at its discretion, ask Scottish Protestant Churches with an unqualified commitment to one of the recognised Confessions of Faith (Section 3.2) to consider nominee/s from the Board with a view to their being appointed to serve as Board Members. These individuals will have demonstrated a clear and competent interest in Christian education.  A maximum of two persons will be nominated from any one denomination. 

 

6.8 If the Board has concerns about a Church appointed Member, the Board will write to the Church detailing their concerns and asking for another appointee.

 

6.9 Whilst the majority of the Board members must be Church (denomination) appointed, not all Board members are required to be Church (denomination) appointed. 

 

6.10 The Board can, by a unanimous vote only, excluding the affected nominee(s), decide to cease asking a denomination to nominate a Member(s). In the event of that happening the Board will write to the denomination citing its reasons for not extending an invitation to nominate a Member(s) to sit on the Board.

 

6.11 The Board may invite a maximum of three individuals at any one time to join the Board for the reason of their particular gifts to perform a specific role. They shall serve for a period of one year but may be reappointed at the discretion of the Board. Membership of the Board is subject to meeting the requirements of 6.2.

 

6.12 Being a Member of the Board of Directors does not prohibit membership of the School Management Committee or the Parents and Friends Association.

 

Board Management

6.13 The Board shall elect from among its Members a Chairman, Treasurer, and Secretary.  It may appoint from out with its number a non-voting 'writing secretary'.

 

6.14 The Board shall have at least one regular meeting per term.   All Board meetings will be chaired by the Chair or another Board member nominated by the Board to fulfil the role in their absence.                

 

6.15 Board members will be in receipt of an agenda and a Board financial statement seven days prior to a Board meeting taking place.   Board members may request items to be included on the agenda by writing to the Board Secretary ten days prior to the Board meeting.

               Each agenda shall include the following statutory items;

               a. Opening and closing prayer.

              b. The minute of the previous meeting which will be taken as read and agreed point by point.

               c. A report from the SMC/s, which the Principal Teacher/s shall be given an opportunity to speak.

               d. A financial report/s from the school Treasurer/s shall be given an opportunity to speak.

e. A report from the Parents and Friends Association/s which the representatives of the PFA/s shall be given an opportunity to speak to at the subsequent Board meeting.

Items may, in addition, be raised under A.O.C.B. but these shall not be discussed or voted on at that meeting, except at the discretion of the chairman.

 

6.16 In the case of a voting deadlock, the Chairman shall exercise a casting vote.

 

6.17 A minute of all Board Meetings shall be taken by the Secretary or other nominated person and forwarded to Board members within seven days of the meeting.

 

 

7. The School Management Committee (SMC)

 

SMC Membership

7.1 The SMC shall consist of the Principal Teacher, a Deputy Teacher, Finance Administrator, Secretarial Administrator, and two representatives nominated from the Parents and Friends Association who shall be appointed annually. At least four members of the SMC must be present for a meeting to take place.

 

7.2 All members of the SMC must be a committed and communicant member of a Reformed, Confessional, Protestant Church. They have to sign the Statement of Faith of the School and the Principles of Doctrine, Appendix B, before being accepted as members of the SMC.

 

7.3 A nominated member of the SMC i.e. from the PFA, wishing to resign must tender their resignation in writing to the Principal and Secretarial Administrator.  The Board Secretary will be informed of this resignation. The election for a replacement will take place at the subsequent Parents and Friends Annual General Meeting.

 

7.4 The SMC may invite individuals to attend its meetings in order to seek expertise and advice.  These individuals will not become members of the SMC.

 

SMC Management

7.5 The SMC shall meet at least twice a term.  All SMC meetings will be chaired by the Principal Teacher or another SMC member nominated by the Principal Teacher to fulfil the role in their absence.

 

7.6 An agenda will be produced and distributed to members five days prior to the meeting.   SMC members may request items to be included on the agenda by writing to the SMC Secretary seven days prior to the SMC meeting.

               Each agenda shall include the following statutory items:

               a. Opening and closing prayer.

               b. A report from the Principal Teacher.

               c. A financial report from the school Treasurer.

               d. A report from the Parents and Friends Association/s.

Items may, in addition, be raised under A.O.C.B. but these shall not be discussed or voted on at that meeting, except at the discretion of the chairman.

 

7.7 In case of voting deadlock the SMC Chairman shall exercise their right to a casting vote.

 

7.8 A minute shall be taken of SMC meetings by the Secretarial Administrator or in their absence a member appointed for that purpose.  This minute shall be forwarded to members within seven days of the meeting.

 

 

8. Parents and Friends Association.

 

PFA Membership

8.1 The Parents and Friends Association shall be comprised of parents, teachers and friends of the school who join the Association.

 

8.2 Membership of the Parents and Friends Association shall be by payment of an annual fee, set at the discretion of the Board.

 

8.3 Membership of the Parents and Friends Association is at the discretion of a Committee comprising the Board Chair, Board Secretary, Board Treasurer, Principal Teacher and School Administrator.  This Committee may decline or request removal from membership. An appeal against acceptance as a member, or in relation to removal, can be made to and considered by the Board.

 

PFA Management

8.4 The Parents and Friends Association will hold an AGM to elect:

a. three of its members to serve in the offices of Chair, Secretary, Treasurer on a PFA committee.  These office bearers must be committees Christians and communicant members of a Reformed, Confessional, Protestant Church.  They must sign the Statement of Faith and the Principles of Doctrine, Appendix B, before being accepted as PFA office bearers, 

               b. two of its members to serve on the SMC,

c. two of its members to serve on the Board subject to the ratification of the nominees by the Board based compliance with the requirements stated in Section 7.3 and Section 6.2.

 

8.5 The PFA Committee will be comprised of the PFA  Chair, PFA Secretary, PFA Treasurer, Principal Teacher, and School Secretarial Administrator and hold at least one meeting per term. 

 

8.6 An agenda will be produced for the meeting and distributed to the PFA Committee members five days prior to the meeting. PFA Committee members may request items to be included on the agenda by writing to the PFA Secretary seven days prior to the PFA meeting.

               Each agenda shall include the following statutory items:

               a. Opening and closing prayer.

               b. A report from the Principal Teacher.

               c. A financial report from the PFA Treasurer.

Items may, in addition, be raised under A.O.C.B. but these shall not be discussed or voted on at that meeting, except at the discretion of the Chair.

 

8.7 In case of voting deadlock the Chair shall exercise their right to a casting vote.

 

8.8 Minutes of the meeting will be taken by the PFA Secretary and distributed to Committee members within seven days of the meeting.

 

8.9 All PFA meetings (Committee or otherwise) will be chaired by the PFA Committee Chair or another member of the PFA Committee nominated by the Committee to fulfil that role in their absence.              

 

 

9. General Meetings

 

9.1 The organisation shall hold an Annual General Meeting and such other meetings as may be called. The time, place, and agenda of such meetings shall be determined by the Board and communicated to the members of the organisation not less than six weeks before the date of the meeting. The meeting is to be chaired by the Board Chairman or other Board member nominated by the Board.

 

9.2 Members shall be entitled to table items for the agenda. Items for inclusion in the agenda must be tabled one month before the meetings, and the agenda distributed not less than two weeks before the meetings. Items may, in addition, be raised under A.O.C.B. but will not be discussed or voted on at that meeting, except at the discretion of the chairman. Any proposals regarding the running of the School must not be inconsistent with the Word of God.

 

9.3 Special meetings may be called at any time at the discretion of the School Board. Such a meeting must state the reason for calling the meeting, and notice of a special meeting must also include a statement of these reasons.

 

9.4 A minute record/transcript of all Annual General Meetings shall be taken by the Secretary or Secretarial Administrator or other Board member nominated for the purpose of minute taking.

 

9.5 In case of voting deadlock the Chairman shall exercise his/her right to a casting vote.

 

 

10. Finance

 

10.1 The Board shall obtain the necessary funds for operation, maintain accurate records, and determine how the funds shall be distributed. Funds may be raised by the payment of tuition fees, from donations, from subscriptions, and from such other means as are consistent with the Constitution.

 

10.2 The Board shall be responsible for setting the school Fees annually.

 

10.3 Requests for a reduction in school Fees shall be considered by a Committee appointed by the Board on a case by case basis. In making their decision this Committee shall consider in detail the financial circumstances of the family and the commitment of parent(s) or guardian(s) to the values of the school as outlined in this Constitution, particularly Section 3.  The Committee shall report its decision to the Board at the next meeting.

 

10.4 The School Board shall have power to borrow funds as required but shall seek to minimise long term debt.

 

10.5 Funds raised shall be used to further the aims of the School. Board Members are not entitled to receive any payment out of the School’s property or finance, other than actual expenses.

 

 

11. Property

 

11.1 The organisation shall have power:

a. to purchase, lease, hire, or otherwise acquire any heritable or movable property for occupation or use by the school in accordance with its stated purpose.

b. to sell, feu, let on lease, or tenancy, or otherwise dispose of or deal with buildings or land or any interest therein.

c. to erect, alter, maintain, or repair and generally promote the preservation of any buildings or land vested in the association

 

11.2 Any purchase, selling, or erection of property must be must be agreed by the Board.

 

 

12. Amendment

 

12.1 No amendments shall be made which would have the effect of causing the organisation to cease being a recognised body.

 

12.2 No amendments shall be made regarding the Purpose (section 2), Statement of Faith and Principles of Doctrine (section 3), Educational Principles (section 4), and Amendments (section 12).

 

12.3 Changes to this Constitution can only be made at a properly convened General Meeting with a 75% majority vote.

 

 

13. Public Meetings

 

13.1 The organisation shall hold an Annual Public Meeting (APM) and such other meetings as maybe called. The time, place and agenda of such meetings shall be determined by the Board and communicated to the SMC and Parents and Friends Association not less than four weeks before the date of the meeting. The meeting is to be chaired by the Board Chair or other Board member nominated by the Chair in the event of their absence.

 

13.2 The purpose of the APM is to publicly state the finances, report on the past year, and share plans for the future with those present.

 

13.3 Members of the SMC and Parents and Friends Association shall be entitled to table items for the agenda. Items for inclusion in the agenda must be tabled one month before the meetings, and the agenda distributed not less than two weeks before the meetings. Items may, in addition, be raised under A.O.C.B. but will not be discussed or voted on at that meeting, except at the discretion of the chairman. Any proposals regarding the running of the School must not be inconsistent with the Word of God.

 

13.4 Special meetings may be called at any time at the discretion of the Board. Such a meeting must state the reason for calling the meeting, and notice of a special meeting must also include a statement of these reasons.

 

13.5 A minute record of all Annual Public Meetings shall be taken by the Secretary or Secretarial Administrator or other Board member nominated for the purpose of minute taking.

 

13.6 In case of voting deadlock the Chairman shall exercise his/her right to a casting vote.

 

13.7 Any vote taken at an Annual Public Meetings is not binding for the Board.

 

 

14. Dissolution

 

14.1 In the case of dissolution, the property and monies of the organisation shall, after realisation and settlement of debts, be donated to an organisation involved in the promotion of Christian education, which is itself a charity for tax purposes. The choice of organisation shall be at the discretion of the School Board.

 

14.2 Dissolution shall only take place where a 75% majority of the board members are in favour of it.

 

14.3 Each board member undertakes that if the company is wound up while he/she is a member (or within one year after he/she ceases to be a member), he/she will contribute up to a maximum of £1 to the assets of the company, to be applied towards:

a)      Payment of the company’s debts and liabilities contracted before he/she ceases to be a member;

b)      Payment of the costs, charges, and expenses of winding up;

c)      Adjustment of the rights of the contributories among themselves.