A Message From Teresa Roque, Newly Appointed Chair of the Board

My introduction to St. Julian’s dates to the mid-80s. Since then, I have come to know and love the school as an alumnus, a parent, a member of the Association and Board Member. As a student, St. Julian’s opened a whole new world to me that took me on a path I had never imagined. My debt to the school and teachers could not be greater, and so when the time came to choose a school for my children, the choice was clear.

I am by no means unique in this. We are a school where generations of the same family keep entrusting us with the education of their children. The celebration of our 90th anniversary last November is a testament to that. The school has lived through a World War, a dictatorship, a revolution, two pandemics, several economic recessions, three bailouts and growing competition. And yet we persevere and thrive.

Despite the growing number of international schools operating in Portugal, the school has registered a record-breaking number of applications for admission. Moreover, our IGCSE and IB results last year were exceptional. More than 40% of our students achieved 40 points or more, compared to 7.3% worldwide, and a staggering four students achieved the full 45 points. Our Portuguese section, led by Maria de Lurdes Silva, is just as accomplished, consistently featuring in the top schools in the national rankings.

Though we are naturally proud of this, we aim to do better and more. The School Leadership, in the able hands of Paul Morgan, will continue to invest in our teachers, in teacher training programmes and mentoring, recruitment of new staff and teachers so that your children feel supported and encouraged every step of the way. We will invest in our facilities, in technology and in improving our policies, communication and support services.

As a not-for-profit and non-selective school, we believe that education is not about the bottom line; it’s not about league tables and educating for exams. Ours is a different mission. We are in the business of excellence in education; of helping our students develop in a well-rounded, holistic way. In short, we have a clear mission: to empower the next generation; to instil in them resilience, empathy and consideration for others, open-minded curiosity and enquiry and a love of lifelong learning.

We want our students to leave with a sense of responsibility, a sense of duty, and a wish to make a positive contribution to the world. We want each and every student to thrive in their own individual way. We strongly believe that each student has their own individual talents, that should be identified and nurtured.

I am truly privileged to Chair and serve on a Board of Governors with members that have been so accomplished and from such diverse areas of expertise, both national and international, such as management, finance, journalism, government, and law. We also have a good mix of alumni, current parents and past parents on the Board. Though we all bring to the Board different points of view, a product of different life experiences, there is one thing that joins us: our love for the school and our desire to give back to an institution that gave so much to us and our families. Recently we welcomed two new Board members: Daniel Ernst and Luís Cocco. Both have great experience in management, accounting, consulting and team-building; both have strong ties to the school. I thank them for volunteering their time.

There has at times been some confusion regarding the role of the Board of Governors. The role of the Board is threefold: to set the vision, strategic direction and ethos of the school; to ensure its financial sustainability and to hold executive leaders to account. We are a strictly non-executive body and are therefore not involved in the routine day-to-day management of the school. Our responsibility is one more of monitoring and oversight and to set strategic direction. All Governors have fixed mandates of three years, never serving more than three consecutive mandates. They serve on a strictly voluntary basis and are not renumerated. As a Board we meet, on average, six times a year. Each Board member also sits on one or more of the Board subcommittees that meet throughout the year. As Chair, I am in regular contact with the Head and we meet every second week or when necessary.

I thank each one of you for believing in us and for entrusting us with your children. We take this responsibility you bestow on us very seriously. I salute our teachers, our support staff and our leadership team. If after ninety years we continue to be the school of preference for most families wishing to provide a British-international education to their children, it is largely due to your unfailing dedication, professionalism and support. A special word of thanks to two Board members who have just stepped down: Alan Johnson, our previous Chairman, and Antonio Casanova. The school owes them both a huge debt of gratitude and I wish them well on their next adventures.

On a final note, the Board and I wish the St Julian’s community a prosperous and Happy New Year.

Teresa Roque
Chair of the Board