Board of Governors

Professor Bart McGettrick is Professor of Christian Education at Liverpool Hope University.  He is Emeritus Professor of Education and Dean Emeritus, of the Faculty of Education at the University of Glasgow. He was the first Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Glasgow.  He is Chair of the International Board of Regents of Bethlehem University, Palestine.

He has a background in education and public life that is varied. He was Principal of St Andrew’s College (The National College for the Education of Teachers) in Scotland from 1985 to 1999, and Dean of the Faculty of Education at Glasgow University from 1999 until 2001. He has been Professor of Education at Glasgow University since 1993, and left the University in November 2005. He was Dean of the Faculty of Education at Liverpool Hope University until August 2013. He is now Professor of Christian Education at Liverpool Hope University.

Professor McGettrick is Honorary President of the Association of Catholic Institutes for the Study of Education (ACISE) – the sectorial group of The International Federation of Catholic Universities, from which he was awarded the “Ex Corde Ecclesiae” medal.

He is Chairman of the International Board of Regents of Bethlehem University (Palestine) as well as holding other positions in international groups and committees in education and beyond.  He has undertaken work with the First Nations of Canada, and worked on projects in India, Lithuania and other challenging settings overseas.

He is a member of the Grand Magisterium of the Equestrian Order of The Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, and a member of The Holy Land Commission.

He chaired a range of national committees including those preparing benchmarks for Teacher Education, and also in Educational Studies in the UK.  He served on the General Teaching Council for Scotland and The Consultative Council on the Curriculum there. He chaired the Committee on Assessment 5- 14 in Scotland. He was 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, and the Hope Forum for Professional Ethics in Liverpool.  He chairs a number of Boards of Governors of schools and other organisations.

He is a Patron of the International Values Education Trust. He has lectured in every continent except Antarctica! A regular contributor to national and international conferences and conventions across the world, on topics as varied as Teacher Education, Assessment, Management, Personal and Social Education, Education for Citizenship, Values Education, Character Education, University Education, etc. he has published widely on various aspects of education.

Born in Perthshire, David was educated at Harris Academy, Dundee and graduated from Heriot-Watt University in 1976 with a business degree. Following a career including senior operational roles with Sky Television and Kwik-Fit Financial Services, he now runs a small business consultancy with particular focus on business start-ups, change management and helping organisations to get the best from their most important resource – their people.

David is a former Director of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council and was the West Lothian parent representative when the National Parent Forum of Scotland was created in 2009. Currently, he is a Council Member serving a six year term on the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

He lives in Linlithgow and is married with 5 children and plays golf and tennis when time allows. As a new Governor, David is very keen to contribute to the ongoing success at Clifton Hall School and in particular the wide range of successful outcomes for all of the young people at the school.

David is a partner with Turcan Connell. He practises in fields of civil litigation and employment law. Accredited as a specialist in employment law by the Law Society of Scotland, he has over 25 years’ experience of contentious matters in a wide range of areas. He previously served a five year term as part-time Chairman with the Employment Tribunal. In addition to being a trustee of Clifton Hall School, David sits on the board of trustees of Leuchie House, a charity offering respite for people with MS and MND and their carers. He previously sat for eight years on the board of a college of further education.

Matt was educated at Bathgate Academy and declined going to university, instead choosing to work in the family business of Matt Purdie & Sons, removals and storage, at 17 years of age – a decision which he has never regretted. Within a year, Matt was made a partner and worked his way through all operative positions, attaining the Managing Directorship in 2000. Matt Purdie & Sons is now the largest removal company in Central Scotland.

He is currently either Chairman or a Director of six companies including two in London and two charities. He also served as President of the British Association of Removers between 2008 and 2010.

Matt’s family has had a long association with Clifton Hall School. His two daughters, Tamara and Melanie, are former pupils. Tamara started in the very first intake of the nursery when it opened in 1989. Her husband, Charlie, was also educated at Clifton Hall and they held their wedding reception in the grounds of the school in 2010 – the first ever marriage between two former pupils!

Matt states: “Being a Governor at Clifton Hall and seeing the school grow and prosper is one of the highlights of my career.”

A graduate in History from the University of Stirling, George completed a Masters’ degree in Educational Management and Administration at the University of Glasgow soon afterwards. He spent well over thirty years at the ‘chalk-face’ in three very different state schools in the west of Scotland. Gaining experience as Head of Department in the last two of these, he retired after twenty years as Head of History at Park Mains High School, a large comprehensive in Renfrewshire, in 2008.

Over these years, George was closely involved in the operations of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) as a verifier of Higher History examination papers; as a member of the Higher History Development Team; as chair of the Higher History Panel and as a marker of Advanced Higher examinations.  Latterly, he spent “five very happy years as a teacher of History at Clifton Hall School focusing on learning and teaching in a school renowned for its pupil-centred approach to education”.

Throughout his teaching career George sought to implement those educational principles that he held to be of fundamental importance in delivering effective and rewarding learning experiences for all pupils. George states: “I consider myself both honoured and fortunate to be able to carry forward these principles as a member of Clifton Hall School’s Board of Governors since my retirement from the classroom in the Summer of 2013”.

David was born in Aberdeenshire and was educated at Merchiston Castle School. He subsequently attended Heriot-Watt University, graduating in 1984 with a BSc (Hons) in Building. He worked in the industry for 10 years before establishing Westmill Construction in 1994. He has developed this business for over 20 years and has experience in renovation works to Commercial, Industrial and Listed Buildings.

David was elected President of Scottish Building Federation, Edinburgh Association in 2008-2009 and has served as a Trustee of SBF Charitable Trust since 2008.

David’s interests include playing drums in a rock and blues band, motorcycling and cycling. He is married to Kerry and has a son in the senior school at Clifton Hall.