Rules

The Rules of the Old Bancroftians Association were revised and agreed at the Annual General Meeting held in March 2007.
They are reproduced below. Click here for the PDF version.

1. Title and Status

The Association shall be called “THE OLD BANCROFTIANS’ ASSOCIATION”. It shall be an unincorporated association and be bound by these Rules accordingly.

2. Objectives and Funding

The objectives of the Association shall be:

(a) To encourage its members world-wide to be actively in touch with each other and to participate in the Association’s organised events and initiatives.

(b) To maintain a strong relationship with and awareness of Bancroft’s School (hereinafter “the School”) and encourage direct involvement between the School and members of the Association.

(c) To promote the necessary organisation and to undertake such actions as are considered necessary by the General Committee in the pursuit of the above two objectives including, where appropriate, the provision of financial support.

The Association shall be principally funded through voluntary donations and an ongoing agreement with the School Governors to collect pre-paid membership subscriptions from pupils.

3. Membership

Membership of the Association shall consist of:

(a) Ordinary Members

Former pupils of the School shall be eligible for ordinary membership, subject to the continuing approval of the General Committee.

(b) Associate Members

The General Committee may invite members of the School Staff or Board of Governors and any other persons whom they consider are rendering service to the School or the Association to become Associate Members, during such time as the General Committee shall think fit.

(c) Honorary Members

Any person who has rendered wholly exceptional service to the School or to the Association shall be eligible on the unanimous recommendation of the General Committee for election as an Honorary Member by a majority vote at a General Meeting. An Honorary Member shall enjoy for life the full privileges of membership of the Association.

All members shall be bound by these Rules, which shall be published by the Association in such form as the General Committee shall from time to time decide.

4. Membership Benefits

(a) All members of the Association shall be entitled to receive the Annual Report and notices of all General Meetings of the Association together with such other benefits and in such form as the General Committee may decide.

(b) The Association shall maintain records of its members. Members shall have access to these records, subject to their complying with the Association’s responsibilities as determined by UK and European data protection legislation.

(c) Each member shall be responsible for supplying his or her name and contact details to the Secretary of the Association, and for reporting any change without delay.

(d) Any member wishing to terminate his or her membership must do so in writing to the Secretary of the Association.

5. President and Vice-Presidents

(a) A member of the Association shall be elected annually in accordance with Rule 9 to serve as President for the ensuing year.

(b) Former Presidents of the Association shall without election be Vice-Presidents of the Association. Any other member shall be eligible for election as a Vice-President by a majority vote at a General Meeting.

6. Management

(a) Committees

A General Committee shall be responsible for governance and general policy of the Association. An Executive Committee shall conduct the day to day business of the Association in accordance with policy directions and financial budgets agreed by the General Committee. Both Committees shall have the power to designate for the consideration of particular business one or more Sub-Committees and persons appointed to any such Sub-Committee need not themselves be members of the General Committee or of the Executive Committee. There shall be a standing Nominations Sub-Committee, which shall be responsible for recommending candidates for election or to fill any vacancies.

(b) Officers

The Officers of the Association shall consist of elected Officers and additional Officers. The elected Officers shall consist of a Chairman, a Secretary and a Treasurer. Additional Officers shall be appointed by the Executive Committee to manage the affairs of the Association.

(c) General Committee

The General Committee shall consist of:

(i) The President, immediate past President and any person nominated by the General Committee as President for the following year.

(ii) The elected Officers of the Association and the immediate past Chairman.

(iii) The Head and one other member of the School Staff, nominated by the Head, or a member of the Board of Governors.

(iv) Not more than sixteen other members of the Association elected as provided in Rule 9. Such members shall retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election.

(v) Any Vice-President of the Association not having been elected pursuant to (iv) above who shall give notice to the Secretary not later than one month after the Annual General Meeting of his or her intention to serve as a member of the General Committee.

The General Committee shall be entitled from time to time to co-opt any member of the Association to be an additional member of the General Committee. Unless otherwise directed by the General Committee, seven days’ notice of meetings shall be given to members. Eight members shall form a quorum. In the event of an equality of votes the chairman of the meeting shall have a second and casting vote. The Secretary shall keep Minutes of all meetings of the General Committee. Those Minutes shall be available to members of the Association on reasonable request.

(d) Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall consist of the Chairman, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Chairman of any standing Sub-Committee constituted under Rule 6(a) and a member of the School staff nominated by the Head, together with any other member or Officer invited by the Chairman. Five members shall form a quorum. The Executive Committee shall keep a written record of its decisions.

(e) Frequency of Meetings

At least three meetings of the General Committee shall be held during each year, and additional meetings shall be convened at the discretion of the Chairman, or at the written request of two members of the General Committee who must specify the business they wish to be discussed. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once between consecutive meetings of the General Committee.

(f) Vacancies

The General Committee shall have the power to appoint to any elected office specified under Rule 6(b).

7. Financial Year and Accounts

The financial year of the Association shall commence on the 1st January and end on the 31st December. Two members shall be elected annually in accordance with Rule 9 to conduct an independent examination of the accounts of the Association. Only persons reasonably believed by the General Committee to have the requisite ability and practical experience to carry out a competent examination shall be eligible for election. Persons so elected shall not be eligible to be members of the General Committee during the period covered by the accounts independently examined by them.

8. Personal Expenses and Indemnity

(a) The Treasurer shall be permitted to make payments to members for the re-imbursement of expenses reasonably and properly incurred in carrying out the business of the Association. Any payment shall conform to such guidelines as shall from time to time be defined by the General Committee.

(b) Every member of the General Committee, the Executive Committee or any Sub-Committee shall be entitled to be indemnified out of the funds of the Association against all costs, losses, liabilities and expenses which that member may incur or for which that member may become liable by reason:

of any contract entered into on behalf of the Association and with the authority of the Executive Committee;

of any act or thing done or not done by acting in such capacity in the execution of that member’s duties;

provided always that this indemnity shall not apply in the case of wilful misconduct or gross negligence, or any action taken or not taken in breach of these Rules or any operating procedures adopted by the General Committee, or otherwise in breach of authority.

9. Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held before the end of March in each year, when the Annual Report and the Accounts for the past year shall be presented, and elections shall be held for the President, elected Officers, members of the General Committee to be elected under Rule 6(c)(iv) and two persons to conduct in accordance with Rule 7 an independent examination of the accounts for the ensuing year. Candidates nominated for election shall be notified to members with the notice of the Annual General Meeting. Any member wishing to propose any candidate for election at an Annual General Meeting shall give notice in writing to the Secretary not less than seven days prior to the date of such meeting. Nominations for election from the floor at the Annual General Meeting shall only be accepted in respect of a position for which no candidate has been proposed prior to the Annual General Meeting as provided by this Rule.

10. Special General Meeting

(a) A Special General Meeting shall be called by the Secretary

(i) On the resolution of the General Committee, or

(ii) At the request in writing to the Secretary of ten members of the Association, who must specify what resolutions they intend to move.

(b) The Notice of the Special General Meeting shall specify the business to be dealt with at such Special General Meeting (including the wording of any resolutions to be moved) and no other business shall be dealt with at such Special General Meeting.

11. Notice of General Meetings

Not less than ten days’ notice of every Annual or Special General Meeting shall be given to all members. For members who have not requested to receive notices electronically, notice sent by second class mail at least fourteen days prior to the meeting shall be deemed adequate for this purpose. Accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to any individual members shall not invalidate any proceedings at that meeting. At any General Meeting of the Association fifteen members shall form a quorum.

12. Conduct of General Meetings

Voting at any General Meeting shall be confined to members. At all meetings the Chair shall be taken by the President, or in the absence of the President the Chairman, or in the absence of both of them by someone chosen from amongst those present, if possible by a Vice-President of the Association. In the event of an equality of votes the chairman of the meeting shall have a second and casting vote.

13. Annual Report and Accounts

The Association shall publish annually a Report which shall contain such matters of interest to members as the General Committee may determine. The Report and the Accounts for the past year shall be circulated to members prior to, or be available to members at, the Annual General Meeting.

14. Alteration to Rules

These Rules shall not be altered, except by resolution supported by at least two thirds of the members present and voting at a General Meeting, due notice of the motion having been given on the agenda.

Floreat Bancroftia