Search and Governance Committee - 25 February 2026

J. Hoyland in the Chair.

01/26. Declarations of Interest

None.

02/26. Minutes of the Meeting Held 16 October 2025 (Appendix – Agenda Item 3) (previously circulated)

Resolved: That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 16 October 2025, be approved as a true record, subject to the following clarification –

Item 15/25. - Board Vacancies and Succession Planning

• • • Two governor terms were due to end by December 2025—one Staff Governor and one Appointed Governor—both long-serving with significant institutional memory. The Committee acknowledged that, going forward, only two governors on the Board were on their Second Term.
    • In addition, the Clerk provided a verbal update informing the Committee that they had been made aware of the intention of a second Staff Governor to resign.
    • The Clerk confirmed that procedures would be followed to recruit a new Staff Governor. The Committee agreed that the Notice of Vacancy would be posted and signposted to all staff in the P/CEO’s weekly briefing. The Committee also acknowledged the commitment and depth of knowledge held by the current Staff Governor and discussed the possibility of approaching them about extending their Term, dependent on the outcome of the Notice of Vacancy.

03/26. Board Vacancies and Succession Planning (Confidential Appendices – Agenda Item 4)

The Committee discussed the position regarding current Board vacancies and opportunities previously circulated), including -

• • • actions taken since the last Committee meeting
    • appointment Strategy for the current and upcoming vacancies.
    • Search Strategy going forward.

The report had been revised in line with previous Committee instructions, with vacancy information for Appointed and Parent Governors only presented in the planning overview.

Since the last Committee Meeting

• • • The Appointed Governor who left the Board in December 2025, had completed the exit procedure.
    • The newly appointed members were continuing with induction and had registered for AoC online training.
    • The Parent Governor vacancy had attracted several high-quality applications.
    • The Staff Governor Notice of Vacancy had attracted enquiries; however, these had not translated into applications and the vacancy remained.

The Committee discussed the Board’s search and vacancy management strategy going forward.

• • • There was one current Appointed Governor vacancy. The Committee AGREED that it would leave the vacancy unfilled to support ongoing succession planning and review again at the next meeting.
    • One Appointed Governor’s Term was due to end in July 2026. They were highly experienced, with a proven track record of meeting attendance and college engagement. They were also currently the EDI Link Governor. In accordance with procedure, the Clerk had enquired regarding the governor’s intentions on seeking a second Term and they had indicated they would wish to be considered. The Committee reviewed the skills audit and succession plan, acknowledged the contribution the governor had made to the Board and affirmed that it wished to retain the governor’s skills and knowledge. The Committee AGREED to recommended to the Board that R. Harrison, be appointed as an Independent Governor for a Second Term of 4 years, from 01 August 2026.

RESOLVED: To RECOMMEND TO THE BOARD that Robert Harrison be appointed as an Independent Governor for a Second Term of 4 Years with effect from 01 August 2026 and be appointed to the Quality, Standards & Curriculum and Search & Governance committees.

• • • A staff governor vacancy remained unfilled. The Committee discussed the possible reasons for this. It was agreed to CEO would further promote the vacancy.
    • Members were advised that three candidates remained on the waiting list, though their skills and motivations did not fully match current needs, with only one possessing a financial skill set. The Committee confirmed the importance of maintaining search momentum, noting that although the Board currently had a good spread of skills and membership stability, this position should not be taken for granted.

ACTIONS:

Clerk to pursue induction and search activities

04/26. Parent Governor Vacancy – Review of Applications (Report and Confidential Appendices – Agenda Item 5)

The Committee received a report on the Parent Governor vacancy created when a previous Parent Governor was appointed to an Appointed Governor role (previously circulated).

The Board’s Parent Governor appointment procedure required interviews to be conducted by the Committee, with recommendations then made to the Board. The Committee was asked to consider the valid applications received following the Notice of Vacancy period, reflect on the Board’s skills needs and advise on next steps for shortlisting and interviewing.

Since the report had been circulated, one candidate had withdrawn their application. The Committee therefore reviewed the remaining four valid applications, all of whom had passed due diligence checks, were parents of current students and had children in Year 1. The Committee noted that this supported effective succession planning and ensured fairness, as no candidate had an advantage based on length of study programme.

The Clerk acknowledged the contributions of the marketing team and the serving Parent Governor in communications to parents and the application pack design and the Committee recognised that the high number and quality of applications reflected positively on the college’s reputation.

The Committee also noted that a further application had been received after the closing date and AGREED that, due to the high-quality applications received, several candidates might be suitable for placing on the Waiting List or be considered for other roles in future, even if not successful or eligible for the Parent Governor vacancy. Therefore, the late application would be considered at this point, for consideration for other opportunities.

The Committee, having assessed and discussed each application against the Board’s Skills Audit and noting that the applications reflected a range of strengths, AGREED that four candidates be progressed and invited to meet the P/CEO for an informal meeting and campus tour, prior to shortlisted candidates being invited to a special Committee meeting before the March Board meeting.

In addition, the Committee AGREED to address a procedural anomaly in the Parent Governor Appointment Procedure concerning the timing of the P/CEO meeting with Board vacancy candidates and that, going forward, and in common with the Appointed Governor Appointment Procedure, valid candidates be invited to meet the P/CEO prior to consideration of applications by the Committee.

Action: Clerk & P/CEO EA progress appointments with P/CEO

Clerk to seek Special Meeting date.

05/26. Codes of Governance

The Committee reviewed the report (previously circulated), which explained that, from 1 August 2026, the UK Corporate Governance Code would no longer be an approved option for further education corporations. Boards would be required to adopt either the Association of Colleges (AoC) Code of Good Governance or the Charity Governance Code to remain compliant with the College Financial Handbook and wider regulatory expectations

The Clerk had presented an evaluation of both Codes, outlining their structure, emphasis and alignment with FE governance requirements, including accountability, leadership, stakeholder engagement and assurance to the Board Chair and P/CEO and they confirmed that they had been sufficiently assured to present the recommendations to the Committee.

The Committee noted that-

• • • the AoC Code was sectorspecific, aligned with DfE expectations and incorporated guidance on areas such as external governance reviews and sustainability.
    • By contrast, the Charity Governance Code was broader, aspirational and more flexible, with particular strength in EDI and behavioural governance, but required interpretation for the FE context.

The Committee reviewed the comparative analysis across key dimensions including sector fit, regulatory alignment, educational mission, stakeholder engagement and board effectiveness. The Committee acknowledged that both Codes adopted a ‘comply or explain’ approach; however, considered that the AoC Code provided clearer relevance to the college’s operational environment and statutory responsibilities.

The Committee noted insights from the sixthform sector and observed that neither Code fully met the needs of sixthform colleges without some adaptation. However, the AoC Code offered the closest match to the college’s educational mission, regulatory obligations and governance expectations and sector specificity.

Having considered the analysis, the Committee agreed that the AoC Code represented the most appropriate governance framework for the Corporation and supported effective oversight of leadership, finances, curriculum and risk. Accordingly, the Committee

RESOLVED: To RECOMMEND TO THE BOARD that the Corporation adopt the AoC Code of Good Governance with effect from 1 August 2026.

ACTION

Item to Board 23/02/2026

06/26. Risk

It was agreed that there had been sufficient discussion of the other risk issues at the meeting, particularly, the need to focus search activities going forward.

07/26. Governance Pack (Appendix, Agenda item 9)

New SFCA Guide: Achieving an effective curriculum and quality committee

The Clerk had advised that the Sixth Form College’s Association (SFCA) had recently published this guide is intended to provide support for the operation of a curriculum and quality committee. There would be a linked governance webinar on this theme on 28th April at 12.30-1.15pm.

The Committee observed that it had a well-established Quality, Standards & Curriculum Committee and an effective and embedded governance framework. The Clerk would consult the P/CEO and VP, Quality, Apprenticeships & Information on what, if any, measures in the Guide could be implemented to further enhance existing arrangements.

ACTION: Clerk to send to P/CEO and VP, Q, A & I

The meeting concluded at 6.54 p.m.