Chair of the Board and Governors | Hereward College

Peridot Partners; Coventry; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Hereward College seeks a passionate Chair of the Board and Governors to enhance educational opportunities for students with special educational needs. The successful candidate will lead governance strategies and contribute to the College's ambitious plans for growth and development, ensuring continued outstanding provision.

Qualifications

• Experience in non-executive board roles, preferably as a Chair.
• Understanding of the SEND sector is a plus.
• Experience in strategic leadership and business development.

Responsibilities

• Play a vital strategic role in improving education outcomes for students.
• Support the appointment of senior leaders and oversight of finances.
• Drive the College's strategic plan and estate development.

Skills

Governance

Leadership

Strategic Planning

SEND Knowledge

Job description

Home / Roles / Chair of the Board and Governors | Hereward College

Chair of the Board and Governors Hereward College

Join the Board of Hereward College – a further education college like no other – and support them as they continue to improve the life opportunities of young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

• Location: Coventry, West Midlands

Who we are

Set on a single campus in the Tile Hill area to the west of Coventry, Hereward College is a unique further education college which has been providing specialist education to learners with special educational needs and disabilities since 1972.

We are currently graded as ‘Good’ by Ofsted following our 2023 inspection, in which we were found to have Outstanding student behaviour and attitudes as well as Outstanding provision for learners with high needs.

Unlike many other colleges within the FE sector, we have a very specialist focus and can therefore be best described as having a national catchment. This national perspective sees us recruit learners on both a residential basis and as day learners. We currently provide education and training to around 340 young people aged 16+, with 10 currently residing at the College.

In addition to learning across a broad range of curriculum pathways, we also offer valuable, supplementary opportunities, including access to work experience, career support, and the chance to develop skills for independent living.

We are recognised nationally as a pioneer for SEND provision across the further education sector and beyond. This reputation is underpinned by the progression that our learners make, with 44% of them progressing into paid employment, far surpassing national averages which are below 10%.

“We have a really special atmosphere across the organisation. I meet all new members of staff, and every one of them tells me how struck they are by the atmosphere and the way this place makes them feel.”

Paul Cook, Principal, Hereward College

About the role

We continue to have high aspirations for our future, which will see us continue to build on our existing national partnerships, further develop our relatively new subsidiary – Hereward Training Services – and grow our student numbers in the College. The latter will require us to bring our strategic plan to life through the delivery of an exciting estate development plan.

This is a time of exciting change for the College too. We are also currently recruiting a new Vice Principal who will oversee our finances and resources, as well as a new Director of Governance. These two new colleagues will help us to safeguard our outstanding financial health, continue to increase our annual turnover (currently c.£13m), and ensure that we remain compliant with all relevant regulatory framework.

To ensure that these new colleagues, the rest of our SLT and the wider staff team are supported in their continuous mission to deliver high-quality, individualised provision for our learners, we now seek to appoint a new Chair and additional governors to our board.

Through these roles, appointed candidates will play a vital strategic role, offering insight and professional expertise to help our learners achieve successful outcomes, support their families, and help us to realise our ambitions whilst continuing to improve our outstanding national reputation.

“What’s special about Hereward? It’s the uniqueness and the learners that we attract. Being able to observe their development and their individual journeys. You won’t see that journey anywhere else.”

Who we are looking for

There is a golden thread that continues to run throughout our board, and that is a passion for improving the life chances and opportunities of our learners. This ethos is something that all candidates will need to possess.

Given the varied, yet specialist nature of our provision, we would welcome applications from individuals with experience gained from a range of appropriate professional backgrounds.

Chair of the Board

Our new Chair should be someone with experience of the boardroom, preferably in a non-executive capacity as a member, committee lead or having been a Chair elsewhere previously. Alongside this, you will need to bring your experience as a senior, strategic leader who has had involvement in organisations of a similar size and complexity.

An understanding and knowledge of the SEND sector will of course be useful given our specialist context. This knowledge may stem from experience gained within the further or specialist education sectors, or in roles relating to behaviour, safeguarding and/or social care. It will be important that the successful candidate can understand and support us within the landscape that we operate.

Given our ambitions for the future of our organisation which include estate development and the growth of our training subsidiary, we would be interested in receiving applications from candidates who have relevant business experience and who would be able to offer insight and support in realising these ambitions.

We continue to have high aspirations for our future, which will see us continue to build on our existing national partnerships, further develop our relatively new subsidiary, and grow our student numbers in the College. The latter will require us to bring our strategic plan to life through the delivery of an exciting estate development plan, something which the appointed candidate will play a key role in.

“We are a solid community here. In joining Hereward, you will get a real personal experience of making a big difference.”

Governor roles

Having completed an assessment of the skills and attributes of our current board, we seek to appoint candidates with the following areas of expertise:

• Qualified finance professionals who are able to join not just our board but also our audit committee.
• Legal professionals.
• Those with experience of the FE and SEND sectors with specific knowledge of curriculum, teaching, learning, assessment and internships.
• Experience of business growth and development who can offer insights and support with the growth of Hereward Training Services and who would be happy to become a non-executive Director of our subsidiary.

Candidates for these additional Governor roles do not necessarily need to have had boardroom experience as we will support them with a full induction process. However, professional experience at a senior, strategic level will be important.

We are proud that our college is a hive of activity, where no day is the same, and where our staff and students create a community within itself. As such, we hope that our new Chair and governors will be those people who want to contribute to the wider Hereward experience and who have the time to be an active part of our vibrant college community.

Time commitment

In terms of time commitments for our Chair, it is expected that the appointed candidate will need to dedicate around 1.5 days per month to the role.

For other governors on our board, the commitment is slightly less, with a need to dedicate approximately a day per month.

Peridot Partners and Hereward College are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and our client expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references before any final offer can be made.

For further information about the role or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:

If you would like to know more about this role please contact Dan Baxter

Welcome from the Principal & CEO and Chair of the Corporation

Dear Candidate,

We are delighted you are considering applying to join the Board of Hereward College. Whether you are applying to become our Chair, or to join us as a Governor, we are grateful that you are willing to commit your time to our college – and our students – as a volunteer.

The College is a vibrant and friendly workplace where the student experience is at the heart of what we do and the decisions we make.

Successful candidates will join what is already an established and high-performing team of volunteer non-executive board members. Each of our governors provides our leaders with high support, scrutiny and challenge and frequently demonstrates their commitment to our vision and our values.

The ideal candidate will understand the challenges facing our wider sector and the unique challenges of an organisation that delivers specialist education; most of our learners have an Education, Health and Care Plan.

As a Board member, you will get to work with the Principal and SLT, offering your strategic expertise and support as we deliver high-quality provision and develop new services. Therefore, we are looking for candidates who can work within a board setting to develop trusted, open and transparent relationships, bring curious questions and offer insightful expertise.

As Chair, you will also bring strong leadership skills and the ability to ensure that our boardroom – and wider college – remains open, welcoming and inclusive.

The College is rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted and has a Department for Education financial health rating of ‘Outstanding’. The College is ambitious for its learners and is working so that all aspects of its provision are rated as Outstanding. Our board continue to make a welcome and valuable contribution to this work and we look forward to strengthening this support through this process.

If you have a strong background in a relevant area and wish to support an organisation that prides itself on supporting learners achieve their ambitions and will assist in driving us to become one of the best in its sector, then we would welcome your application.

Thank you, and good luck.

Mrs. Pat Dyson
Chair of the Corporation

About Hereward College

Hereward College is a further education college like no other, passionate about improving life opportunities for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Our provision is delivered across a range of course areas, including Art & Design, Creative Media, Sport, Business Studies, ICT, Hospitality, Performing Arts & Music, English and Maths. This provision ranges from Pre-Entry Level to Level 3.

Our learners are supported by a dedicated team of 230 staff, many of whom deliver education, training, care and specific therapies. Whilst our learners may have a physical disability, a communication disorder or other learning difficulties, the one thing they will all have in common is a personal ambition to live a happy, independent and successful life. Through the dedication and passion of our staff, we can help our learners realise their ambitions by achieving some wonderful outcomes with our young people.

The last few years have been remarkable for Hereward College. The academic year 2021/22 marked the College’s 50th anniversary, and the following year, 2022/23, saw it attain its highest-ever grading from its main government regulator, Ofsted. In obtaining the grade of outstanding for its High Needs provision and strong for its contribution to the skills needs of its community, the College was confirmed as a sector-leading provider of post-16 SEND provision.

The last strategic plan had a core theme titled “The Road to Outstanding Practice,” and in support of it, a number of ambitious targets were put in place. The vast majority of these targets and supporting objectives have been completed, leaving the College in a position where it must now consider how it forges new ground in the quest for ever-improving and effective services for its community.

The College continues to be rated as outstanding for its financial health, and based on its sound management in this area, it has managed to improve the campus resources for teaching and learning despite receiving no significant capital funding from national or local government. New specialist teaching facilities have been created for learners with autism, new catering facilities have been created in partnership with a major local employer, and new outdoor covered areas have been built to better meet the sensory needs of learners.

In October 2024, we launched Hereward Training Services, our award-winning, dedicated training subsidiary, in partnership with Whitbread PLC. This partnership has already seen us deliver supported internships to almost 600 learners with SEND across the country. This partnership is one of many pioneering stakeholder relationships we have, and we count ourselves privileged to work with other partners such as SES Engineering, Warwick University, and the West Midlands Combined Authority. These partnerships enable our young people to gain experience in the workplace within a supported environment.

The College learner cohort has increased in size from c.270 at the start of the last strategic planning cycle to a consistent c.320 by the end. During this period, there has also been an increase in the complexity of learners, evidenced by the increased support hours they require, such as from psychologists and other therapists. However, it is a source of great pride within the College that the behaviour of learners has improved over the last few years and is now rated as outstanding. Multiple stakeholders consistently praise the behaviour and attitudes of Hereward College learners and act as a bedrock for highly effective teaching and learning and the attainment of outstanding outcomes.

The College recognises its role in being a leader in the field of SEND education. It works with the national organisation Natspec, chairing popular practitioner forums on learner employment and safeguarding, and thus providing support to its membership of over one hundred colleges. The College also chairs the SEND forum for West Midlands Colleges, a new group created in 2023 and focused on highlighting the contribution of SEND learners to the regional economy.

The College has also forged its own path as a leader in the development of supported internships by becoming the national delivery partner for the UK’s largest hospitality corporation, Whitbread PLC. This partnership has secured major capital investment into the sector and, over the life of this strategic plan, has the potential to grow to become a national benchmark in how large corporations support learners with SEND.

The College also takes seriously its role as a key ally to the regional local authorities. During the last strategic plan, the College created bespoke provision to meet the needs of learners where no other provision was available regionally.

More than anything else, the College has remained focused on improving the experiences of all its learners, and it will continue to work hard at meeting and exceeding their expectations and those of their families and carers.

The College recognises the educational and business benefits of having a diverse community of staff and is working towards building and maintaining an environment which values and celebrates diversity. Equality of Opportunity and Diversity are embedded within the culture and values of the College. We are proud to be a disability confident and mindful employer.

Our accessibility provisions include:

• Step-free access to the building, all key meeting rooms and bathrooms, and an accessible workstation.
• Accessibility dogs are welcome.
• Papers and materials can be presented in different formats.
• A sign language interpreter can be accessed for interviews.
• Working patterns and locations can be adjusted.

Reasonable Adjustments:

• Where possible and with authorisation, the College can facilitate individuals working from home.
• We provide all employees with access to an Employee Assistance Programme.
• Occupational Health is in place to advise the organisation on adjustments it can make to assist employees’ return to work or to be more effective in their role.
• Wellness action plans are utilised for employees who suffer from mental health illnesses.

Applicants with a disability are invited to contact us in confidence at any point during the recruitment process to discuss steps that could be taken to overcome operational difficulties presented by the role, or if any adjustments or support are required regarding the recruitment process.

For further information about the role or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:

To access a full job description and application details,
please fill out the form below.

First name

Last name

Email address

Phone number

Your current job title

Where did you hear about this opportunity?

LinkedIn URL

Job interested in

I agree to Peridot Partners contacting me about this role and other potential positions relevant to me: Yes No

I agree to Peridot Partners contacting me about business services, events, or sector articles relevant to me: Yes No

Thank you for your interest in this role. Please download the relevant Role Description and Person Specification from the list below.

To formally apply, please submit a CV and supporting statement (ideally maximum 2 sides of A4 each) that clearly outlines your suitability for the role against the criteria provided in the person specification, including your interest and motivationin applying for this position.

Please include your home address, contact email and mobile.

Please ensure that your application is emailed to [e-mail] , inserting “Application: Hereward College — Chair of the Board OR Governor” into the subject field, ensuring you clearly specify which role you are applying for. You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 2-3 days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please contact our admin team.

For further information about the role or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:

As a sector-leading executive search consultancy, we know the importance of creating recruitment processes that are fair, inclusive, and free from bias. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a process that values differences.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010 and can show that you meet the ‘essential’ criteria described in the person specification, please let us know.

If you require any job information in an alternative format (e.g. large print), please contact Dan Baxter. Please also let us know if you would like to submit your application in an alternative format.

Recruitment selection processes are based on evidence of competence stated in the person specification and in relation to our values.

Timetable

Please note that we are currently in the process of identifying dates for interviews. Our intention is to interview candidates for the Chair role before proceeding with the Governor role interviews.

Interviews are likely to be held in September. As soon as we have this information, we will update here and inform all who have already applied.

Peridot and Hereward College are committed to promoting equality and diversity. To help us raise awareness and support a culture that is diverse and recognises and develops the potential of all, we need to appreciate the profile of candidates who apply for positions.We will send you an equality monitoring survey at the point of receiving your application and at the time of placement. This ensures that our processes remain inclusive and equitable throughout, and provides us with important data to help us showcase our impact.

The information will be treated confidentially and anonymously and will help us to support our commitment to fair recruitment practice. All information provided will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be shared with anyone, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 launched on 25 May 2018.

Data Processing, Protection and Privacy Policy

By completing the form to view, or if you have access to this page from an email invitation, Peridot Partners will have processed your personal information. For more information about Peridot Partners’ data processing activities and your rights, please readourPrivacy Policy .