Foundation Governor | St. Brendan's Sixth Form College

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Foundation Governor - St. Brendan’s Sixth Form College

Join the dedicated non-executive board of St. Brendan’s Sixth Form College and apply your experience and knowledge to advance the mission of our college, which is rooted in Catholic faith, for the benefit of our diverse student body.

• Location: Bristol

Who we are

St. Brendan’s Sixth Form College is the only college of its type in Bristol. We are proud of our positive reputation for inclusion, high standards, and social mobility. We provide an environment where students from a variety of backgrounds and communities can come together to learn and develop themselves.

We are a hugely ambitious sixth form college and have high aspirations for our students. Our Board of Governors is looking to appoint a Lay Governor who can share in our ambition and apply their specialist knowledge to the development of our board and its role in overseeing our new strategic plan.

As a designated institution, operating under a Trust Deed established by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton, we are looking for someone of Catholic faith with skills, knowledge, and experience gained from businesses and social organisations in and around the Bristol region.

Guided by our mission and values, we are a welcoming and transformative sixth form college where every member of our community flourishes and achieves their full potential.

Our mission is to serve the Catholic and wider community by providing sixth form education of the highest quality, and to act in the spirit of the Gospel, believing that every person is loved by God and has a unique value.

Our values

• Integrity
• Dignity
• Truth
• Justice
• Compassion
• Service

As the only sixth form college in the area, we have a great deal to offer our students. Our self-contained campus and state-of-the-art buildings provide a unique community feel. With over sixty subjects at Level 2 and 3 to choose from, our highly skilled teachers specialise in post-16 education, delivering excellent teaching and learning.

We are investing in our estate and developing a new strategic plan which is being finalised by our Board of Governors in collaboration with our Principal and her senior leadership team.

Maintaining quality is essential for our success and if we are to attract students and further develop stakeholder relationships.

Through our team of 180 committed employees, we support the teaching, training, and personal development of our diverse student body. Only 53% of our students come from the city of Bristol, with others coming from further afield, the surrounding counties and neighbouring towns.

Last year, we were shortlisted in the ‘School/College of the Year’ category in the recent UK Social Mobility Awards (SOMOs), where St. Brendan’s was recognised and celebrated for our efforts to improve social mobility, for both our staff and our students.

About the role

The Board of Governors is the non-executive body of St. Brendan’s Sixth Form College. Together, we take responsibility for the strategic development, financial position, and academic character of the organisation. We work closely with the Principal and her senior leadership team and provide constructive support and challenge through discussions and the appraisal of reports, all with our mission and core purpose in mind.

Governors contribute by attending meetings of the board and its committees:

• Audit Committee
• Ethos, Safeguarding & Welfare Committee
• Strategy, Search & Remuneration Committee
• Teaching, Curriculum & Quality Committee

At meetings, the Principal & CEO, with her senior team, shares reports and updates on strategic developments. Governors are asked to make important decisions relating to the character, culture, and organisational development of the college. To support them to do this well, there are numerous opportunities throughout the year where governors are welcomed into the college to meet with staff and students and experience what life is like as an employee or student of St. Brendan’s.

Time commitment

The Board of Governors meets six times per year, comprising five board meetings and a governor planning day.

It is often the case that appointed governors also give their time to at least one of the committees, of which there are between three and six meetings in each academic year.

We offer a flexible approach to meeting attendance and, where it is not always possible to attend in-person, governors can use virtual means to attend.

Who we are looking for

Following recent changes to the Board of Governors, through terms of office ending and a recent recruitment round, we have identified the need to appoint a new Foundation Governor. The new Governor will contribute their expertise in leadership or management, alongside sharing in our Catholic faith. Furthermore, having financial expertise would be advantageous.

The new Foundation Governor’s appointment will be approved by the Diocese of Clifton for an initial four-year period, and so the person appointed should have the capacity to devote the necessary time and energy to the role, through preparing for and attending meetings, and making visits to the college for celebration events, and to meet with staff and students.

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 motivation in applying for this position.

Please ensure that your application is emailed to response@peridotpartners.co.uk inserting “Application: St. Brendan’s Sixth Form College – Foundation Governor” into the subject field. You will receive an acknowledgement on receipt of your application within 2-3 days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please make contact with our admin team.

Timetable

Closing date: 9 a.m. Monday 19th August 2024
Candidates informed of outcome: By 4 p.m. Friday 30th August 2024
We are in the process of confirming interview dates. We will update the site once confirmed and contact those who have applied.