Governance

Vision: Counting in Ones

‘Counting in Ones’ is our motto and is the key principle which guides everything we do.  We aim to work in the best interests of each individual, helping them to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations.  High expectations are at the heart of our vision for the College and all of its students and staff. The College was inspected by Ofsted in January 2020 and this reconfirmed the College status as an ‘outstanding’ provider, a grade the College has maintained for many years. The College has long had a great reputation for excellence, student support and enrichment and these qualities came through strongly in the report. We continue to be a popular college and receive applications from more students than we can accommodate.

Background

Peter Symonds opened as a voluntary controlled sixth form college in September 1974, having previously been a boys' grammar school with a history traceable back to 1607 when Christes Hospitall (now Christes Hospitall School Foundation Winchester (the Trust)) was founded. The Trust still holds the land and buildings for the College’s main site near the centre of Winchester. The College has links with the Mercers’ Company, which is the premier livery Company of the City of London, and we are part of the Mercers’ Company cluster of Associated Schools and Colleges. In 1992 the sixth form college took on the responsibility for adult education in Central Hampshire, with the successor to the free-standing adult education institute in Weeke, Winchester, now forming part of the College and known as AHED. The College became an independent corporation in April 1993 and is an exempt charity. It is now funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and is also registered with the Office for Students (OfS) which enables a substantial income stream via student loans for HE Foundation degree and Full Honours degree courses at AHED. The ESFA confirmed the financial health of the College for 2021-22 as ‘outstanding’.

The Instrument and Articles of Association set down the Corporation’s powers, membership, role and responsibilities.  The Instrument and Articles of Association specify a maximum of twenty-one Governors for the College. Governors do not represent any particular interests, but the Board is required to include in its number a minimum of two members of the staff, one parent, two student, three Foundation governors (two nominated from the Trust and one from Winchester Diocese) and the Principal. The Principal is a member ex officio and the only executive member.  The Foundation governors reflect the College’s former status and, in addition, to reflect its close link with the Mercers’ Company, the Board of Governors currently includes two Mercers’ nominees. From time to time, the College invites individuals with specific skills or experience to serve relevant committees as a co-opted member; these individuals are not governors.

The Instrument and Articles are supplemented by the ESFA Financial Memorandum and the Post 16 Audit Code of Practice, as well as law relating to employment, equality and diversity, health and safety, GDPR and safeguarding and Prevent. The College grew rapidly in the 1990s to its current size of over 4,500 full-time 16-19 year old students, plus a significant number of mainly part-time adult students.  There is a conscious division between provision for full-time and part-time students, with the aim being to maintain a full-time ethos in the sixth form. The growth and success of the College have been inextricably linked, with students being attracted to Winchester from a wide surrounding area. Approximately 25% of our full-time students come from Winchester 11-16 schools, with the rest coming from towns such as Southampton, Basingstoke and Andover. Around 45-55 students are offered Oxbridge places each year, more than at most selective independent schools. We are the largest supplier nationally of students to the Russell Group universities, and to the 'Sutton 30' most competitive universities. The large majority of our students progress to university.

Boarding Education

Peter Symonds is one of only two state sixth form colleges to offer boarding, the current capacity being 79. While the majority of our boarders are from within the UK mainland, many travel some distance and we have a long history of links with the Falkland Islands. The boarding provision was last inspected in 2023, with the report stating that ‘Young people receive support from an experienced staff team who get to know them well and understand their individual needs. The boarding houses provide welcoming and inclusive environments.’ 

Estate

The main College site covers some twenty-five acres within easy walking distance of the station.  The buildings cover the full architectural range from Victorian splendour to the most modern designs, via contributions from virtually every decade of the 20th and 21st centuries.  There are extensive playing fields.  In 2023 we opened a new classroom block and, at the time of writing, are about to commence construction of a building to accommodate our thriving music department. The AHED Centre includes classrooms with IT facilities, complementary therapy facilities and hair & beauty salons. 

Courses

Within the sixth form division of the College, ‘A’ levels are still by far the most common courses. The vast majority of our full-time,16-18 year old students are with us for two years, studying A levels chosen from the 45-50 on offer each year. A significant number of our students pursue mixed programmes of study combining Applied Vocational Qualifications and A levels. Approximately 60 of our students are admitted for one year, initially at least, taking level 2 courses. The Adult and Higher Education (AHED) Division offers a remarkably wide range of mostly part-time courses, ranging from leisure and recreation right through to professional, accredited courses, teacher training, complementary therapies, hairdressing and beauty therapy, counselling or literacy and numeracy. There is also an Access course for adults wishing to go on to Higher Education and we have developed a range of Foundation Degree and Full Honours Degree programmes.

Student Life

The College is committed to the highest standards of pastoral care for its students, providing a wide range of services to support student well-being. In addition to pastoral and learning support, the College offers a very large number of “enrichment” activities: short additional courses or activities such as first aid, community service, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, music etc. Sport is extremely strong with teams in all the major and many of the minor sports. Many of those teams are regional and national champions or cup winners.

Staffing Structure

The Senior Management Team comprises Principal, Vice Principal, Deputy Principal (Welfare & Progression), Deputy Principal (Stakeholders, Systems & Services) and Finance Director. In the sixth form college, subjects are grouped into five faculties with each faculty headed by a Director of Curriculum & Support (DoCS) with the teacher in charge of each subject being responsible in the first instance to the appropriate (DoCS). DoCSs have responsibility both for curriculum and the pastoral well-being of students in tutor groups in their faculty. Virtually all full-time and some part time teaching staff act as tutors to a group of students and the role of the group tutor is critical in the support given to our students. In addition, there are non-teaching staff with managerial, administrative, technical, clerical and financial responsibilities. The large Adult & Higher Education Division is led by its own Head of Division with separate curriculum managers and administrative staff dealing with adult students.