Welcome from the Chair
Thank you for your interest in joining the Board of Governors at Peter Symonds College.
The College prides itself on providing excellent outcomes for its students not only in their academic work but also in a wide range of enrichment activities. There is a great emphasis on the quality of the pastoral support, which is embodied in the College’s motto: ‘Counting in Ones’. There are currently approximately 4,500 full time sixth form students studying an exceptional range of A level and Applied Vocational Qualifications, as well as Level 2 provision. There is also a thriving adult programme, mainly delivered on a separate site, which gives opportunities in the full range from entry to post graduate degree levels as well as a popular suite of leisure courses.
The College’s sites are attractive and well maintained, with new buildings having been opened in recent years and another pending. All of this, of course, could not be achieved without the dedication and commitment of the College staff whose efforts have been recognised repeatedly by Ofsted and other bodies.
The role of the Board of Governors is to shape the strategy of the College now and in the future, developing its strengths and working to maintain its academic, pastoral and financial status. There is a maximum of twenty-one Board members, of whom some are appointed from particular groups e.g. parents, staff, students and trustees of the charity which owns our main site. The remainder are independent governors recruited on the basis of their interests and expertise. We have a particularly stable membership, but a number of governors are coming to the end of their maximum terms of office and will leave us over the next year. We are therefore seeking to appoint new members and particularly seek candidates who have either experience in financial audit or who have worked in a leadership role in secondary or further education. We are keen to broaden the diversity of our Board membership and would therefore also welcome applications from underrepresented groups e.g. those with a disability or from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Amanda Storey
Chair of Governors
2024