FE Governor

SGOSS - Governors for Schools; Swindon; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading educational institution is seeking new governors to support strategic oversight and excellence in education. Ideal candidates will have expertise in SEND or safeguarding, and experience in finance for audit roles. This is a unique opportunity to influence educational outcomes while working with committed board members. You'll contribute to key committees and engage directly with senior leaders, helping shape the future of education at the College.

Benefits

Ongoing support and training

Flexible meeting schedule

Opportunity for professional development

Qualifications

• Significant experience in SEND or safeguarding is essential.
• Understanding of statutory SEND requirements.
• Strong financial acumen for audit roles.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to strategic oversight and governance.
• Participate in key committees like Audit and Remuneration.
• Engage with senior leaders to ensure compliance and excellence.

Skills

Expertise in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

Safeguarding experience

Finance knowledge

Job description

Cirencester College is a leading specialist sixth form college located in a rural setting on the outskirts of Cirencester, Gloucestershire. With a university-style campus and an adult learning ethos, the College serves a wide catchment area spanning Gloucestershire, North Wiltshire, Swindon, and West Oxfordshire. An extensive transport network enables students to travel from up to 60 miles away, making the College a first-choice destination for post-16 education across the region.

Home to over 3,000 students and supported by more than 300 dedicated staff, Cirencester College offers the widest range and most flexible combinations of A-levels and T-levels in the region, alongside a growing suite of vocational courses, apprenticeships, and adult provision. The College bridges the gap between school and higher education or employment, fostering independence and ambition through an inclusive, respectful, and aspirational learning environment.

The College is defined by its strong focus on education and equity. It offers a unique and welcoming culture where learners are encouraged to “be who you are.” This inclusive ethos is particularly evident in the College’s commitment to supporting SEND learners, with no measurable gap in outcomes - a testament to its student-first approach.

Cirencester College has benefited from recent capital investment, further enhancing its learning and social environments. While the College was graded "Requires Improvement" by Ofsted in March 2024, it has since undergone a positive monitoring visit and is fully committed to delivering the improvements needed to achieve a ‘Good’ or better outcome at the next inspection. Importantly, the College's financial health has been graded ‘Outstanding’ as of April 2025, providing a strong foundation for continued strategic development.

Governors at Cirencester College play a central role in shaping the institution’s future. This is an exciting time to join the Board, as the College begins implementation of a new strategic plan. The governing body is values-led, with long-standing, committed members (some with over 30 years' service), and is supported by strong stakeholder feedback and excellent staff retention.

New governors will have the opportunity to make a real impact through participation in key committees - including Audit, Search and Governance, and Remuneration - and by serving as ‘Focus Governors’ for specific areas aligned with their expertise. Their insights will contribute directly to projects that enhance the College’s curriculum, facilities, and learner experience.

Looking ahead, Cirencester College aims to build on its strengths to further improve educational outcomes, expand regional partnerships, and cement its reputation as the leading provider of sixth form education in the South West. The College is mission-driven, with a clear and purposeful focus on transforming the life chances of young people.

The College’s requirements

The Corporation Board at Cirencester College is seeking to appoint three new governors to strengthen strategic oversight, support academic and inclusive excellence, and contribute to effective governance. The College is particularly seeking individuals with expertise in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), safeguarding, and audit.

One vacancy is for an individual with significant experience in SEND. The ideal candidate will bring a background in education, social work, youth work, healthcare, or another field closely aligned with inclusion and additional needs. A strong understanding of statutory SEND requirements, inclusive education practices, and relevant legislation is essential, alongside the ability to ask insightful questions and advocate for equity and high aspirations. Previous experience in the 16–19 sector is welcomed but not required; a commitment to learning about the further education environment is more important. This role will involve working closely with senior leaders to ensure robust strategic oversight of SEND provision, championing inclusion, and promoting positive learner outcomes.

The Board is also looking to appoint a new member with expertise in safeguarding. This individual will have senior-level safeguarding experience, ideally within education or a related field, and will understand safeguarding legislation, policy implementation, and risk identification. They will be confident reviewing safeguarding data and procedures, scrutinising policy effectiveness, and constructively challenging the College’s approach to keeping learners safe. A key part of the role will be working with the Designated Safeguarding Lead and senior leadership to ensure statutory responsibilities are met and that a culture of safety and care is embedded across the College.

A third vacancy exists on the Audit Committee. The College is seeking someone with strong experience in audit, risk management, governance, or finance, ideally within the public sector, education, charity, or another regulated setting. This individual will bring a strong working knowledge of internal and external auditing practices, public sector financial frameworks, and risk assurance processes. The ability to provide independent scrutiny, challenge management where necessary, and support a robust culture of accountability is critical. The role would suit someone with a clear understanding of governance standards and the confidence to engage constructively with complex information and strategic risk. There is potential for the successful applicant to step into the role of Audit Committee Chair in the future, forming part of the College’s broader succession planning.

All new governors will join a committed and experienced Board during a pivotal period of growth and improvement. The College has a well-established induction process, including a buddy system, early engagement with senior leaders, and access to training in key areas such as safeguarding, governance, and finance. Governors are also invited to tour the campus, meet staff and students, and observe meetings before actively contributing to decision-making. Ongoing support, training, and appraisal are provided to ensure governors are confident, engaged, and well-prepared to make a meaningful contribution.

These roles are an excellent opportunity for professionals who are passionate about education, equity, and community impact. As a governor, you will help shape the future of the College, challenge and support senior leaders, and ensure that every learner has the opportunity to succeed.

Time commitment and meeting schedule

Governors at Cirencester College typically volunteer the equivalent of up to two days per month, covering preparation, attendance at meetings, committee participation, and occasional in-person engagement on campus. The time commitment may vary depending on committee responsibilities and areas of specialism, and we encourage prospective candidates to discuss their availability during the application process.

The Corporation Board meets six times per academic year, with meetings held in person at the College on Mondays at 5pm. Each Corporation meeting is preceded by a short training session at 4:30pm. In addition to Corporation meetings, governors also contribute to one or more committees aligned with their skills - such as Audit, Remuneration, or Search and Governance - which also meet in person in the College’s Board Room.

The College holds additional engagement events including Strategy Review (September), a Strategy Away Day (April) and an informal End of Year event (July), which offer further opportunities for discussion, relationship-building and strategic thinking.

Governors are also invited to contribute their professional insights by taking on a specialist role in areas such as safeguarding, SEND, or curriculum. These responsibilities are likely to involve termly meetings with senior leaders and reviewing relevant data or policies.

While meetings are scheduled in person to foster collaboration and maintain strong governance relationships, the College offers flexibility where required. The full 2025–2026 meeting schedule is already in place to support early planning and transparency for prospective governors.

Skills

• SEND
• Finance
• Safeguarding
• Usual start time of meeting: Mondays, 17:00

What does the role include?

Governors work together as a board to provide strategic leadership, ensuring the College Corporation or company is legally compliant, financially sustainable, and delivers excellent value for public funds. FE College Corporations / companies operate as independent charitable institutions, with governors acting as charity trustees and the governing board ultimately accountable for overall performance.The principal regulator of FE and Sixth-Form College corporations is the Secretary of State for Education, and the Department for Education (DfE) works closely with the FE Commissioner and sector stakeholders to both regulate and support FE governance. Where needed, support is provided by the Commissioner’s team of advisers and National Leaders of Governance for FE, who offer peer-led mentoring. To read further about regulation, support and intervention please refer to the sixth-form College Corporations: governance guide, linked within the further reading below.The following webpage provides further information and reading to any potential volunteers: https://governorsforschools.org.uk/fe/the-role-of-a-further-education-governor/.

What are the benefits?

Volunteering on a College Corporation board is a meaningful way to shape learner’s lives and strengthen education in your community. You will play a vital role in setting strategic direction and holding executive leaders to account — ensuring the College delivers the best outcomes. This is a great opportunity to support your career development and give back to education.

Further information:

You can also find out more public information about the College on the Get Information About Schools Page: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Search?SelectedTab=Groups.Cirencester College reference number is 130686.After applying you can access our free eLearning ‘An Introduction to Further Education Governance’ in preparation for a role: https://governorsforschools.org.uk/fe/the-role-of-a-further-education-governor/.The Department for Education (DfE) has produced a guide for governors in FE settings. This gives more detail about how governance should look and what the role and remit of governors in this setting will be. View links to this guide and further reading: https://governorsforschools.org.uk/fe/recommended-fe-reading/If you have any questions before applying, please contact our FE Recruitment Team at [e-mail].

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