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FE and sixth-form college corporations: governance guide
Guidance on strategic leadership and the governance of college corporations.
Essential reading for FE governors
Explanation of terms
An explanation of the terms used in the FE and sixth-form college governance guide.
College financial handbook
The DfE handbook provides an overarching framework for implementation of effective financial management and other controls in your college. As a college governor—especially on the audit committee—you’ll need to understand key financial regulations and compliance guidelines.
16 to 19 funding: how it works
Understand how the DfE calculates 16–19 education funding. All governors must read Keeping Children Safe in Education (Part 2), which outlines your legal duty to safeguard students. Statutory guidance explains what colleges must do to meet legal requirements. Where it says colleges should act, this must be followed unless there’s a strong reason not to.
Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE)
Statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.
Optional further reading
To help understand the FE sector and how this phase of education works in England, the ETF has produced a useful guide. Each year, the Association of Colleges produces an overview of the main facts and figures relating to colleges in England if you’d like a better understanding of the demographic context of FE settings across the country.
So what is the FE sector guide to the further education system in England?
You can read more about the different types of provider in this guide produced by the Education & Training Foundation.
College Key Facts
This overview contains information on student numbers in education and on apprenticeships as well as statistics on curriculum and quality, diversity, sport, mental health, international, staff and finance.
The essential trustee: what you need to know, what you need to do
What’s required of a charity trustee, including your responsibilities to your charity.
DfE-funded Governance Programmes
The DfE-funded Governance Development Programme (GDP) is aimed at developing the skills of both new and existing board members and, where appropriate, clerks/company secretaries in Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges. Delivered by the Education & Training Foundation.
Staying up to date with sector developments
There are many different sources of information and resources for governors, and it’s a good idea to find out what is available to your board, as they may have a subscription to a particular provider.
Here are some free options that can provide relevant sector updates:
Governors for Schools webinars
Rewatch a range of webinars on topical issues for school and college governors, and sign up to upcoming sessions to stay informed and improve your governance practice.