An analysis of the role and responsibilities of chairs of further education college and sixth-form college governing bodies in England

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron Hill ◽  
Chris James
Keyword(s):  
Training And Development ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Specific Training ◽  
Governing Body ◽  
College Governance ◽  
Education College ◽  
High Level ◽  
Further Education Colleges ◽  
The Chairs ◽  
Sixth Form

This article reports research into the role and responsibilities of the chairs of governing bodies of further education colleges and sixth-form colleges in England. Further education colleges and sixth-form colleges represent a significant part of post-16 educational provision in England. Every college in the sector has a governing body, which has a chair elected from and by the governing body’s membership. Sixteen chairs from further education and sixth-form colleges in England were interviewed and data themes identified: the chair’s role and responsibilities reflect those of chairs in non-further education/sixth-form college settings; a range of expertise is required, but detailed educational knowledge is not a priority in the requisite skill-set; chairs consider they bring a range of high level values and commitments to the role; chairs’ participation in role-specific training and development was not a strong theme; the responsibility of being the chair is substantial and complex; high-quality chair–principal relationships are crucial and complex; the governing body clerk has a significant role in relation to the chair, the principal and college governance generally; and the role and the responsibilities of chairs and the way they are specified locally by their governing bodies have significant implications for further education and sixth-form governance.

The role of the clerk to the corporation in promoting the legitimate governance of further education and sixth form colleges in England

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-174
Author(s):  
Colin Forrest ◽  
Janet Goodall ◽  
Ron Hill ◽  
Chris James
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Role Conflict ◽  
Further Education ◽  
College Governance ◽  
First Order ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Education College ◽  
A Company ◽  
Sixth Form

In England, further education college and sixth form college governing bodies are required to appoint a clerk to administer and advise on governing procedure and practice. In this article we report research which aimed to understand and theorise about the role and the associated responsibilities. We analysed the relevant literatures, carried out a national survey of clerks and held seven regional focus group meetings. The role in relation to board matters is significant in institutionalising the governing body and thereby promoting legitimate governance. The clerk’s practices entail communicating the requirements of second-order governance which frame the everyday actions of first-order governance. The context for the role is potentially highly dynamic and clerks’ accountabilities to their boards can be complex. Clerks may have within-college governance responsibilities where their work may be similar to that of a company secretary. These responsibilities can expose clerks to role conflict and complicate accountability relationships, but can also bring benefits to their work with the board. The role, as experienced by clerks, is accorded insufficient status and under-valued, which can affect their authority. We conclude that a role promoting legitimate governance in the English further education sector and in other educational settings is crucial.

scholarly journals Impact arising from sustained public engagement: A measured increase in learning outcomes

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-256
Author(s):  
James A. McLaughlin ◽  
Lynda G. Boothroyd ◽  
Peter Philipson
Keyword(s):  
Student Retention ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Interest In Science ◽  
Outreach Programme ◽  
Tentative Evidence ◽  
Further Education Colleges ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sixth Form

This article details the impact arising from a sustained public-engagement activity with sixth-form students (16- to 17-year-olds) across two further education colleges during 2012/13. Measuring the impact of public engagement is notoriously difficult. As such, the engagement programme followed closely the recommendations of the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) and their guidance for assessing Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF2014) impact arising from public engagement with research. The programme resulted in multiple impacts as defined by REF2014 under 'Impacts on society, culture and creativity'. Specifically: the beneficiaries' interest in science was stimulated; the beneficiaries' engagement in science was improved; their sciencerelated education was enhanced; the outreach programme made the participants excited about the science topics covered; the beneficiaries' awareness and understanding was improved by engaging them with the research; there was tentative evidence of an improvement in AS-level grades; there was indirect evidence of an improvement in student retention. These impacts were evidenced by the user feedback from the sixth-form students collected from 50 questionnaires (split 16 and 34 across the two further education colleges), as well as testimonies from both the teachers and individual participants. This article will be of interest to anyone looking at how to evidence that public engagement has produced impact, in particular with regards to impact arising from a sustained public-engagement activity.

scholarly journals Reviewing the strategic influence of governance professionals in UK colleges: Acting as the translator of the conduct of conduct

2021 ◽  
pp. 174114322110152
Author(s):  
Ron Hill ◽  
Steve Garner ◽  
Aileen Ireland
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Professional Role ◽  
Further Education ◽  
College Governance ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Strategic Influence ◽  
College Boards ◽  
Further Education Colleges

This article considers the contribution of the governance professional to the governing of further education colleges in the United Kingdom and arises from a wider study of the ways in which college boards develop and implement college strategy. This is the first observational study to focus on what the governance professional does within the college governance space. From observation and other forms of evidence, the governance professional performs a significant, challenging and expert role in the processes and practices of governing colleges. The governance professional is instrumental as a governance sense-maker and, at a higher level, as translator of governing deliberations and decision making. The governance professional role in practice can vary depending upon a range of personal, local institutional and national factors. However, in essence the governance professional exists to legitimise college governance through the structures, processes and reporting of governing interactions. The article considers the extent to which the governance professional is pivotal to the governing of colleges and analyses the implications for college governing. Our research identifies some barriers to gaining greater impact from the college governance professional.

scholarly journals Understanding practices of UK college governing: Rethinking strategy and accountability

2021 ◽  
pp. 174114322110536
Author(s):  
David James ◽  
Steve Garner ◽  
Gary Husband
Keyword(s):  
Research Study ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
College Governance ◽  
Institutional Strategy ◽  
Conflicting Demands ◽  
Practice Approach ◽  
Strategy As Practice ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Further Education Colleges

College governing boards are widely held to be the keystone of institutional strategy and the prime locus of support, challenge and accountability in respect of the actions of the senior Executive. Whilst there are many normative prescriptions about the conditions and arrangements required for effective college governance, relatively little is known about how and to what extent the practices of boards reflect or realise these prescriptions. This paper draws upon a unique research study of eight further education colleges across the four nations of the UK. Following Chia and MacKay and Hendry et al., our ‘strategy as practice’ approach gives primacy to emergence and immanence through board practices. Video and observational data, supplemented by some interview and documentary data are used to develop an understanding of governing practices. Our analysis suggests that current normative prescriptions lack the conceptual sophistication required to support governing as it really happens. We offer a reconceptualisation of both strategy and accountability suggesting that the latter includes lateral, inward- and outward-facing functions that make conflicting demands on governors. We argue that these distinctions are vital in enabling further positive development of governing in the college sector.

scholarly journals An examination of the factors influencing students' decisions to study higher education courses in further education colleges in the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-24
Author(s):  
Glynn Jones
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Barriers To Participation ◽  
Lower Status ◽  
Education College ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Further Education Colleges ◽  
Education Courses ◽  
Insight Into

Although there has been much research into why young people choose whether to participate in higher education (HE), there has been far less insight into why they may choose perceived lower status institutions, even though approximately 10% of students attend HE courses in further education (FE) colleges in UK. Students from backgrounds not traditionally associated with HE participation are much more likely to attend such institutions. Explanations for this pattern of participation look to 'barriers to participation' such as academic ability, costs or identity which problematise the students' attitudes to debt and HE. This research is based on interviews with 15 students who were studying HE qualifications at a further education college in England. It finds that although the barriers to participation have an effect, many students are making strategic and even rational decisions to attend the perceived lower status institutions. Their decisions suggest that there needs to be greater recognition of the differing role that HE plays in individual life plans and greater variety in what is on offer.

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