Governance
New Directions College is Reading Borough Council’s Adult & Community Education (ACE) service. It is part of the Directorate for Economic Growth & Neighbourhood Services. The key senior Officers within the Council that have oversight of the service are; the Executive Director for Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services, the Assistant Director of Culture, Environment and Neighbourhood Services and the Head of Service/Principal for New Directions College.
The College is currently reviewing the Governance structure and is seeking to introduce a new Governance Committee in the Summer of 2021. Unlike a Governing Board of a school or FE/Sixth Form College, a Governance Committee of an Adult and Community Education service has no legal jurisdiction. Instead, it is a group of individuals who support the service to set the strategic direction, monitor performance and increase levels of participation. We aim to establish a committee of no more than 6 members, that focuses on;
- Establishing a service/curriculum with a clear intent – closely aligned to the needs of local learners, businesses and communities.
- Monitoring plans and action to implement service priorities.
- Monitoring performance against agreed key performance indicators and providing scrutiny, challenge and support.
- Promoting the service and supporting growth in the number of adult learners accessing courses
- Evaluating feedback from our service users and staff, through the College’s Listening Strategy and identifying priorities for ongoing service development.
It is our vision that the new Governance Committee will include the Lead Councillor for Education for Reading Borough Council and representatives from key council services, the voluntary and community sector and local employers. We will soon be putting out a call for volunteers who would like to become members.