The Corporation (Governing Body) works at the strategic level, making the ‘big’ decisions about the ‘character’ of the College (i.e. what is provided, for whom and at what cost) and the direction it takes in responding to current and future needs.
The principal ‘stakeholders’ in the College are our students and their success and the quality of their learning experience firmly underpin all that Governors do. They are also concerned that the College meets the needs and expectations of the wider community and Governors’ collective knowledge and experience equips them to provide an effective ‘bridge’ between the community and the College.
The Corporation is ultimately answerable to Parliament for delivering on key policies, to the funding agencies and is also subject to inspection and audit scrutiny.
The college’s Annual Report and Financial Statement, which is a publicly available document, includes a report of the Corporation. Regular articles are also published in the college’s ‘Staff Update’ magazine. Minutes of meetings are available on the College website here.
Governors self-assess their own performance and monitor actions to improve their performance. They also receive an annual report from the Clerk of the Corporation on the operation of governance. Any formal complaint against the conduct or actions of the Corporation would be investigated by the Clerk to the Corporation under the terms of the college Complaints Policy. No such complaints have been received to date.
Runshaw College External Board Review
In accordance with the requirements set out in the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022, the College commissioned an external governance review through the Association of Colleges during the 2023/24 academic year. The review was carried out by Ron Matthews between January and May 2024. The review highlighted a number of strengths and areas of good practice and concluded that the Board is proficient and consistently impacts positively on college strategy, effectiveness and outcomes.
The recommendations arising from the review are now incorporated into the Governance Development Plan which is overseen and regularly monitored by the Board. The College’s next review will take place in 2026/27.
Annual Report & Financial Statements
The Corporation approve our Annual Report and Financial Statements for formal submission to the Skills Funding Agency / Education Funding Agency, who are the college’s principal funding sources.
The report comprises:
- The college Mission Statement
- Highlight achievements for the year
- Corporation membership
- Operating and Financial Review
- Report of the Corporation
- Statement of Governors’ responsibilities
- Auditor’s report to the Corporation
- Accounting policies
- Income and expenditure account, balance sheet and related financial information
- Five year financial summary
- Social responsibility report
Our Accountability Statement and Financial Statement can be viewed below. Click below to access previous documents.
Register of Interests
Governors and co-opted Committee members are required to declare all financial and other interests of themselves and near family/partners. This is done in the interests of openness and to avoid any conflict of interests. Interests are also declared by members concerned as and when a possible conflict of interests arises. Such declarations are recorded in the minutes. Anyone wishing to view the Register of Members’ Interests should contact the Clerk to the Corporation.