New College Worcester is a unique education provider with big ambitions. They seek new Governors who can help to shape and support the future of their organisation.
Who we are
New College Worcester is a unique college, delivering education to young people who are blind or vision-impaired (VI) in a beautiful, rural setting to the southwest of Worcester. We pride ourselves on providing a caring, safe, supportive and aspirational environment for students to develop their knowledge, skills and personal qualities.
Our College has a long and proud history. Initially established in 1886, we moved to our current site over a century ago. Today, the College welcomes students from across the country. As a provider of both day and, predominantly, residential education, the majority of our students attend from outside the immediate local area.
Due to this ‘national catchment area’, the College works with over 50 different local authorities, and we try hard to foster a sense of community; we are very proud of our success in relation to this. It is this sense of ‘feeling like family’ which is frequently described by staff, students, and parents/carers alike, and is one of the keys to our success.
“Being a Governor at NCW is a role where you can use your expertise to make a genuine difference. Given our national catchment, this is also a chance to make an impact on a national level, with nothing more than the gifts of your experience and your time. Given the journey we’ve been on in recent years, it is important to stress that we wouldn’t be here without our Governors.”
Rachel Perks, Principal
Senior leaders and Governors have worked tirelessly to ensure that the College has the appropriate mix of education and curriculum knowledge coupled with expertise relating to visual impairments and safeguarding to create a successful, ambitious and safe learning environment for our students.
The College currently delivers a curriculum almost identical to that provided in a mainstream setting, from Years 7 to 13 (aged 11-19). Our provision includes GCSEs and A Levels but with an additional focus on independent living skills, mobility, accessibility technology, braille, and a keen focus on extra-curricular opportunities. The College has a lot of success in relation to academic attainment, with many going on to further and higher education, but at New College Worcester, success isn’t just about grades or pass rates. Whilst these are of course important, success to New College Worcester means ensuring our young people are appropriately prepared to live independent, happy and fruitful lives once their education is complete.
At present, the College currently has 58 students on roll, 23 of these are in our sixth form and 48 reside at college. We have capacity for further students and so recruitment will continue to be a key driver for us in the future.
Over the last few years, we have established an almost entirely new senior leadership team, led by our Principal, Rachel Perks, who joined us in September 2022. This team, together with our Governors and Trustees, have led an in-depth, root and branch restructuring of the College alongside a successful improvement process.
“When our College achieves such great outcomes for our students, and when Ofsted recognises these, given our journey, we know that the future is exciting. Being a Governor here gives you a chance to bring your knowledge and experience to a truly exceptional College and help us to write the next chapter.”
Linda Morris, Vice Chair
The improvements we have achieved have been recognised by our staff, students, their families and Ofsted. In April 2022, we were graded as Inadequate for our education provision, but through the hard work and determination of our whole staff team, we were delighted to be graded as Good with Outstanding features in November 2024. We have also experienced the same improvements in our residential provision, moving from Inadequate (February 2022) to Good (June 2024). Whilst these organisational developments and improvement have led to a wide range of positive outcomes for both our students and our staff, we believe our journey is far from over and we now seek to add new members to our Board who can bring their professional expertise as well as appropriate scrutiny, challenge and support to help drive us towards achieving our vision of becoming a world leader in education and care for young people with a vision impairment.
About the role
We are seeking to appoint three new Governors to join our Board as well as having a role on a relevant committee.
As a Governor, you will support our organisational aspirations and ensure that the College can continue to offer high-quality education in a setting where our learners are safe and well cared for. Safeguarding and wellbeing are paramount to us for our learners.
We are looking for Governors with the following expertise:
Finance, Resources & Safeguarding Committee
Our Finance, Resources and Safeguarding Committee (FRSC) is a space where we discuss a broad range of issues relating to the wider functions of our college, not just finance. Therefore, we seek candidates with expertise that will complement the existing skill sets on the Board, such as health and safety, cyber security, marketing and student recruitment. We would also be keen to hear from those with strategic expertise in finance in an educational context.
Education Services & Safeguarding Committee
We have a broad range of expertise on our Education Services and Safeguarding Committee (ESSC) and find great value in having a diverse range of experience on our Board to offer guidance, advice and challenge with the decisions we make in relation to our curriculum and care. We seek candidates with strategic experience in the cross-section of the education sector, including secondary, further and specialist provision. Candidates with additional experience in safeguarding in an educational context will be very much welcomed.
Residential Care & Safeguarding Committee
As a member of our Residential Care & Safeguarding Committee (RCSC), we seek candidates with knowledge and experience of safeguarding young people and vulnerable adults, along with an up-to-date knowledge of relevant policies and practice. This does not need to have been in a formal education setting. We are open to candidates with experience in the residential care sector, especially where this relates to young people.
Time Commitment & Expectations
Our Full Board of Governors meet once per term, three times per year. These meetings take place in person at the College, usually on a Wednesday morning. We usually provide opportunities for further governor engagement following the full governing body meeting, so governors can engage more deeply in college activities as their availability allows.
Each of the three committees to which new members may be appointed meets three times per year.
Members of our Education Services and Safeguarding and the Finance, Resource and Safeguarding Committees meet online, whilst our Residential Care & Safeguarding Committee usually meets in person. Members of this latter committee will also be required to do more frequent visits so that they are able to check in on our safeguarding records and processes.
We believe that Governors will need to dedicate between 10-15 hours per term to their role. There will, of course, be fluctuations within this, dependent on the time of year, the committee you sit on and any emerging business.
Peridot Partners and New College Worcester are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and our client expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references before any final offer can be made.
For further information about the role or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:
Dan Baxter | dan@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07939 994524
Olivia Robson | olivia@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07903 924770
Rachel Perks, Principal
Pat Dyson, Chair of the Board
Welcome and Thank You from the Principal and Chair of Governors
New College Worcester is a unique educational setting for children and young people who are blind or vision-impaired. As a residential non-maintained special school, we have children and young people from all over the UK and further afield.
Our students have access to teachers and resources often unavailable in mainstream education. Learning is continued and embedded over evenings and weekends where a programme of extra-curricular activities provides support towards independent living and friendships which last a lifetime. These opportunities enable our students to develop the skills, confidence and attitude to become successful and thriving young adults.
Over the last three years, Governance has played a massive role in the continued success of New College Worcester. Our governors are knowledgeable, informative, supportive and, above all, passionate in their support of the Principal and the Senior Leadership Team in ensuring all students have the skills to succeed in their chosen pathway after leaving New College Worcester.
We are seeking governors for each of our governance committees and welcome applicants who feel they have the skills, knowledge and time to help us move the college forward in our exciting next stage of strategic development.
We would personally like to thank all candidates for applying for this Governor role and wish you good luck with your application.
About New College Worcester
New College Worcester (NCW) is an independent national residential college for young people aged 11 to 19 who are blind or vision-impaired. It has been in existence for over 150 years in various forms and is now a non-maintained special school. At NCW, it is our aim to ensure there are no barriers to success for any child with a vision impairment. The combination of tailored learning, extra-curricular experiences and the immense support offered by staff and peers means that every child has the opportunity to achieve their very best potential.
New College Worcester provides:
- Academic focus for students with a vision impairment aged 11-19 years.
- Expert subject teachers are qualified to teach vision-impaired students.
- A ‘Waking Day’ curriculum – learning doesn’t stop at the end of the school day.
- An individualised approach for every student and very small class sizes.
- An ethos which puts students first.
- A robust safeguarding environment.
- Increased student employability through academic achievement and social skills.
- High aspirations for every student.
- Outreach Service offering training and advice to mainstream settings.
- Work experience, internships and careers guidance.
- A transcription service to ensure all learning materials are individualised for each student.
We pride ourselves on:
- Providing opportunities for the academically gifted students.
- Maximising educational outcomes for all children and young people with a vision impairment.
- Fitting each student with skills for life that result in them being independent, self-confident and able to lead productive and fulfilled lives.
The College accepts students with a broad variety of vision impairments, and some students have additional needs such as a hearing impairment, autism or have limited mobility. Places are usually funded by the student’s Local Authority.
NCW Students have a wide range of academic ability following the National Curriculum at Key Stage 3, followed by GCSEs and AS/A2 courses. The College offers some entry-level and vocational courses in key stages 4 and 5, and some sixth formers follow vocational programmes at a local college, supported by NCW staff. Students also have Independent Living Skills (ILS), Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Mobility, Braille and PE lessons, and some students follow ASDAN courses (personal, social and communication skills).
There are currently 75 students on roll, most of whom stay as full or weekly boarders, with a few attending daily. There is separate accommodation for those in the sixth form, and some sixth formers stay for a third year to consolidate their learning and independence skills.
Thank you for your interest in this role. Please download the Role Description and Person Specification as well as the Application Form.
To formally apply, please submit an application, CV and supporting statement (ideally, a maximum of 2 A4 pages) that clearly outlines your suitability for the role against the criteria in the person specification, including your interest and motivation in applying for this position.
Please include your home address, contact email and mobile.
Please ensure that your application is emailed to response@peridotpartners.co.uk, inserting “Application: New College Worcester — Governor” into the subject field. You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 2-3 days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please contact our admin team.
For further information about the role or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:
Dan Baxter | dan@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07939 994524
Olivia Robson | olivia@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07903 924770
As a sector-leading executive search consultancy, we know the importance of creating recruitment processes that are fair, inclusive, and free from bias. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a process that values differences.
If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010 and can show that you meet the ‘essential’ criteria described in the person specification, please let us know.
If you require any job information in an alternative format (e.g. large print), please contact Dan Baxter. Please also let us know if you would like to submit your application in an alternative format.
Recruitment selection processes are based on evidence of competence stated in the person specification and in relation to our values.
Timetable
Closing date: 9 a.m. Wednesday 1st October 2025
Candidates informed of outcome: Wednesday 8th October 2025
Interviews: Tuesday 14th October 2025
Equal Opportunities Monitoring
Peridot and New College Worcester are committed to promoting equality and diversity. To help us raise awareness and support a culture that is diverse and recognises and develops the potential of all, we need to appreciate the profile of candidates who apply for positions. We will send you an equality monitoring survey at the point of receiving your application and at the time of placement. This ensures that our processes remain inclusive and equitable throughout, and provides us with important data to help us showcase our impact.
The information will be treated confidentially and anonymously and will help us to support our commitment to fair recruitment practice. All information provided will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be shared with anyone, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 launched on 25 May 2018.
The information provided does not form part of the decision-making process and will not affect your application. Learn more about why we collect this data here.
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