With over 25 years of experience in both the corporate and education sectors, including roles in training, HR, student services, and work-based learning, Sarah Atkins-Boal brings a wealth of expertise to her position as Head of Further Education Appointments at Peridot Partners.
Sarah has over two decades of experience in further education, most recently as Student Experience Manager at a college in the East Midlands, where she oversaw careers, admissions, work experience, student welfare, and safeguarding. Her experience also includes managing ESF projects and delivering workplace skills and qualifications.
She joined Peridot in 2018, finding great satisfaction in her move from the education sector to recruiting leaders within it. She particularly enjoys partnering with colleges to improve their quality, delivery, and finances through strategic and transformative appointments.
At Peridot, Sarah quickly established herself as the go-to consultant for board and leadership appointments in the FE sector, forging strong relationships with leadership teams and governance professionals nationwide. She has successfully led executive search campaigns for high-profile positions at numerous colleges, including City of Bristol College, West Nottinghamshire College, and Halesowen College, among others. She has also appointed over 250 non-executive board members, chairs, trustees, and governors, seeking talented and motivated people from within the education sector and from wider commercial sectors.
Sarah’s commitment to education extends beyond her professional role; she served as Chair of Toot Hill School & Sixth Form, her former secondary school and an Ofsted Good provider in Nottinghamshire. Outside of work, she enjoys family walks on the beach and relaxing with a glass of wine. Sarah is trained in safer recruitment and advises on best practices in line with KCSIE.
Talk to Sarah about:
“I would highly recommend Peridot and Sarah Atkins-Boal, in particular, for their successful handling of the recruitment process for external governors of Gloucestershire College. The process needed to be completed in a very short timeframe, and Peridot quickly issued us with a comprehensive plan and timeline. Sarah understood the brief, having worked in further education herself. Communications from Sarah and the team were timely and responsive throughout. Regular progress reports kept us up to speed with the search process, the documentation provided was thorough, and the quality of candidates presented for shortlisting was high.”
Director of Governance, Gloucestershire College
Sarah's selected executive track record:
BMet | Chief Finance Officer
City College Norwich | Interim Clerk
City of Bristol College | Principal & Chief Executive
College of West Anglia | Head of Governance
Eastern Colleges Group | Chief Finance Officer
Halesowen College | Principal & Chief Executive, Chief Financial Officer, Assistant Principal, Director of HR, Director of Governance
New City College | Director of Governance
Preston College | Principal & Chief Executive
South Staffordshire College | Head of Governance
Suffolk New College | Director of Governance
The Henley College | Vice Principal
UCS College Group | Director of Governance & Compliance
West Notts College | Vice Principal (Curriculum & Quality), Finance Director
Wiltshire College & University Centre | Director of Governance & Compliance
Wyggeston & Queen Elizabeth I Sixth Form College | Chief Finance Officer & Associate Principal
Sarah's selected board track record:
Bournemouth & Poole College | Governors
Buckinghamshire College Group | Governors
Capel Manor College | Governors
City of Bristol College | Governors
Halesowen College | Governors
MidKent College | Chair & Governors
Nescot College | Governor
North Kent College | Governors
Nottingham College | Governors
Plumpton College | Chair of Audit, Governor
RNN Group | Governors
SGS College | Chair & Governors
SMB College | Chair & Governors
Stamnore College | Governors
Solihull College | Governors
WCG | Governors
Weston College | Governors
West Nottinghamshire College | Governors
Wiltshire College & University Centre | Chair & Governors
“Peridot provided invaluable support to Northampton College in the recruitment of new governors and co-optees to support the College’s strategic oversight. From the very outset, Sarah and the team were highly professional, skilled in confirming the College’s skills requirements and gave high-quality guidance on the process. They provided a very high standard of candidates, which led to the recruitment of excellent new Governors. They are already making a difference to our College. I would have no hesitation in recommending Peridot or using them again.”
Principal & CEO, Northampton College
Read some of Sarah's articles:
- The impact of FE leadership recruitment on student success and college performance
- Building an authentic employer brand for skills providers
- How to attract the best further education leaders
- Giving back: 3 reasons to consider becoming an education governor
- Top 10 tips for hosting governor and trustee interview panels
- Enhancing board recruitment through being a trustee of a local academy trust
