East Durham College Full Board Meeting 19th February 2026
Present:
J Bromiley, S. Bullock (TEAMS), M Anderson, G Edmunds, S Laverick, A Jefferson, A Brennan Ellie Farajpour-Javazavi, I Wright, R Harrison, S Robson, V Bailey (TEAMS)
In Attendance:
C Briggs – Vice Principal Curriculum and Performance
J Mitchelson – Vice Principal Finance and Business Planning
H McCoy – Assistant Principal Performance
J Lanagan - Assistant Principal Curriculum Planning and Partnerships
S Pritchard – Clerk to the Corporation
V Charlton – Committee Secretary
Apologies for Absence
Apologies were received from H Driscoll, C Lauder, O Fishburn & L Watson
Conflicts of Interest
No conflicts of interest were declared.
Minutes of previous meeting
The minutes of the meeting held on 11th December were reviewed and approved as a correct record.
Action Log
An update was given on outstanding actions, the majority of which are now complete.
The Board noted the progress against actions.
Principal’s Reports
Principal’s Update (confidential)
The Principal presented the report which was confidential.
The Board noted the report.
Safeguarding Report (Confidential)
The Director of Student Experience and designated safeguarding lead presented the report which was confidential.
The Board noted the report.
Annual Monitoring Report – Complaints 24-25
The Assistant Principal (JL) presented the report, noting it covered 2025–26.
The Board noted the report.
Action: Further analysis and trend data to be included in future annual reports on complaints monitoring in particular around student numbers and the percentage of complaints from female students.
Finance and Resources
Finance Update inc Management Accounts
The Vice Principal for Finance and Business Planning presented the management accounts which were confidential.
The Board noted the report.
Annual Health and Safety Report
The Vice Principal for Finance and Business Planning presented the report, which was noted as confidential.
The Board noted the report.
16-18 Student Bursary Policy
The Assistant Principal presented the policy and outlined amendments and reasoning behind those amendments
The Board noted the amendments.
Governance
Report on Confidential Items
The Clerk to the Corporation presented the annual report and advised that policy remains the same.
The Board noted the report.
Governance Report
Appointment of new Governor IW was discussed at start of meeting.
IW left the room and the Search Committee recommendation was presented to Board members.
The Board appointed IW as a governor for a term of four years and further appointed him the Finance and General Purposes Committee.
The Clerk presented the report and highlighted that some members terms of office would be ending at the end of next academic year, and some key appointments would need to be considered.
An external governance review was undertaken in March 2024 and is required to be completed again by March 2027. A recommendation will be brought to the Board for an external review in due course.
The Board noted the report.
Minutes for Approval:
Minutes of Audit & Risk Committee (Nov 25)
The Chair of Audit and Risk confirmed that substantial items were discussed at Full Board meeting in December.
The Board approved the minutes of the Audit and Risk Committee November 2025.
Any Other Business
A Governor raised issue around some colleges defunding ESOL. The Vice Principal Curriculum and Performance advised that a contingency plan would be considered.
