Minutes of the East Durham College Full Board Meeting held on 3rd July 2025

J Bromiley (Chair), S. Bullock, A Brennan, G Edmunds, A Jefferson (Teams), R Harrison (Teams), S. Laverick (Teams), S Robson (Teams[SP1] ), T Brown

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 

C Cowan – Assistant Principal Curriculum

S Pritchard – Clerk to the Corporation 

V Parkin – Committee Secretary 

G Cocoran – Designated Safeguarding Lead 

Apologies were received from G Dullage, Val Bailey, H Driscoll, O Fishburn, and L Watson.

No conflicts of interest were declared.

The minutes were reviewed page by page.   The Chair requested an action log to clearly identify open and closed actions with timescales. 

The minutes were approved as a correct record. 

The Principal presented his update to the Board which was confidential.

The Board noted the report

The Designated Safeguarding Lead presented the report.

To conclude the year, there has been an increase in reported safeguarding cases, largely attributed to changes in reporting practices. Staff training has successfully encouraged more consistent and clear reporting of concerns.

While some inconsistencies exist within the classification of data, the overall accuracy is considered reliable. Notably, female students report safeguarding concerns significantly more than male students, with a rising trend in mental health issues observed across the College.

A Governor queried the implications of inconsistencies in reporting. The Designated Safeguarding Lead responded all meetings are now recorded, even those that are just for information purposes, historical concerns previously logged on ProMonitor are now being documented in the My Concern system. Differences were also noted between the College’s reporting and that of the local authority.

The Governor expressed appreciation for the inclusion of data in the report and requested a more detailed breakdown regarding gender reporting, especially considering the complexities around gender identity. Underreporting of males was highlighted, and it was suggested that future reports provide team-based breakdowns for greater clarity. This information will be provided at the next meeting.

Current data shows:

• 57.3% of reports concern female students
• 42.6% concern male students

An age analysis revealed that the majority of reports come from students aged 16-18.

The Chair asked how the College plan to analyse and understand the data in greater depth to inform future safeguarding strategies. It was agreed that establishing a better baseline of where reports originate will be a priority early next year, including looking at how things are categorised in My Concern. 

The College will review data according to how it is recorded, and The Designated Safeguarding Lead reassured governors that weekly safeguarding meetings help identify which cases can be addressed promptly.

The Board acknowledged that the paper had been read by governors in advance of the meeting.

Action items:

1. A team-based breakdown of gender reporting to be presented with the next safeguarding paper. 

The Board noted the report. 

The Vice Principal Curriculum and Performance presented the report outlining recent student trends and ongoing considerations relating to ethnicity and gender.

In terms of ethnicity there has been a noted decrease in the White/British demographic within the College population. The College are considering the potential implications this may have on Estates and other College services, this includes the food groups on offer, prayer room availability, and other support services to accommodate diverse student needs. 

It was highlighted that requests for name changes are increasing. The College are awaiting updated terminology and guidance regarding exams and assessments.

The Chair inquired about implications from recent the Woman Scotland’s Supreme Court decisions regarding gender issues. The Vice Principal Curriculum and Performance confirmed the College continues to follow current guidance, with gender-neutral toilets installed at Houghall and plans to implement similar facilities at WG. Changing rooms are also under review. 

A Governor asked if the College had received any complaints or concerns relating to the gender issues. The Assistant Principal of Business Operations responded the College’s efforts to accommodate students and staff where possible, with no formal complaints reported to date. 

The Assistant Principal of Business Operations reported no new updates to staff but highlighted the College’s age profile, noting a significant proportion of staff are approaching retirement age. Succession planning remains a priority. 

A Governor thanked the team for a clear report and noted the age profile data, acknowledging that some areas have a wider age range than others.

The College continues to maintain an active Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee addressing these ongoing issues.

The Board noted the report.

The Vice Principal Finance and Business Planning provided a verbal update to the Board. The verbal update is confidential. 

The Board noted the report

The Vice Principal Finance and Business Planning presented the update to the board.  The report is confidential.

The Board noted the report

The Vice Principal Finance and Business Planning presented the report to the Board.  The report is confidential.

The Board noted the report. 

The Clerk presented a report to the Board outlining the latest updates to the Governance Handbook, including revisions to the Instrument and Articles of Government.

Following the Search Committee’s recommendation, the Board approved the appointment of MA as a governor, with a term extending until July 2029. MA will serve on both the Curriculum Quality and Standards Committee and the Finance and General Purposes Committee.

Additionally, the Board approved the appointment of AJ to the Remuneration and Search Committee.

The Principal noted the College’s intention to stagger policy end dates to reduce the volume of approvals required at any one Board meeting, thereby streamlining governance processes.

In response to a Governor’s enquiry regarding the College’s process for managing the implementation of new and updated policies, the Vice Principal of Curriculum and Performance explained that policies are uploaded to the Kallidus platform for staff to complete mandatory training and review updates. Annual Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities include policy training, with additional coverage at staff inductions. All staff have continuous access to policies and procedures via the College extranet.

Following the discussion on policy implementation, the Chair requested an update on Board training. The Assistant Principal of Business Operations confirmed that governors would receive communications from the College’s Training and Development Officer, including instructions on accessing Kallidus and identifying mandatory training requirements. A collective email will be circulated, followed by individual emails to each governor. New governors are expected to complete training in Safeguarding, EDI, Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The College will accept certificates for any equivalent prior training.

In relation to the Safeguarding policy, a Governor asked how the College supports vulnerable students who leave during the academic year. The Vice Principal of Curriculum and Performance reassured the Board that students leaving mid-year receive referrals to Durham Works, which assists them in finding alternative education or training opportunities.

The Board noted and approved the policies.

Actions:

1. The Training and Development Officer to email governors specifying the training they are required to complete.

The Board reviewed the proposed schedule of meetings for the 2025-2026 academic year and recommended the following changes:

• The Chair requested that Search Committees be held before the main Board meetings rather than held as standalone sessions.
• The Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting originally scheduled for 27th November will be moved to 13th November.
• The Audit and Risk Committee meeting originally scheduled for 13th November will be moved to 27th November.
• The May Board meeting will take place at Houghall.

The Chair also noted a discussion with the Principal regarding an additional session with governors focusing on the emergent strategy, planned for early Autumn. This session aims to involve governors from the outset in the development of the strategy. The format of this session is yet to be determined.

Actions:

1. Strategy session for governors and College representatives to be arranged.
2. The updated schedule of meetings to be circulated to all governors.

Following discussion, the Board was pleased to confirm that the Principal had passed his probationary period.