Governors

A merger between Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge Colleges

Introduction

Harrow College & Uxbridge College (HCUC) and Richmond upon Thames College merged formally from 4^th January 2023 to form Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge Colleges ('HRUC'). The Colleges are now officially part of the same organisation and work together to provide the best opportunities to students and trainees, while keeping their individual names and campuses. In addition to the three constituent colleges – Harrow College, Richmond upon Thames College and Uxbridge College – HRUC also includes a dedicated Institute of Technology (IoT). The West London IoT is a partnership between HRUC, Brunel University and a number of key regional and local employers.

The Members of the Corporation (also known as Governors) represent the interests of the local and wider community that HRUC serves. The HRUC Corporation is responsible for the quality of service to its participating students and trainees and their welfare, the financial health of the college group, the proper use of public funds and for ensuring effective management. The Corporation aims to ensure that HRUC continues to be successful in all of these areas. One of the duties of the Corporation is to determine the mission of the college and to ensure that there are effective means of monitoring whether college management is fulfilling the mission. Please click here to view the Instrument and Articles and Standing Orders for HRUC.

Mission

We create choice, opportunities and success. Your future is our priority.

Public Value Statement

Our aim is to meet the education and training needs of learners, employers and the wider community, raising skills levels, contributing to economic growth and maximising individual potential.

Our values

Celebrating success runs through all values:

Commitment to Excellence – Outstanding quality and responsiveness
Diverse and Inclusive – Shape lives and build futures
Enterprising and Responsive – Forward thinking
Sustainable – Create a sustainable future and environment
High Expectations – 'Be the best you can be'
Strong and Effective Leadership – Professional and accountable with integrity
Trust
Integrity
Excellence

Strategic Plan

Please click here to view HRUC's Strategic Plan to 2030.
(HCUC'S previous Strategic Planning 2022-25 and Strategic Plan 2018-21 are shown here for previous reference purposes).

Nolan Committee

The Committee on Standards in Public Life, chaired by Lord Nolan, published a report in May 1996 that identified seven key principles for those serving in public life. These are:

Selflessness
Integrity
Objectivity
Accountability
Openness
Honesty
Leadership

All governors must uphold high standards of public conduct. Governors must ensure that there are no conflicts of interest on any matters being considered by the governing body where a governor’s independent judgement could be affected in any way. The Director of Governance to the Corporation holds the Register of Interests - email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to view the current details. Please click here to view the Code of Conduct of the Corporation.

Membership of the Corporation

The HRUC Corporation has 21 members, and includes people from a range of backgrounds reflecting the communities that HRUC serves. In addition, regular skills audits and periodic reviews of the membership ensure that the HRUC Corporation is mindful of maintaining an appropriate skills mix when new or replacement appointments to the Corporation are made.

The HCUC Corporation is made up of members within the following categories of membership:

14 External governors
3 Staff governors
3 Student governors
The Group CEO

Please click here to view a copy of HRUC's Current Corporation Members.
Brief pen-portraits will be attached for our newly formed HRUC Governing Body Committee once available.
Please click here to view the Governors' Pen Portraits.

Committees

As from September 2023, the HRUC Corporation has the following committees which meet to focus on specialist areas and make recommendations to the main Corporation Board:

Finance & Resources
Commercial Operations
Curriculum Quality Assurance
Audit & Risk
Search, Governance & Remuneration
Estates & Property Task Force

The Search, Governance & Remuneration Committee

The Search, Governance & Remuneration Committee advises the governing board on the appointment of governors - and on any other matters relating to membership and appointment that the governing board delegates to it. The committee consists of relevant members of the governing board. Governors cannot be appointed by the governing board until the advice of the search committee has been sought - except in the case of the CEO and elected governors (staff and student governors). Please click here to view the Search & Governance Committee Terms of Reference.

Stakeholder & Scrutiny Committees - Harrow College, Richmond upon Thames College and Uxbridge College

When HCUC was formed in August 2017 by the merger of Harrow College & Uxbridge College, it was agreed that in addition to the HCUC Corporation Board and Committees, there needed to be a mechanism for the individual colleges to work with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that the education and training offer of each College is relevant, appropriate and responsive to the needs of their local communities. To this end a Stakeholder & Scrutiny Committee (SSC) was established at each College, and this was extended to include Richmond upon Thames College in January 2023. These SSCs are advisory in nature and advise the HRUC Corporation and the Principal of each College on:

The educational character of Harrow College / Richmond upon Thames College / Uxbridge College
The needs of local stakeholders
Strategies to respond to local needs
Strategies to improve the performance of the College

Please click on the SSC webpage for further information, including current members: www.hruc.ac.uk/ssc.

Access to Governing Body Business

Minutes of every meeting of the HRUC Corporation and any document, report or other paper considered at these meetings with the exception of confidential items* are available to the public.
Links to recent minutes from Corporation and Committee meetings are included below. The records prior to January 2023 are held in the previous name of HCUC, as original records of the pre-cursor organisation to HRUC.
(* In some instances information from Corporation and committee meetings will be exempt from disclosure where it contains personal information; information that may damage the commercial interests of the college or that may threaten the health & safety of specific individuals.)

Public Access to Meetings

The HRUC Corporation, or the Chair on its behalf, may at its discretion invite persons who are not members of the Corporation or the Director of Governance to attend Corporation meetings, Committee meetings or parts of meetings. Any such invitations will be issued through the Director of Governance who shall stipulate the portion of the meeting which the person may attend. Such persons may only speak if invited to do so by the Chair of the Corporation or the Committee. The presence of such persons, and the point in the meeting at which they left, shall be recorded in the minutes.

Minutes from Corporation Meetings