Principal’s Update

Welcome to our final bulletin of the Spring Term 2026.
I cannot quite believe we are already at Easter, with some very welcome time off ahead for all of us.

Recruitment

An offer has been made for the new Principal post which has been accepted. The name of the successful candidate will be shared with staff first, and then with wider stakeholders, as soon as we return after Easter, once all checks and final processes have been completed by central HR.

It was a very thorough process, with an interview panel including:

• Kate Wright from Freeda, who has supported us in recent years on staff well-being and diversity
• Richard Corrigan, Head of Economy and former Chair of Governors
• Matthew Corbin, our current Interim Chair of Governors
• Rachel Baxter, Head of Standards
• Keith Posner, Interim Chief Officer, CYPES

All candidates were experienced senior leaders from the UK.

I look forward to welcoming the new Principal and supporting a handover process later in the summer term.

Jessica Tidswell, Gabe Manthorp, and I interviewed candidates for the Stakeholder Relationship Manager post last week and the week before. There was a strong response to the advert, with 16 candidates meeting the essential and desirable criteria. We shortlisted and interviewed eight applicants. All had degrees, and many had masters-level qualifications, with relevant experience for the role. A job offer has been made and accepted, and we will announce the successful applicant once HR processes are complete.

Senior Leadership Team (SLT)

At our weekly SLT meeting, Stuart Philip will be analysing Performance Reviews and Appraisals, having quality assured them, and identifying themes emerging from mid‑year reviews, linking these back to our strategic priorities.

We will also be reviewing the status of whole‑college projects, including progress updates and any barriers to completion.

I will be updating the team on the terms and conditions review for SLT roles for the next academic year. The review will now move into lecturer terms and conditions, as the review of schoolteacher T&Cs has been completed, meaning lecturers are now in scope.

Staff Meeting – 22 April, 9am

We will hold a staff meeting on 22 April at 9am, where I will update you on current work in progress. We will also celebrate Staff Ovations and recognise colleagues who are leaving our community, as well as those who have recently joined.

Budget

We have a shortfall in our Special Educational Needs funding against planned levels, alongside increasing costs due to growth in this area. I will be in discussion with Central Finance about plans for the next three years, given the growing post‑16 demand at Highlands College.

Also, Jersey Property Holdings (JPH) is £900K short on budget to complete the planned 2025 to 2026 maintenance works. Rob Moy will be re-submitting the business case, and Keith Posner, Rob and I will be meeting with the JPH project leads to agree next steps.

Student Careers Fair – 28 April

The Students’ Careers Fair will take place on 28 April at the Merton Hotel. This is always a valuable experience for our learners, giving them the opportunity to meet employers, share their CVs, and ask questions. I look forward to attending this event, organised by James Bennett and the Employability Team.

Finally

Last week I attended a family funeral in London on Tuesday and returned to work on Wednesday. Thank you to everyone involved in the recruitment processes on Monday and Tuesday – these required significant time and support from many colleagues across the college, and your input was valuable.

Wishing you all a lovely short week and a restful Easter break.

With very best wishes,
Jo