Three key takeaways from the FE Commissioner's intervention report
The FE Commissioner released a new intervention report on 15 October 2025 on Havant and South Downs College (HSDC). The report highlights several aspects of governance that were overlooked, such as clearly identifying risks and transparent communication with staff, providing key lessons for others in the sector.
Samantha Pritchard, partner, and Thalia Agoglossakis Foley, trainee solicitor in our sports, education and charities team, discuss the report and some key takeaways for senior leadership in FE education.
1. Stay vigilant against financial risks
To ensure good governance of an FE institution, financial reports should be fully understood and any issues which arise should be challenged to avoid financial risk.
In October 2024, governors of HSDC were shocked when they were made aware of financial issues that had not only not been previously raised in board papers but had not even been identified as a risk.
This discovery came ‘out of the blue’ for governors due to their reliance on past inaccurate financial reporting, but also due to positive external feedback.
2. Don’t rely on external evaluations alone
External evaluations of governance should not be over-relied on, as they can create a false sense of security.
During the 2023/24 academic year, Ofsted reported HSDC as ‘Good', and an External Governance Review found that board structures were efficient.
The intervention report, however, found that governors were not made aware of fundamental issues. As in the summer of 2024, the 2023/24 financial accounts presented to the board found a small surplus before further expenditure was later identified, resulting in a deficit.
The FE Commissioner also found that the governors did not challenge certain issues which they should have. The accounts presented to the board were not comprehensive, so the governors could not establish their accuracy.
3. Ensure transparent, two-way communication with leadership
To ensure accountability within an FE college, communication with staff should be transparent, and senior leadership should always be visible.
The FE Commissioner’s intervention report identified a concern amongst HSDC staff that communication from leadership was limited and mostly one-way, with leadership seeming remote and closed.
Some governors voiced their concern as to how they could regain trust in the information they would be given as a board in the future. The concern also extended to how wider trust in the leadership’s financial oversight would be restored.
Considering all areas of governance
Although the recommendations of the FE Commissioner have started to be implemented, the report found that staff still want ‘an explanation’ as to why current financial issues have arisen. Although HSDC has started to resolve the financial issues it faced, there is still a long way to go to restore trust in the senior leadership, which highlights the significant impact that neglecting important aspects of governance can have.
If you have any questions regarding governance of an FE institution, or any of the issues raised in this article, please contact Samantha Pritchard using [email protected] or 0191 211 7905.