Governance

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our Chair of the Corporation, Pat Mould, who sadly died on 21 August 2026.
 
Pat dedicated more than 31 years of her life to Wilberforce, having first joined the College’s Corporation in June 1995. In 1998, she became Chair – a position she held with great distinction for 28 years.
 
Throughout her remarkable service to the College, Pat was a passionate and steadfast advocate for Wilberforce, its students and the wider community we serve. Her commitment to education, opportunity and the future of young people was evident in everything she did.
 
Pat brought a wealth of professional expertise to her role. A Chartered Accountant, she had previously worked as Financial Director for J Townend & Sons (Hull) Ltd and as Corporate Finance Manager for Spicer and Oppenheim, before becoming a Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance at the University of Hull. She held a BA in Modern Languages and an MSc in Psychology, reflecting the breadth of her interests and expertise.
 
As Chair of the Corporation, Pat provided strong and thoughtful leadership, helping to guide the College through almost three decades of change and development. She was deeply committed to ensuring that Wilberforce continued to raise aspirations and provide the very best opportunities for its students.
 
Pat was immensely proud of Wilberforce and of the role the College plays in the lives of young people across Hull and the wider community. In her own words:
 
“The Corporation’s Governors work hard to fulfil Wilberforce College’s mission to raise aspirations and serve the educational needs of our community. We provide the strategic direction for the College, and we consider all aspects of our students’ education – from their achievement to their well-being.”
 
Her commitment to education continued throughout her retirement from the University of Hull and beyond. In 2025, Pat was invited to the King’s Education and Skills Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, attending alongside Principal Colin Peaks and fellow long-serving Governor Diana Hoskins in recognition of their contribution to education and skills.
 
Pat leaves an extraordinary legacy at Wilberforce. More than three decades of dedicated service, including 28 years as Chair, have made an enduring contribution to the College and to the generations of students who have passed through its doors.
 
Principal Colin Peaks, the Corporation, staff and students of Wilberforce Sixth Form College extend their deepest condolences to Pat’s family, friends and colleagues.
 
She will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by the entire Wilberforce community.

At Wilberforce Sixth Form College we have an active and passionate board of governors who play an integral role in the continuing development of the College. The Governing body or Corporation as it also known, together with the Principal, constitute the highest level of decision-making in the College, having overall responsibility for the strategic direction and financial health of the institution.

Our board of Governors is well balanced in terms of skills and experience, with members having backgrounds in industry, education and the local authority. The common characteristic of the governing body is a passionate commitment to service the community within which the College is located.

Our governors have a critical role in:

• Ensuring the financial well-being of the College and monitoring the effective and efficient use of resources and the quality of its services
• Assuring that the College’s educational character meets the needs of the community which the College serves
• Ensuring that the College mission and vision both reflects the needs of the community it serves and informs and directs every aspect of the College’s activities
• Monitoring the ethos of the College

We welcome enquiries about governance at Wilberforce. All non-confidential meeting agendas and minutes, along with non-confidential reports considered at the meetings of the Corporation may be inspected by mutual arrangement. The Register of Interests of Members of the Corporation and the College’s Financial Regulations and Procedures are held by the Governance Professional (Clerk) and may also be requested.

For enquiries, or for more information on the timing of reporting please contact:

Laura Skarratt
Governance Professional,
Wilberforce College,
Saltshouse Road,
Kingston upon Hull,
HU8 9HD

Email: Laura.Skarratt@wilberforce.ac.uk
Tel: 01482 711688

Interim Chair of the Corporation:
Trevor Wray
Email: gvtw@wilberforce.ac.uk

External Review of Governance 2022-2023, Governance4FE

• Wilberforce College has ‘mature overall governance’.
• There is ‘strong oversight of the financial management of the college’.
• ‘The Board plays a key role as a sounding board to the Executive’.
• ‘The relationship between the Board and Executive is characterised by candour and mutual respect’.
• Governors involvement in the strategic direction of the the college has been ‘pivotal to the aspirational future direction of the college over the long-term, ensuring that students have the best opportunities to be successful’.
• There is a ‘strong spirit of emotional unity within the boardroom – it embraces changes whilst remaining steadfast in its commitment to the local community’.
• ‘Governors give clear steer and affirmation of the ethos, values, and purpose of the institution’.

External Review of Governance 2025-26, AoC

In accordance with governance requirements and as part of the Corporation’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards of governance, the Corporation commissioned the Association of Colleges (AoC) to undertake an external review of governance during 2025-26. The report is due to be presented to the Corporation in October 2026. An agreed summary of the review will then be published on the College’s website and recommendations arising from the review will be considered for inclusion within the Corporation’s Excellence in Governance Plan.

Would you like to use your knowledge, experience and expertise to make a difference?

The Corporation publishes its Annual Members’ Report and Financial Statements annually and are available on the website for no less than 12 months. For any Annual Members’ Report and Financial Statements not already available on the website, please contact the Governance Professional.

Please find below downloadable minutes documents for Corporation meetings, covering the following: Corporation, Finance and General Purposes Committee, Audit Committee and Quality and Standards Committee.