The Board of Governors is an independent corporation operating under the name Sparsholt College Hampshire (the College), which includes Sparsholt College, Andover College and University Centre Sparsholt.

The Board is made up of volunteers who are appointed to bring a range of skills and experience to the College’s most senior decision-making body. The majority of the Board is made up of ‘external’ members, appointed by the Board according to the skills and experience needed, and drawn from a range of occupations and from the local area. Two staff and two student members are elected by staff and students of the College. The Principal is also a governor.

The names and profiles of the members of the Board and its committees are available below under Governance Documents.  The Chair of Governors is Neil Hopkins.  The correspondence address for the Chair and Board of Governors is: Sparsholt College Hampshire, Sparsholt, Winchester, Hampshire SO21 2NF.

The Board of Governors is collectively responsible for formulating strategy by identifying strategic priorities and providing direction within a structured planning framework, setting objectives and monitoring results, so that the College’s mission ‘Raising Aspirations, Unlocking Potential, Advancing Futures’ may be achieved. Board members are not involved in the day-to-day running of the College; that responsibility is assigned to the Principal, who may also be delegated other powers by the Board. The Board approves a set of College policies which set out how the College operates and complies with its statutory, legal and funding requirements. Board members exercise their responsibilities in the best interests of the College, rather than selectively or in the interests of a particular constituency.

The Board’s main responsibilities are defined as:

  • Determining the educational character, mission, values and ethos of the College and overseeing its activities
  • Approving the College’s quality strategy.
  • Ensuring effective management of resources so that the College remains solvent and its assets are safeguarded.
  • Approving annual estimates of income and expenditure.
  • Recruitment and employment of senior post-holders.
  • Setting a framework for the pay and conditions of service of all other staff.

The Board meets at least once each term and has a committee structure of six committees; Audit; Curriculum, Employers and Market Requirements; Quality and Standards; Resources; Search; and Remuneration. The Committees are responsible for in-depth consideration of matters which are then decided upon by the Board. Some committees are strengthened by the addition of co-opted members who bring particular professional skills relevant to the committee’s work, for example the Audit Committee includes co-opted members with accountancy qualifications.  Each committee has Terms of Reference, which define the powers that the Board of Governors has delegated to that committee.

The Board endeavours to ensure that decision-making processes are transparent, well-informed, rigorous and timely, and that appropriate and effective systems of financial, operational and risk control are established and monitored. The Board is accountable to the College’s learners, to the wider community served by the College, and to other stakeholders with an interest in the College’s success. This College publishes an Annual Report and Account. Information on this page below explains how the Board operates and how decisions have been reached. Further information is available from the Head of Corporate Governance, Sally Willson, at sally.willson@sparsholt.ac.uk.

Interested in becoming a Board member?  Contact the Head of Corporate Governance to register your interest.