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19 April 2026

Author: Sue Pember

What’s the best way to measure board effectiveness?

Dr Sue, director of policy and external relations at Holex, answers your questions, backed by her experience as principal of Canterbury College and in senior civil service posts in education and skills. Question One: Are we an effective board? We are about to evaluate our effectiveness as a board. I am aware of the proformas […]

Whether or not we create Institutes of Technology is not the immediate issue

Labour manifesto pledge: Abandon plans for new technical colleges and use funding for more teachers Sue Pember argues AGAINST The Conservative and Labour manifestos both advocate investing more in the future of young people and both embrace the concept of lifelong learning, which is to be applauded. However, the way they suggest this can be […]

Can a college chair of governors job share?

Dr Sue, director of policy and external relations at Holex, answers your questions, backed by her experience as principal of Canterbury College and in senior civil service posts in education and skills. Question One: Advice for chairs I am new to FE but have chaired a charity and found the National Council of Voluntary Organisations […]

Principals’ remuneration: What benchmarks should we be using?

Dr Sue, director of policy and external relations at Holex, answers your questions, backed by her experience as principal of Canterbury College and in senior civil service posts in education and skills. Question One: GCSE resits I don’t understand why the issue of GCSE resits is so divisive. At the college where I am a […]

Are governors responsible for sub-contractors?

Dr Sue, director of policy and external relations at Holex, answers your questions, backed by her experience as principal of Canterbury College and in senior civil service posts in education and skills. Question One: Where have all the adults gone? David Lammy’s passionate speech on the return of night schools prompted me to ask whether […]

To increase social mobility, invest in adult education

To increase social mobility, government needs to look beyond grammar schools and universities and invest properly in adult education, says Sue Pember In his autumn statement, the chancellor specifically identified the UK’s poor productivity as a matter of national concern. Part of this productivity gap is down to poor skills, especially adult skills. Adults working […]

Are college governors personally liable if something goes wrong?

Dr Sue answers your questions on all aspects of governance, from taking time off to liability.   Question One: Time off work As a school governor I was given time off work. Does the same apply to college governors? Answer: Governors frequently ask about their entitlement to time off work to carry out their functions. […]

Adult skills budget devolution still needs national strategy

While devolution of the adult skills budget will lead to better use of public funds, an overall strategy to guide spending is sorely lacking, says Sue Pember. Much to the surprise of many, in his autumn statement the chancellor said that the government remains committed to devolving powers to help local areas address productivity barriers. […]