Home / Roles / Head of Student Participation | City of Wolverhampton College
Head of Student Participation City of Wolverhampton College
Drive attendance, enrichment, learner voice and more at the City of Wolverhampton College, a vibrant FE college seeking a new Head of Student Participation who can lead the elevation of the student experience.
With two campuses within the heart of the city, the City of Wolverhampton College provides high quality education and training to thousands of young people, adults and apprentices every year. From industry led vocational courses to professional qualifications and higher education pathways, the College plays a vital role in supporting the region’s economy, working hand in hand with employers to ensure students gain the skills needed for successful careers.
We are a large, vibrant and diverse further education provider, recognised for meeting local skills needs and transforming lives through learning. We have high aspirations for both our staff and our learners and this is especially true for those who may need additional support as defined by our organisational mission: to be consistently great, enabling students to progress into employment, apprenticeships, further training and higher education.
Our new Head of Student Participation will lead our College wide efforts on student experience. The postholder will have the opportunity to engage in the development and delivery of strategies which drive improvements in attendance, enrichment, personal development, engagement and learner voice across the College, ensuring that every student, particularly vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, is fully supported to succeed.
Who we are
Led by our Principal and Chief Executive, Louise Fall, who was appointed just over a year ago, City of Wolverhampton College currently operates from two main campuses in Wolverhampton – Wellington Road in Bilston and our new state of the art City Learning Quarter, which opened earlier this year. Across our sites, we deliver over 300 different qualifications through a range of full time and part time courses, including apprenticeships and HE. We also have specialist provisions for polymer training, rail and electric vehicle maintenance delivered from satellite sites at Telford, Dudley and Bentley Bridge (Wolverhampton). Each year, we deliver education and training to around 8,000 students, with many of these being in receipt of additional learning support.
Our most recent Ofsted inspection took place in January 2023 and the College was rated ‘Good’ overall, demonstrating the high level of quality we deliver across the College. Our high needs provision was also found to be Good, with inspectors noting that our learners with high needs make positive progress. The quality of our provision is further demonstrated by our consistently high achievement rates, our growth in student recruitment and the high levels of satisfaction reported by both our students and the 500 staff we employ.
Over recent times, we have been progressing with the launch of our new strategic plan, Defining Our Future 2025-2030 and completing an exciting estate transformation project, which has seen us extend our Wellington Road campus and open our new campus within the City Learner Quarter.
Our new strategy sets out our vision to empower learners of Wolverhampton and beyond with skills, knowledge and positivity needed to thrive and succeed in current and future opportunities whilst highlighting the values of collaboration, ownership, being welcoming and commitment which underpin everything we do.
Our estate development is just one example of how we continue to evolve and develop our provision, ensuring that the education and training we deliver are of the highest quality whilst led by the needs of our local community, employers and stakeholders such as the West Midlands Combined Authority.
About the role
Our new Head of Student Participation will provide strong leadership and operational oversight of the key services listed below, shaping a cohesive, high impact approach to participation and inclusion across the College.
Reporting to our Assistant Principal – Quality and Engagement, Rachael Aston, our new Head of Student Participation will be responsible for key areas of our delivery, which include:
* Engagement
* Welfare
* Personal Development
In this pivotal role, you will lead the development and implementation of the College’s Student Participation Strategy. Through the intelligent use of data, you will monitor trends, inform targeted interventions and drive continuous improvement across the college in attendance, retention and overall learner experience.
Your actions will be central to ensuring that these functions collectively enhance the learner journey and support the institution’s mission to help every student gain the skills, qualifications and confidence they need to progress.
You will oversee core services, including the Student Hub, Study Hub, Progress Coaches, welfare and counselling, ensuring cohesive, high quality and inclusive support that removes barriers to participation, particularly for vulnerable and disadvantaged learners.
By championing learner voice, strengthening the tutorial and enrichment offer and fostering collaborative working with curriculum, safeguarding and support teams, our Head of Student Participation will play a central role in shaping a positive, ambitious and inclusive culture.
A key element of the role is to champion learner voice and embed meaningful participation across the College, ensuring students actively influence enrichment, tutorial content and wider aspects of College life. There will be an opportunity to lead the continued development of the tutorial and personal development frameworks, including PSHE, careers education and essential themes that contribute to well‑rounded, confident learners. Working collaboratively with curriculum leaders, safeguarding, wellbeing and support teams, you will create a unified and proactive approach that strengthens inclusion, drives persistence and enhances the student experience at every stage.
The impact of this role will be seen in improved attendance patterns, greater retention, enhanced wellbeing and a richer, more empowering environment where all students, regardless of background, feel supported, valued and able to thrive. By shaping culture, influencing strategy and leading high impact services, the Head of Student Participation will play a central role in ensuring that the College remains a welcoming, ambitious and student centred institution.
Who we are looking for
The successful candidate appointed as our new Head of Student Participation will need to demonstrate a strong background in student support, personal development or participation within a further education setting similar to ours.
Candidates for this role will need to demonstrate their ability to shape and drive high impact services that enhance the learner experience, with a proven track record of leading student support functions.
Not only will you have previously delivered across the learner support and personal development spectrum, but you will also possess a clear understanding of regulatory requirements, quality assurance and inspection processes in education and preferably within further education.
Given the focus of this role, if will be vital that candidates are able to demonstrate a solid grasp of safeguarding, equality, diversity and SEND related initiatives, alongside the ability to design inclusive, accessible support that removes barriers to engagement.
Our appointed candidate will be able to demonstrate a high level of communication skills, both written and verbal and an ability to build strong working relationships, both internally and externally. These skills will be essential as you seek to influence improvement and foster collaborative partnerships.
We seek an effective leader with experience in successfully managing teams with an inclusive, value led style. These skills, coupled with your credibility, will allow you to motivate others and drive performance to achieve the highest standards across your team and the wider College.
You will possess strong organisational and time‑management skills as well as experience of working with data, systems and databases to monitor trends, shape interventions and demonstrate impact.
Our ideal candidate will be learner centred, approachable and empathetic, able to respond to the emotional and practical needs of diverse students with sensitivity and professionalism. You will bring resilience, sound decision‑making skills and a calm, solution‑focused approach to complex challenges.
Ultimately, we are looking for an inspiring, learner centred leader who can champion inclusion, build strong relationships, empower teams and play a pivotal role in shaping an ambitious, supportive and empowering culture across the College. If you are committed to enhancing participation, removing barriers and delivering excellence, we’d love to hear from you.
Learn more about City of Wolverhampton College
To view the role description and person specification, please go to the ‘How to Apply’ tab above, fill in your details and download the job pack. For further information or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:
If you would like to know more about this role please contact Dan Baxter
Welcome from the Principal and CEO and Assistant Principal - Quality and Student Engagement
At City of Wolverhampton College, we are proud of our commitment to ‘Defining Futures’ through learning and to creating an inclusive, ambitious and supportive environment where every student can thrive. As part of a refreshed and forward looking approach to student support and engagement, we have created two new senior leadership roles that sit at the heart of our College strategy and on our senior management team.
These roles represent a significant opportunity to shape the next phase of our inclusive practice, strengthening student participation, engagement, attendance and personal development, while also ensuring that learners with SEND and additional needs experience high quality, ambitious provision that enables strong outcomes and meaningful progression. We are seeking exceptional leaders who are passionate about inclusion, driven by impact and committed to removing barriers so that all students — particularly those who are vulnerable or disadvantaged — can succeed.
You will work closely with the executive management team, Rachael Aston, Assistant Principal for Quality and Student Engagement, as your Executive Line Manager, who will provide strategic support, collaboration and challenge as we continue to embed a culture of high expectations, continuous improvement and learner centred practice.
You will also work alongside Principal and CEO Louise Fall and the wider Senior Management Team to influence whole College strategy, contribute to organisational leadership and help shape the future direction of the College.
If you are an experienced, values driven leader who wants to make a tangible difference to students’ lives and play a pivotal role in an ambitious, inclusive College, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Louise Fall
Principal and CEO
Rachael Aston
Assistant Principal – Quality and Student Engagement
Accessibility
We understand that different members of the community have different access needs and have made some modifications to the way we do business to accommodate people from diverse communities and abilities. We offer the following amenities:
* Step free access to the building, all key meeting rooms and bathrooms and an accessible workstation
* Accessibility dogs are welcome
* Interviews can be held in meeting rooms that support hearing loops
* Papers and materials can be presented in different formats
* A sign language interpreter can be accessed for the interview
* Working patterns and locations can be adjusted
For further information or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:
To access a full job description and application details,
please fill out the form below.
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To formally apply, please submit a CV and supporting statement (ideally maximum 2 sides of A4 each) that clearly outlines your suitability for the role against the criteria provided in the person specification, including your interest and motivationin applying for this position.
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Please ensure that your application is emailed to response@peridotpartners.co.uk, inserting “Application: City of Wolverhampton College—Head of Student Participation” into the subject field. You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 2-3 days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please contact our admin team.
For further information or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:
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Timetable
Closing date: 9 a.m. Monday 13th April 2026
Candidates informed of outcome: Thursday 16th Aprill 2026
First stage interview activities: Monday 27th April 2026
Second stage formal interviews: Thursday 30th April 2026
We are in the process of confirming interview dates. Once confirmed, we will update the site and contact those who have applied.
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