South East

Dear South East colleagues,

Happy New Year, and welcome to the first South East update of 2026! I hope you were able to enjoy a well-earned and restful break with family and friends over the festive season.

A heartfelt thank you to all the colleges that shared such thoughtful holiday greetings with us. It was wonderful to see the creativity on display, especially the excellent designs produced by students across the region.

We truly appreciate your warm wishes and personal messages of support, and in return we send our very best to you all for a successful and uplifting year ahead.

We were delighted to learn that two of our South East colleagues were recognised in the New Year Honours. Huge congratulations to Sara Russell, Principal, Peter Symonds College, recognised for services to further education who received an OBE, and Julie Kapsalis, Principal and Chief Executive, North East Surrey College of Technology (NESCOT), recognised for services to economic development who received an MBE.

We are also equally delighted to welcome several new appointments across the South East as we begin the year.

Itchen Sixth Form College: Rebecca Stratton, previously deputy principal, steps into the role of principal. She succeeds Alex Scott, who retired in December 2025 after many years of dedicated service.

Havant & South Downs College: Kurt Hintz joins as interim principal, bringing experience from his previous role at Petroc. He takes over from Mike Gaston, who stepped down in December 2025.

Windsor Forest Colleges Group: We are pleased to welcome Gary Dixon and Sinead O’Donoghue as the new principals for the group. They follow Anne Entwistle, who left her position in December 2025.

Basingstoke College of Technology: Gary Clark joins as the new Director of Finance. He succeeds David Moir, who has moved into semiretirement.

We wish all new leaders every success in their roles and look forward to working closely with them in the year ahead.

It was fantastic to learn at the AoC Annual Conference that two South East colleges were shortlisted as finalists for the prestigious Good for Me, Good for FE social action campaign, which champions volunteering and fundraising across the sector. This is an incredible reflection of the commitment to our learners and wider communities within our region.

Congratulations to:

• Lewis O’Callaghan from MidKent College: Finalist for Staff Volunteer for the Year
• Milton Keynes College Group: Finalist for Volunteering Project of the Year
• MidKent College: Finalist for Volunteering Accreditation Excellence Award

Particular congratulations go to Lewis O’Callaghan from MidKent College who was subsequently announced as the winner for Staff Volunteer for the Year 2025 at the winner’s ceremony hosted at the House of the Lords just before Christmas.

I am sure you will have noted that Colleges Week 2026, will take place from Monday 2 March to Friday 6 March and the theme for this year Skills For All. I encourage you to start planning activities in the diary, and further information and resource including themes for each day can be found here.

AoC has launched a new College News page where colleges can now upload their own press releases directly via a simple online form. This gives members a dedicated space to showcase successes and share updates without overwhelming the main AoC newsroom. Every press release submitted will also receive a corresponding AoC X (Twitter) post, helping boost visibility and celebrate the fantastic work happening across the sector. You can view the new page here. Please do make use of this new feature to share your stories.

Finally, if you haven’t already you may wish to have a look at the 2025 College Collective Impact Report that highlights how the initiative has grown into a powerful national network since 2021, bringing 42 colleges and 319 AoC associate experts together to share strengths, build talent, and support nearly a thousand staff. The report showcases strong outcomes, rising confidence, and inspiring stories of professionals who have developed as leaders and improved practice for students across the UK.

I have no doubt that 2026 will be just as busy as last year. We will continue to do our best working with you to influence policy, communicate key messages and provide timely support, and as always, we have a number of events planned for this term that we very much look forward to seeing many of you at. More details below.

Best wishes for the start of term and as always if you need any help or support, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Gemma Baker
Area Director –South East

Network meetings

AoC South SEND Forum (SE/SW and London)
Tuesday 27 January 2026
10:00 – 11:30am

AoC South Chairs (SE and London)
Wednesday 4 February 2026
4:00 – 5:30pm

AoC South East CEOs and Principals
Friday 6 February 2026
10:00 – 11:30am

AoC South East HR Directors
Monday 9 February 2026
1:30 – 3:00pm

AoC South East Clerks and Governance Professionals
Tuesday 10 February 2026
10:00 – 11:30am

AoC South HE Forum (SE/SW and London)
Thursday 12 February 2026
11:00 – 12:30pm

AoC South Apprenticeships Forum (SE/SW and London)
Wednesday 25 February 2026
10:00 – 11:30am

AoC South East Quality and Curriculum Directors
Wednesday 18 March 2026
10:00 – 11:30am

AoC South East and London Finance Directors
(In person, AoC, London)
Thursday 19 March 2026
10:00am – 1:00pm

AoC South East contact details
The contact details for Gemma, Gavin, Claire and Yasmin are available on the AoC website. Follow us on Twitter @AoC_SE and @AoC_info