Chair of Corporation
John Stone retired from full-time employment in August 2016 after a 43 year career focussed on and dedicated to Further Education. He remains active in the FE sector.
His career started in South London where he was appointed as a ‘Lecturer with an interest in Music’ charged with setting up a new course in Music Instrument Technology which is still in operation today. Since then he has held a variety of senior roles which include Principal of Ealing Hammersmith and West London College, before moving to be Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Network and latterly Principal of Treloars, a residential school and college for young people with complex physical disabilities.
Throughout his career John’s focus has been on improving the quality and range of educational opportunities for students. He is a strong believer in promoting technical innovation and the power of Education to support regeneration.
Over this period John has supported a wide range of organisations linked to education. He has been a governor on the London City Lit, Oxford and Cherwell Valley and Reading College Boards. He was nominated by the Learning and Skills Council as a Board member of JISC Advance, a company providing internet and technology support services to the Further and Higher Education Sectors. He is also a founding partner of the London Higher Skills Board which supports HE institutions in London in responding to the needs of Employers. He was also a member of the UK Commission on Employment and Skills Policy Group. He chaired the BECTA e-Maturity Framework Design Authority and was a member of the Higher Education Funding Council Committee of Enquiry into the Changing Learner Experience and the Board of the Scottish Further Education Unit. He also joined the Board of the Crest Academy in NW London.
Previously John was Principal of Hammersmith and West London College, subsequently Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College, which during his tenure became one of London’s largest and most successful post-16 institutions. When he took over Hammersmith in 1997 it had been labelled one of the ten lowest achieving FE Colleges in England and was running a substantial financial deficit. By 2002 the situation at Hammersmith had stabilised and John led it into a successful merger with Ealing Tertiary College, itself officially designated as failing by OFSTED. By 2006 when the merged college was inspected, 96/100 areas graded were either good or outstanding.
During this period he was also Vice-Chairman of the Joint Information Systems Committee, Chair of the Association of Colleges London Region, a Board Observer at the London Development Agency and a Board member of West London Business, The Hammersmith Borough Regeneration Agency (Regenesis) and the Southall Regeneration Partnership.
John was appointed as a Governor at STCG in May 2019 at the same time as being appointed Chair of the Board of the Big Creative Academy.
John was elected Chair of the STCG Corporation with effect from 1st August 2024 for two years.
John’s interests include Music, playing Piano and Guitar, Running and Long Distance Walking.
