UK Quality Mark for New College Swindon

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has confirmed the quality and standards of provision at New College Swindon following its review in January 2015.

A team of QAA reviewers visited New College Swindon and judged that its academic standards, the quality and enhancement of its student learning opportunities, and the quality of information about its learning opportunities all meet UK expectations.

The review identified a number of examples of good practice. These include:

• The prompt, effective response by programme leaders and teaching staff to feedback from students
• The clear, supportive assessment process that results in timely and helpful feedback.

The review also highlighted the scholarly activity undertaken by higher education staff to ensure the curriculum remains up-to-date in terms of subject material and industrial practice.

The review made some recommendations for improvements, for example:

• To revise the Student Involvement Policy to reflect the contribution of higher education students as partners to decision making in the quality assurance and enhancement of their educational experience
• To improve the college-level oversight, monitoring and review of programmes to recognise the distinct requirements of higher education students.

Sam Bramfitt, Head of Higher Education at New College in Swindon, said: 'The report reflects the high quality of teaching and learning at New College Swindon. We are very proud of the facilities and resources on offer to help our Higher Education students maximise their potential.

'Our highly skilled teaching staff thrive on giving students effective and clear feedback to help enhance their overall learning experience and progression. We will continue to provide local, flexible and affordable courses in Higher Education to help support the local economy and our future professionals.'

QAA's Higher Education Reviews are carried out by experts from other universities and colleges. Every review team includes a student reviewer, because QAA believes that students should be partners in the quality assurance of their education.

The team that reviewed New College Swindon included Dr Mary Meldrum (Manchester Metropolitan University), Mike Slawin (Weston College) and Kanyanut Ndubuokwu (student reviewer from Goldsmith International Business School).

A successful review means that the College can display the QAA Quality Mark, indicating to UK and international students that the College meets national requirements for standards and quality.