NEW College has been awarded a Quality Mark after officials from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) visited.

The team of reviewers confirmed the quality and standards of provision at the Queen’s Drive site in a report published this month. They 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.

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.

While praising the college for its examples of best practice, the reviewers did identify some room for improvement, including revising student involvement policy and improving college-level oversight.

In the report, theyreviewers, who went to the site in January, said: “There is a good relationship between staff and students. Students feel staff are very approachable. Informal dialogue is seen as a valuable tool for quality enhancement by both staff and students.

“The college has recently devised a Student Involvement Policy which applies to the whole college.

"However, Chapter B5 of the Quality Code was not used a as a reference and higher education students did not play any part in its development.

“There is evidence of deliberate steps being taken at college level to enhance student learning opportunities.

“While the team noted that there are clear indications of a more strategic approach being taken to the enhancement of learning opportunities for higher education students, the team recommends that the college further develop and implement the higher education-specific college-level strategy for improving the quality of student learning opportunities.

“The maintenance of the academic standards of awards offered on behalf of degree awarding bodies and awarding organisations meets UK expectations.

“The quality of student learning opportunities meets UK expectations.

“The quality of the information about learning opportunities meets UK expectations.

“The enhancement of student learning opportunities meets UK expectations.”

The findings were welcomed by Sam Bramfitt, head of higher education at New College, who confirmed they will continue to make the recommended improvements and sure high quality standards for their students.

He 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.”

To read the findings of the review, visit www.qaa.ac.uk/en/ReviewsAndReports/Documents/New%20College%20Swindon/New-College-Swindon-HER-15.pdf