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External Quality Arrangements for Scotland's Colleges

ANNEX 4

Rationale for identifying and evaluating potential excellence and potential risks

HMIE will identify and evaluate potential excellence and potential risks under the three key principles of High quality learning; Learner engagement; and Quality culture through a number of activities. These will take place over a period of time, and will lead to a cumulative, evaluative portrait of the college. This will inform the scope and timing of external review, or, where external review has already taken place, the scope and timing of further engagement with HMIE.

The portrait of a college will be constructed through:

• annual engagement;
• regular dialogue between the college and the college HMI;
• outcomes of external HMIE reviews;
• outcomes of HMIE subject-based aspect reports involving the college;
• identification of relevant issues concerning the college’s performance following scrutiny by other quality bodies; and
• analysis of general, publicly available information about the college.

The process for highlighting potential excellence or potential risks around the extent to which High quality learning; Learner engagement; and Quality culture are being delivered in Scotland’s colleges is based on the identification of signals around aspects of services to learners. These will:

• signal potential excellence in the college’s current and future performance, which will require confirmation in external review or further engagement with HMIE, and/or may eventually be reported as sector-leading and innovative practice (SLIP); or
• signal that the college’s current and future performance is at an acceptable level, and does not require further exploration; or
• signal that there are gaps in knowledge about important aspects of the college’s performance; or
• signal potential risk that the college’s current and future performance falls below an acceptable level, and therefore will require further exploration in external review or further engagement with HMIE; or
• signal potential risk that the college currently and in the future, is failing to deliver sufficiently in relation to the three key principles, and therefore will require further exploration in external review or further engagement with HMIE.

Examples of signals around High quality learning may be:

• significantly high learner attainment rates and rising trends over three years or significantly low learner attainment rates and falling trends, either overall, or in particular curriculum areas;
• significantly positive or negative issues about the quality of learning raised through feedback from learners and staff, and perhaps from employers, partners or other stakeholders;
• identification of excellence or SLIP or significant concerns from subject-based aspect reports.

Examples of signals around Learner engagement may be:

• what learners say about the extent and impact of their involvement in the design of their learning;
• what learners say about the extent and impact of their involvement in the work and life of the college generally;
• quality of the analysis of, and response to learner views in internal review and self-evaluation reports;
• quality of feedback to learners on actions taken following suggestions or complaints; and
• evidence and impact of consultation with learners for equalities schemes.

Examples of signals around Quality culture may be:

• level of analysis of, and response to Scottish Government and other stakeholder needs in the college strategic plan;
• outcome and impact of progress on previous plans;
• overall quality of self-evaluation and internal review activity;
• contribution of staff, learners, external commentators and other stakeholders to self-evaluation and internal review activity;
• feedback from other scrutiny bodies;
• extent and impact of sharing good practice;
• level of staff understanding and ownership of college aims and objectives; and
• media coverage.

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