For academic year 2019-20 Education Scotland has introduced Progress Visits for colleges, as part of the How good is our college? (HGIOC) review process. Progress Visits will take place with each college on an annual basis. The purpose of Progress Visits is to explore how colleges are working towards delivering on targets and activities outlined in their Enhancement Plan.
Student engagement is central to the HGIOC framework and colleges’ ability to identify areas for development. Colleges should view students as partners in supporting improvement and are expected to have effective processes for engaging students in the development and writing of the Enhancement Plan. Engagement with students and student representatives is a fundamental part of Progress Visits, and during the visit the HMI will meet with a range of students and student representatives.
Progress Visits will be conducted by an Education Scotland HMI and may include the college’s SFC Outcome Agreement Manager, an Associate Assessor or a Student Team Member. The visits will last between 2-3 days depending on the size of the college. During the visit, the team will gather evidence on the college’s progress towards realising the ambitions in their Enhancement Plan.
At the end of the visit, the team will provide a verbal report of the findings to the Principal, senior managers and student representatives, including a provisional statement regarding the college’s overall progress. Soon after the visit, the college will receive a draft report on the team’s initial findings. The college then has 5 working days to send comments and respond to the report. Three weeks after the visit is completed, a final written report will be provided to the college and shared with the Board. These reports will not be published. The outcomes of the Progress Visit will inform a refreshed Evaluative Report (ER) and Enhancement Plan (2020-23), due to be submitted by all colleges in October 2020.
sparqs is working to support students’ associations to understand and engage with this process: before, during and after the Progress Visit. If you have received notification of the date of your visit, please get in touch with your sparqs' institutional contact for more information and to discuss your role.
Please see Education Scotland’s briefing note for colleges on Progress Visits for further information.
For more information, please contact Hannah Clarke, Senior Development Consultant, hannah.clarke@sparqs.ac.uk
