Minutes of Quality Standards and Curriculum Committee 30 June 2025

J. Barratt in the Chair.

25/25. Declarations of Interest

No pecuniary interests declared.

26/25. Minutes – 24 March 2025 (Appendix – Agenda Item 3)

Resolved: That the Minutes of the meeting held on 24 March 2025, were approved as a true record.

27/25. Matters Arising from the Minutes

None.

28/25. Progress Grade Report 3 (Confidential Appendices a-c, Agenda Item 4)

The Committee reviewed student progress at the Third Progress Grade (PG3) monitoring point of 2024/25 (previously circulated). The report included information on progress against overall Meeting Target Grade percentages, areas of strength and areas of concern across academic, vocational and apprenticeship provision.

The Committee sought assurance that subject areas currently not meeting expected targets had plans in place to support improvement and had sufficient resources allocated to address them.

Academic Report - Key Points

• PG 3 data had been collected for all Year 1 students. One-to-one conversations were underway to set improvement actions for the next academic year.
• Regarding Year 2 Grade Predictions:
  • PG3 data for Year 2 indicated a possible ALPS Grade 3 (top 25%) for overall quality if final results were consistent.
  • Applied Courses (CTEC Extended Certificates & Diplomas): PG3 data suggested ALPS value-added results of 2 to 4, consistent with or slightly better than 2023/24.
• The first cohort would be completing the Criminology A Level this year. An ALPS Grade 5 was predicted, which would be a pleasing initial set of results despite grade uncertainty for final units.
• Quality Review Meetings were taking place to follow up on PG3 grades with programme leaders. Actions would inform course Self-Assessment Reports (SARs) being developed this Term.
• In response to a question, the VPALs agreed that attendance remained a challenge, being below pre-pandemic levels. However, the analysis undertaken in the Sixth Sense report showed a +0.3% value-added attendance above the national picture for the 2022-24 cohort when analysed by prior attainment. The Committee agreed that, whilst this provided reassurance on the direction of travel to improve overall attendance, it shared the view of SLT that the college should continue to expect more and improve further attendance and consequently, retention.
• In response to a follow-up question on what different strategies the college would employ to improve attendance for 2025/26, the VP, Q, A & I, VP – S and AM explained that improving attendance and retention remained an area of key focus for the Senior Leadership Team, which reviewed attendance data weekly. This focus would be developed further going into 2025/26, through a variety of strategies across the college currently being developed as part of the Quality Review Process. These strategies included –
  • Training for teachers and support staff on emotional based school avoidance
  • Changes to the ‘nudge’ messaging used by the college
  • Pro-active and early intervention in curriculum areas at risk
  • Strengthening work around enrichment to encourage a greater sense of belonging
  • Student Services were working to better understand data around challenges to students travelling to college with a view to reducing barriers to attending college
• The Committee was informed of isolated incidents where students had been identified as using AI to generate work, leading to non-authentication and no achievement for these students. The Committee acknowledged that this highlighted a potential increasing challenge in identifying AI use in assessments and was supportive of the mitigations being put in place to set expected standards on the use of Ai (see Min No 33/25 below).

Vocational Report - Key Points:

• The VP, T&VE emphasised the importance of a strong Year 1 performance for achieving overall High Grades in Year 2. This had been achieved by academic teams enhancing their monitoring, early intervention and additional support for students, leading to an increase across all three key target areas:
• High Grades: Increased by 3.4%.
• Meeting Target: Increased by 6.3%.
• Over Target: Increased by 10%.
• Year 2 Performance: Predicted High Grades saw a slight decline of 4.5% compared to the previous year. However, student performance within the academic year had improved significantly; 49.9% of these students were predicted to achieve a High Grade at Progress Grade 3 in Year 1, which increased to 68.6%.
• Regarding the decline in Predicted High Grades (Year 2), In response to a question the VP explained that two main factors had contributed to this decline:
  • Several students had under-performed in Year 1, making it difficult to achieve High Grades in Year 2; and
  • The "unknown" nature of T Level grading, particularly with 100+ Year 2 T Level students. Staff, lacking prior experience and understanding of T Level awards were reluctant to predict "High Grades." This summer's results would be invaluable for understanding the grading breakdown. The Committee requested that future reports include this T Level grade breakdown.
• 2023 had seen the introduction of new T Level curricula, replaced previous qualifications or changing awarding bodies. This summer marked the first set of results for these two-year programs.
• Comparing data year-on-year did not provide a like-for-like picture due to variations in student numbers, qualifications, assessment methods, and grading structures.
• Grades had not yet been confirmed officially. Curriculum Directors continued to challenge staff to maximize grades through one-to-one support and targeted
• Regarding the improved Extended Diploma Grades, the VP explained the impact of high expectations set clearly, the Learning Enhancement Teams (LETS) working closely with teachers to upskill their approach to student development and curriculum directors being challenged to maximize grades through 1-2-1 support and targeted intervention.
• In response to a question on what targeted interventions and support strategies were being implemented to significantly improve the outcomes for students resitting English and Maths GCSEs, the VP, T&VE cited -
  • The strong leadership shown by the Curriculum Manager.
  • After the November 2024 sitting, revisiting groups and merging some groups with strong and more experienced teachers.
  • Delivering a 3-month lunchtime revision programme for all students in the build up to exam sittings.
  • Mock exam sitting in classes supporting students to become exam ready
  • Regular challenge of attendance
  • Targeting and supporting poorest attendees through progression specialists.
    The VP reminded the Committee that the college was very good at delivering English & Maths and in terms of outcomes.
• GCSE English was 16.3% higher than national benchmarks 2023/34.
• GCSE Maths was 7.5% higher than national benchmarks 2023/24.

Apprenticeships:

• The Head of Apprentices was retiring and a new role of Director of Apprenticeships and Employer Partnerships would be in place from September 2025, encompassing responsibility for apprenticeships and all employer engagement activities. They would implement a new structure to enhance quality and build capacity for future apprenticeship growth.
• The apprenticeship team entered progress grades during the same window as full-time courses this term. Analysis showed a completion rate of 85.1% (86.4%), broadly similar to Progress Grade 2. Of those recorded, 94.6% (99.8%) were expected to achieve, with 84.6% (86.5%) timely and 10.1% (9.2%) non-timely.
• The overall achievement rate was likely to be around 60%. A level of uncertainty in projections was introduced due to many End Point Assessments (EPAs) yet to be completed. This represented a reduced achievement rate compared to 23/24, and the reasons for this decline included:
  • The continuing impact of Trade Union Official (TUO) apprenticeship withdrawals.
  • Factors which delayed the ability of apprentices to achieve this year.
  • A national EPA shortage for Electrical Installation apprenticeships.

In response to a question on how the new departmental structure under the Director of Apprenticeships and Employer Partnerships would specifically address the identified reasons for the decline in the apprenticeship achievement rate and ensure a significant and sustainable improvement in overall achievement, the VP explained that the new structure would support the college’s ambition to enhance quality and capacity for growth. The achievement rates did not reflect the apprentice experience at the college and there were opportunities to grow apprenticeship provision by extending the range of apprenticeships offered and widening the geographical reach of the college’s provision. However, it was accepted that there was work to do to get apprentices to the achievement rates expected.

29/25. Curriculum Development for 2025/26 – Verbal Report

The VP, Q, I & A , VPALs and VP, V&TE provided verbal updates on curriculum development going into the 2025 – 26 Academic Year.

• Regarding academic provision, 2 courses (Applied Science and Health & Social Care) had transferred to another awarding body. The college was introducing Medieval History as a new A Level but was awaiting the major curriculum review before making any further changes to the academic curriculum.
• Regarding vocational provision, the college was introducing Level 3 Electrical Engineering to meet the demand for a full-time programme. Foundation T Levels in Construction were introduced in 2024/25 but would not continue into 25/26, as the college would be expanding its Level 3 T level Construction programme.
• The college was introducing Level 3 Construction, to support the progression of existing Level 2 students and provide a more advanced choice for enrolling students.
• The college was also expanding into digital skills and professional catering.

30/25. Quality Enhancement Plan Progress Report

The Committee reviewed the College Quality Enhancement Plan (QuEP) (previously circulated).

The Committee identified that improving attendance and retention to expected levels remained a challenge for the college. The college Quality Review process had revealed the need to expand and build on the various strategies the college had to embed and communicate the college’s expectations regarding attendance and retention, particularly with parents. In response to a question, the VP, Q, A & I confirmed that the college’s SLT monitored attendance weekly and was aware of the college’s position through an analysis of attendance data submitted through the Six Dimensions Report. The college was slightly above national average for attendance when adjusted for students’ prior attainment compared to the sector average. Attendance at secondary schools also appeared to be improving, which would hopefully lead to further improved rates as these students moved into further education.

31/25. Higher Education Strategic Update (Appendix – Agenda Item 6)

The Committee reviewed a report (previously circulated), summarising recent Higher Education (HE) activities at the college, focusing on quality, regulatory compliance, and strategic direction.

The Committee discussed the following key points:

• HE provisions had a strong and robust systematic approach to attendance and assignment submission, based on a strong culture of expectations. This was confirmed through high levels of satisfaction in the HE survey results, which were above national averages. The college’s existing processes linked to HE quality and assessment monitoring were also very strong.
• In response to a question on what strategies were being developed and implemented to reverse the trend of declining applicant numbers in Higher Education, the VP explained that the college’s focus was on –
  • Strengthening Outreach activities within schools (raising awareness, aspirations, ambitions and careers linked to HE achievement)
  • Strengthening Level 3 Internal Progression of students
  • Further collaboration with employers supporting upskilling of their workforce
  • Further collaboration with the local authority and Shropshire Chamber of Commerce
  • Promotion of Lifelong Learning Entitlement
  • Continuing to align the college’s product portfolio to address local skills shortages
  • Regarding the upcoming submission of the Access & Participation Plan, the VP confirmed that the Office for Students (OfS) would monitor the implementation and impact of the plans, ensuring the college was held accountable. In addition, the college would continue to implement best practices already in place:
  • With the new College Strategic Plan for 2026 being devised, the college would also devise a Higher Education Strategy. The Committee recognised the importance of the college having the most effective strategic approach to grow HE provision.

32/25. Student Voice - Student Perception of College (SPOC) Induction Survey Update (Appendix, Agenda Item 8a)

The Committee reviewed actions taken in response to the Student Perception of College (SPOC) Induction Survey which analysed student feedback gathered at the end of their courses. The response rate had improved significantly this year, with 55% (2,368) responses, up from 44% (2,237) last year.

The key findings included –

• Fifteen SPOC questions showed improved satisfaction rates from the previous year and overall student satisfaction showed a significant improvement.
  • 96% of students were satisfied with the quality of teaching and would recommend the college
  • 97% of students agreed they were encouraged to "aim high"; a 7% increase from the previous year
  • Significant increases were noted in support for emotional health and well-being (91%, up from 89%), preparation for the next stages of life (89%, up from 83%), and development of self-confidence (88%, up from 83%)
  • Every question on the Subject Survey had also showed an improved satisfaction rate
  • 98% of students agreed their teachers were supportive and 97% agreed they were encouraged to meet their target grade
  • 95% of students reported leaving lessons feeling they had made progress and received helpful feedback
  • Students felt safe at college (98%) and believed the college grounds and buildings provided a good learning environment (98%) with effective study places (95%)
• However, only 76% of students felt well-supported with their travel. Students using the college bus service felt most supported, while those using service buses, taxis, or trains felt least supported. Travel issues cited included a desire for more reliable and frequent bus and train services and better communication from the college regarding transport disruptions. In response to a question on this, the D - Q, T & LE explained the actions the college was taking, including and continued work with public transport providers, along with better promotion of transport options and disruption information.
• Areas identified for improvement based on student feedback included more parking spaces, issues with timetable structure, a desire for more accessible and consistent mental health support, more opportunities to socialise and more educational and enrichment trips. The AM explained that the SPOC feedback had been considered by Student Union Executive (SUE) at its recent development day and it would be taking forward more strategies to develop awareness of enrichment going forward. The Staff Governor explained that the college would offer more opportunities in terms of inclusive sport following the creation of a West Midlands pan Disability Football League for 2025 - 26.
• There was no significant variation in overall satisfaction by ethnicity, learning difficulty, access arrangement or Free College Meals status. However, slightly lower satisfaction rates were observed among students of Chinese (93%), Black (non-Caribbean or African) (91%), Multiple ethnic background (93%), White mixed race (93%, 92%, 91%), and Arab (90%) backgrounds, compared to the White British majority (97%). This would be taken forward for review.
• Online resources for courses also remained a challenge, with 91% satisfaction, though this was an improvement from 90% last year. In response to a question on what mitigating actions being taken to address this, the VP, Q, A & I explained that proposed actions included making Moodle the preferred platform for online materials, reviewing enrichment provision and promotion, integrating digital skills into the curriculum and tutorials.

It was observed that, whilst the improve response rate was positive, what actions were being taken to improve the response rate even further. The D - Q, T & LE explained that the survey was issued at a time to capture the most valuable information.

33/25. Student Voice Update (Appendix, Agenda item 8b)

The Committee discussed an update on Student Voice activities (previously circulated).

In particular –

• The Student Union Executive (SUE) had held a strategy away day on June 19 2025, facilitated by the Agency Manager and Agency Projects Co-ordinator. During the day, the SUE had explored their structure and roles, constitution, how to be an effective representative and various other issues. The SUE had expressed a desire to continue its regional and national contribution to the Student Voice debate, working with the National Union of Student (NUS) and Association of Colleges (AoC). The SUE also aimed to visit other colleges’ student unions to share good practice, recognising that the college was often at the forefront of good practice regarding student voice activities at NUS events for colleges. To reinforce this, the former student and 16-19 Student Governor for 2024 – 25, had been selected by the Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) to contribute to a nationally published SFCA Guide on the role of student governance and student voice. The paper provided practical guidance for governors on supporting student board members.
• Campaign priorities for the SUE included continuing work with Refuge, Neurodiversity Celebration Week, the ‘Buddy Buddy’ peer mentoring scheme, raising awareness of the dangers of vaping, promoting good habits and avoiding "doom-scrolling," promoting physical activities, and encouraging good health habits like sleep schedules and outdoor time.
• Charity and fundraising campaigns for the Term had focused on lesser-known charities, with the SUE creating a shortlist for students to vote for the Charity of the Year in 2025-26.
• The SUE had planned involvement in Induction Week and a welcome lunch for international and new-to-UK students to assist with welcoming new students.
   

34/25. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy (Appendix, Agenda item 9)

The Committee reviewed the college’s new draft Ai Policy (previously circulated). The Committee was shown as example of Ai generated content that the college could use to communicate key messages to staff, students and potentially parents and other stakeholders.

The VP, Q, A & I explained that –

• The Policy was the first of its kind for the college and covered both staff and student use of AI.
• It set out the college’s terms of engagement for AI use, ensuring it enhanced teaching, learning and administrative processes while upholding ethical standards and safeguarding the well-being of students and staff. Regarding students, the college was focussed on teaching them how to effectively and appropriately use Ai to support their development whilst maintaining their authenticity in the work they produced.
• The LET was working with teachers to support students in a constructive way to support their learning in how to use Ai to research, revise and reference the use of Ai appropriately and development sessions on this would feature in the Staf Development days taking place at the end of term.

The Committee sought assurance that the Policy would adhere to data protection regulations and that the college had in place appropriate safeguards to identify new and unique safeguarding risks posed by Ai. It was recognised that the policies would be reviewed regularly to ensure it remained relevant as technology evolved.

Having considered the draft Policy, the Committee considered that it was appropriate to bring the Policy to the attention of the Board and that it should be included in the Board Governance Pack for consideration at the July meeting.

35/25. Safeguarding Report (Confidential Appendix, Agenda Item 9a)

The Committee reviewed the Safeguarding Report (previously circulated) to assess that the college continued to effectively fulfil its statutory obligations regarding safeguarding in college for the Term.

The Committee reviewed –

• The safeguarding system indicated an increasing need for student support and highlighted the safeguarding team's efforts this academic year.
• Concerns relating to self-harm, suicide risk, exploitation, sexual harm, and substance misuse had remained relatively stable. However, mental health and emotional health and wellbeing needs continued to rapidly increase. This was partly attributed to increased gathering of transition information throughout the academic year. The Emotional Health and Wellbeing Practitioner was now well established and triaged students, either referring high-risk mental health concerns back to safeguarding or retaining them on her caseload.
• The counselling contract with Crane Quality Counselling had worked well this academic year and feedback indicated appreciation for the service. This service was planned to continue into the next academic year with an aspiration for increased student support.
• The college had recruited its first set of EHWB student ambassadors, who were to be trained by the 'Mental Health Foundation' to become 'peer mentor certified' and provide support in September 2025.
• Mental health awareness had been promoted during Mental Health Awareness Week through stalls at each campus and had been well received by students.
• Transition efforts for new students for 2025-26 were well underway, with all feeder education providers contacted to share student concerns. A robust process for checking students who declared criminal convictions was underway, with some students due to start in September 2025, already checked and risk assessed.
• The safeguarding team continued to upskill through specialist training on identifying and risk-assessing harmful sexual behaviours, recognising and reporting hate crime, and domestic violence.

36/25. SEND and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Termly report (Appendix, Agenda Item 9b)

The Committee reviewed a report (previously circulated) providing an overview of the college's SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) provision, performance, and related Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) activities.

The Committee sought assurance on:

• Student retention for the students with High Needs. This was 93.5%, which was comparable to the whole college figure of 93.4%.
• The third set of student progress grades indicated likely eventual outcomes. Students with High Needs had generally performed well compared to the overall college population. On vocational provision, 68.6% of High Needs students had met their target grades, compared to 69.6% for the whole college. High Needs students predicted to achieve above their target grade were slightly above the college average for vocational students at 25.3%. Predicted achievement gaps were noted in Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma grades, where 66.7% of High Needs students had met their target grade compared to 74.8% of all students, though numbers were small (12 High Needs students).
• The college had successfully secured funding through the Radbrook Foundation to develop a sensory garden at the London Road Campus, with students having designed the garden and presented their ideas.
• ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network) students collaborated with local employers, including AICO, visiting on multiple occasions for employment and community-based activities.
• A new Project Search program was initiated at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen, following the success of the Shrewsbury Hospital Project Search program. Recruitment for both programs was positive. Opportunities within these programs included roles in pathology labs, Human Resources, communications teams, and catering/housekeeping.
• Two supported interns had attended the first SEND Youth Parliament at the Houses of Parliament, representing the college.
• The college was scheduled to host Shropshire's first Reverse Jobs Fair in conjunction with Enable on June 30, with over 25 companies attending to meet students, aiming to boost employment opportunities for the SEND cohort
• The EDI Link Governor commended the culture of inclusion present at the college and referred to the performance of the ‘Night at the Theatre’, performed by Y1 and Y2 performing arts students at the Theatre Severn and was delighted to see how comprehensively the production embraced and reflected every aspect of EDI.

37/25. Committee Self – Assessment

As part of the Board’s self-assessment programme, the Committee took the opportunity to reflect on the Committee’s effectiveness and impact over the year.

The Committee made the following observations during discussion –

• The committee's work has impacted the college and contributed to its strategic objectives by -
  • Overseeing the development of the college’s quality strategy and policy and appraising reports on internal quality reviews and to monitor subsequent action – links to the positive Ofsted outcome.
  • Reviewing the range and responsiveness of the college’s curriculum offer including changes and developments
  • Regularly reviewing the college’s arrangements for safeguarding
  • Providing relevant questioning and appropriate follow-up
  • Providing assurance to OFSTED of the Board’s knowledge of the college
  • Treating student governors as equals who were empowered to ask questions of the SLT
  • Being involved in the development and review of the college’s Self-Assessment Report, which had been revised extensively for 2024 – 25.
  • Regularly reviewing the standard of the student experience through engagement with and feedback from students to inform future strategies for further improvement.
• The following were identified as opportunities for future action and improvement.
• Discussion of national and local priorities for education and training and local employer and local community education and training needs, including monitoring and review of careers education, information, advice and guidance.
• Widening the link governor programme and developing further their roles.

38/25. Risk

The Committee considered the strategic risks relevant to its remit and agreed that they had been discussed within the meeting, particularly –

• QSC 1 - Risk of retention factor falling below target 95% for 16-19 students (or declining from year to year)
• QSC 2 - Risk that Achievement rates fall below target or are declining.
• QSC 4 – Risk that Attendance falls below target levels.
• QSC 5 - Risk that Systems in place to support students who are struggling to achieve predicted grades are not effective.

39/25. Date of Next Meeting – to be confirmed

The meeting concluded at 7.35 p.m.