10 City of Glasgow College Annual Report & Accounts 2019-20
Principal's Performance Statement
The College recognises that students' achievement of
qualifications is fundamental to articulation and employment
opportunities. The Board is pleased to report that the
College maintained a growth in performance over the
period since merger in academic year 2010/11, and that
93% of students surveyed would recommend the College
to a friend.
During 2019-20 the College continued to plan its
Curriculum to ensure that it meets student needs well
into the next decade. The Curriculum planning process
provides curriculum managers with the opportunity to
review their portfolio of courses to ensure that the courses
provided meet students' needs and aspirations in the
world of work or further study. As part of this process
managers considered their plans for improvement to
enhance the student experience and maintain high levels of
performance.
However, the past academic session was severely
impacted upon by the Covid-19 pandemic. The College's
response to the sudden requirement to adapt to remote
learning and teaching, as well as working to provide all
other support and essential functions, placed a severe
test upon students, staff, and the College's resources.
The College's performance in responding to this test was
exemplary in many respects and across many functional
areas. Not least the College's IT support function,
the Learning and Teaching Academy, Organisational
Development, and College managers and staff teams
across all aspects of College activity.
Through this concerted, planned effort, students received
support through to the conclusion of their studies, staff
were supported to deliver remotely, and all College
functions were sustained through well-prepared business
continuity measures.
Education Scotland
The College continued to implement the Education
Scotland quality framework 'How Good is Our College'. In
February 2020 Education Scotland carried out a Progress
Visit (PV) to assess how well the College is delivering on
the targets and milestones identified in their Enhancement
Plans (EP) and whether satisfactory progress against its EP
had been made.
The College's EP actions relate to:
• Gender action plan progress
• Full-time further education (FT FE) retention decline
affecting attainment
• Regional approach to the senior phase
• Collaborative working with Glasgow colleges
• College management adjustments
• Digital transformation model
• Work-based learning as part of curriculum planning
• Learner feedback approaches
• Mental health action progress.
Education Scotland reported a series of positive progress
points against each of the actions above, comprising
36 points in total. There were three, relatively minor,
recommended actions mostly referring to the continuance
of existing arrangements and actions.
Among the points noted were:
• To address local employers' workforce imbalance issues,
the college has introduced a workplace inclusivity online
assessment tool.
• The college has experienced a significant rise in
the number of applicants disclosing care experienced
backgrounds on application to college.
• In relation to care experienced learners, the GCRB has
funded a programme of support provision to enhance
attainment outcomes. This initiative also applies to those
learners with mental health concerns and individuals in
poverty.
• The college contributes to a well-developed and
diverse senior phase, school-college and Foundation
Apprenticeship programme…
• The Leadership Programme equips staff well to
undertake new roles. There is a strong focus on
collegiality and leadership distribution. Staff contributed
to the design and content of the programme.
• The college has ambitions to ensure that digital
transformation is at the heart of learning and teaching.
It has introduced the Centre of Professional and
Technical Education (CoPTE) to support staff
development in this area.
• The college's learning and teaching strategy, City
Learning 4.0, has a strong digital skills element. It is
influenced by industry requirements and has engaged
staff and learners in its development.
• The college has invested heavily in its ICT infrastructure
to support its ambition as a leading provider of digitally
delivered programmes.
Performance Overview College Strategic Priority 5:
To deliver excellence in performance.