The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) holds diverse roles in the regulatory, advisory, policy and voluntary spheres across the UK. They recognise that the primary responsibility for maintaining quality and standards sits with providers themselves. Providers with degree-awarding powers have particular responsibility for the…

The Rochford Review heralded new arrangements for statutory assessment for children with SLD and PMLD working below the national curriculum standard. New assessment arrangements, the pre-key stage standards and the engagement model, relate to two groups of pupils: pupils 'not yet engaged' and pupils 'engaged' in subject-specific study. This…

Maintaining the value of a degree is a priority for universities. During the pandemic, many universities had to put measures in place to make sure students were not unfairly disadvantaged by changes to their course. This statement details the Universities UK members' commitment to returning to pre-pandemic levels of firsts and 2:1s awarded in…

This paper critically reflects on the challenges associated with academic standards in a postgraduate certificate in academic practice, which involved the wider academic community of the institution. It is underpinned by a socio-cultural constructivist view that suggests standards do not exist independently of assessors, but are co-constructed by…

This article describes the evolution of inclusive education in Hong Kong, moving from segregation via integration to inclusion. The outside influence of education policies and trends from Britain, Australia, and the United States are identified, and the current situation is described. In particular, obstacles that are encountered on the route to…

The aim of this research was to determine the standard that was effectively applied to General Certificates of Secondary Education (GCSE) and A levels in June 2020 by the decision to accept the maximum of the centre-assessed grade and the calculated grade. The data for this analysis came from the results tables for GCSEs and A levels in 2019 and…

John Widdowson CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) is principal and chief executive of New College Durham. He chairs the Mixed Economy Group (a working group of 40 colleges that offer higher education courses in addition to their FE provision) and was a member of the HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for…

The paper discusses the main issues which emerge for the university as an institution in the European context from the development of the lifelong learning paradigm. It focuses on both the opportunity-creating and tension-provoking presence of the lifelong learning concept in the university's institutional environment. The analysis is based on a…

Years before the term "visual literacy" came to light in 1969 (Felten, 2008; Reis, 2013), British designer and art educator, Kurt Rowland, wrote, illustrated, and meticulously designed a series of art education textbooks called "Looking and Seeing." The intent was to teach visual awareness in a way that increased the capacity…

Has the National Student Survey 'customerized' the UK's university students? This article examines the 'customerization' of university students in the UK and the impacts of reciprocity and social exchange behaviour on National Student Survey outcomes. Using a multi-method qualitative approach, the findings suggest that the National Student Survey…

This report looks at the picture of apprenticeships at levels 6 and 7, equivalent to a bachelors or postgraduate degree. Degree apprenticeships in England were launched in Autumn 2015, and offer a potentially powerful combination of on the job training and academic learning. With the prospect of gaining industry-specific skills, a…

This paper examines the continual increase in the proportion of "good" honour degrees awarded by UK universities since the mid-2000s. This trend has brought with it the charge of "grade inflation" that may reflect falling standards in UK higher education. This issue has been raised in the national press and in government which…

Candidates taking a reformed (decoupled) Advanced (A) level may follow an 'Advanced Subsidiary (AS) + A level' route in that subject, taking the decoupled AS level, usually in Year 12, followed by the A level, usually in Year 13. Alternatively, they may follow an 'A level only' route. The research described in this report explored whether there…

This paper engages with the central theme of this special issue, "From the Margins to the Centre," as a particular kind of narrative that occupies the imagination of literacy educators in the academy, particularly those who are located in the "centre," but whose experience ironically finds them "pinned to the margins"…

Being entered for exams and reaching key educational thresholds, for example 5 A* to C grades (including English and Mathematics) at GCSE, are important markers of participation and success in secondary education. However, little is known about the prevalence and make-up of children in care reaching these thresholds. Using secondary data analysis,…