GuildHE response to select committee session on the QAA’s recent reports on standards in universities

On 17 July the Innovation, Universities, Science & Skills Select Committee took evidence from Peter Williams, Chief Executive, Quality Assurance Agency on recent reports on quality and standards in higher education institutions. Issues discussed included arrangements for the classification of degrees and for oversight of standards.

Alice Hynes, Chief Executive, GuildHE said :

‘The most important thing in all the discussion is not to lose sight of the needs and interests of the students. Many of our students are graduating this week. They can do so with confidence that all degrees delivered through UK higher education institutions meet a common set of expectations as defined through the sector wide framework for quality assurance.

We feel that it is right that students should have more than just a classification of their final honours degree to show the level of achievement they have reached after three or four years of study. That is why GuildHE member institutions are supporting the proposals of the Burgess report for the development of a Higher Education Achievement Report to reflect more fully the overall skills and attributes of their students’.