QAA publishes TQER report for Forth Valley College

QAA has published the report of its Tertiary Quality Enhancement Review (TQER) of Forth Valley College.

TQER is the method by which QAA reviews Scottish tertiary education providers as part of Scotland’s Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework.

Forth Valley College was established in 2005 to serve the communities of Falkirk, Stirling and Alloa. The College offers programmes at Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Levels 2-10, spanning both further education and higher education. Its programme delivery is distributed across its three campuses.

Forth Valley College's review visits took place on 24-25 March and 13-16 May 2025. The review was conducted by a team of five independent reviewers, including a student reviewer.

The TQER team makes a judgement as to whether an institution meets sector expectations in managing academic standards, enhancing the quality of the learning experience and enabling student success, and has the quality assurance and enhancement arrangements in place to enable this to continue into the future. 

The team judged that Forth Valley College is effective in managing academic standards, enhancing the quality of the learning experience and enabling student success. 

The review report listed five areas of good practice and four recommendations for action. The TQER team identified the following features of good practice:

• The design of high-quality learning environments;
• The provision of comprehensive and effective induction and ongoing support for new staff;
• The comprehensive and effective approach to supporting learner transition;
• The positive impact of work to enhance data management and use across all areas of the College;
• The positive, ambitious and enhancement-led staff-and-student-centred culture.
  

The TQER team made the following recommendations for action in the following areas:

• Understanding and ownership of the College’s Strategic Plan and Student Learning Experience Strategy;
• Visibility of information relating to complaints;
• Strengthening the student voice and its influence;
• A systematic oversight on quality enhancement initiatives.
  

Kenny MacInnes, Principal of Forth Valley College, said:

'We are delighted to share that the final report from our Tertiary Quality Enhancement Review (TQER) confirms that we have achieved the highest possible outcome - an ‘effective’ rating - in managing academic standards, enhancing the quality of the learning experience, and enabling student success.

'TQER is part of the Scottish Funding Council’s new quality assurance and enhancement framework for colleges and universities and involves a robust review process assessing how well organisations support their students and maintain high academic standards.

'As the first college in Scotland to undergo this review and achieve this outcome, we are extremely proud of what we have accomplished. This result reflects the exceptional commitment, professionalism, and hard work of our staff across the College throughout this process.

'Thank you to everyone whose input and dedication made this achievement possible.'

The TQER report for Forth Valley College is available on the QAA website.