COMMITTEE
MEMBERS
PRESENT:
ALSO IN
ATTENDANCE:
Chris Ball
David Irving
Bruce Jamieson
Kerstin Walker
Bridget Hollis
Mark Bendle, Assistant Principal
Stuart Wright, Head Learning – Melton
Diana Tiernan
Vicky Hart, Student Governor
Lesley Coates, Clerk to the Governors
Min.
No.
18. CHAIR’S COMMUNICATIONS
The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.
19. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for absence were received from Maureen Nelson-
Director of Curriculum Landbased & Learner Services and Emma
Hassan – Student Governor.
The meeting was confirmed to be quorate with 4 members of the
Committee present at the start. David Irving was to join the meeting later.
20. DECLARATION OF INTERESTS IN ANY OF THE ITEMS ON THE
AGENDA
The Chair reminded those present to declare at the start of the meeting interests held in any matter to be discussed.
No interests were declared.
ITEM OF BUSINESS
21. MINUTES OF THE MEETINGS HELD ON 20 NOVEMBER 2013
AGREED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 20 November
2013 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.
ACTION by whom
Clerk
Chair
DATE by when
12 Feb
12 Feb
QSC Minutes 12.02.14
Page 1 of 5

22. PROGRESS REPORT FROM THE LAST MEETING
The progress report on matters carried forward from the last meeting was RECEIVED and NOTED.
23. STUDENT GOVERNORS REPORTS
The meeting was reminded of the items raised by the Student
Governor for the Melton Campus which were presented to the Board on 5 th
February, and the Student Governor was informed of the management responses to these items.
David Irving joined the meeting, increasing the quoracy from 4 to 5
The meeting was informed of difficulties that the Student Governor had experienced with the recognition of the IMI qualification for motor engineering when applying to certain universities. The
Assistant Principal confirmed that the College was aware of recognition issues of different awarding body qualifications by universities. The IMI qualification was an industry recognised qualification, with the majority of students progressing to a work environment. The Assistant Principal confirmed that he would be happy to contact a university on behalf of any student with this issue.
Changes to the qualification awarding system that are proposed for
2015/16 should ensure that qualifications are better aligned to progression routes in the future.
Members requested that a report on the recognition of qualifications by universities be presented to the next meeting of the Committee.
The Committee was pleased to note that the Student Governor had now been offered a position at De Montfort University.
24. LEARNER INVOLVEMENT STRATEGY - PROGRESS
The meeting was presented with the Learner Involvement report detailing the results of the survey carried out in the autumn term to capture current learner perceptions. Governors noted the positive points of interest and the areas where students would like to see improvements.
The College confirmed that it was working towards increasing the percentage of students responding to the survey.
Governors noted that many of the comments made suggesting room for improvement were related to communication issues and confirmation was given that this was an area of focus.
The meeting noted the preference of many students for practical courses and the College confirmed it was currently in the process of reviewing short course offers (these would be now paid for by the student as government funding was no longer available).
Assistant
Principal
QSC Minutes 12.02.14
Page 2 of 5
May 14

Confirmation was given that appointment had been made to the position of Learner Engagement Officer (referred to in the previous minutes).
AGREED that the report be noted.
25. QUALITY REPORT: ENROLMENT, RETENTION AND SUCCESS
INCLUDING WORK-BASED LEARNING
The Assistant Principal presented the Quality Report providing updates on recruitment, attendance, retention and performance of work place learning programmes. Governors were pleased to note that 16-18 learner numbers were on target for the time of year and currently at 95% of the end of year target. Allocations for 2014/15 will be determined on the return made to the EFA in February and the College was well placed to maximise potential funding.
A fundamental review of the area of Apprenticeships had taken place in the College and this would be detailed within Minute No. 26.
The Adult Skills budget remained challenging.
The uptake of Adult 24+ loans had been above target, notably due to adults on land based programmes, and the College had received additional allocation to cover this.
Attendance remained good at 91%, with 6 areas only slightly below target. Governors were made aware that Higher Education numbers where attendance is not a requirement were included within this data.
Retention remained positive at 96.5% against a target of 90%, and courses below target were detailed and the reasons for withdrawal were noted. Confirmation was given that year on year comparisons would be presented within future reports.
Initial indications for 16-18 recruitment for 2014/15 would suggest a positive movement, but there was likely to be increased pressure on
19+ applications. H.E. applications were slightly lower than at this time last year.
The meeting noted the overall apprenticeship and Train-to-Gain success rates.
AGREED that the Quality report be noted.
26. APPRENTICESHIPS – UPDATE
The Principal informed the meeting that a systematic review of the
Apprenticeship and Work Based Learning system delivery and management had been undertaken. This had resulted in the phased movement of the management of Apprenticeships to the respective Curriculum areas and the Programme Team Managers.
Assistant
Principal
QSC Minutes 12.02.14
Page 3 of 5
May 14

The Committee was given assurance that this phased process was progressing well, and that a focus on recruitment would follow once the changes had become fully embedded.
A copy of the Employer Responsive Quality Improvement plan was circulated to members which detailed seven key areas for improvement. Confirmation was given that a R/A/G rated summary of progress would be presented to future meetings, and this would be a standing item on future agendas.
The meeting was reminded that the roles and remuneration of
Programme Team Managers had previously been adjusted to take into account increased responsibilities.
The impact of the improvement plan would be a continuous process that would be dependent upon the area of focus, but improvement could already be seen in some areas.
AGREED that the report be noted
27. CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENTS
The Director of Curriculum, Melton presented the annual Interim
Widening Participation Strategy Statement (IWPSS), the production of which was a requirement of becoming a direct HEFCE funded institution.
The meeting was made aware of the target setting, monitoring and evaluation processes. Confirmation was given that there were no national Higher Education (H.E.) benchmarks for the data collected, and the College had therefore initially adopted Further Education benchmarks for comparison purposes. Assurance was given that there were no funding implications attached to the results.
Governors noted that bursary support had not impacted significantly on retention and achievement.
The meeting noted the H.E. Quality Improvement and development
Plan for 2013/14 that had now been Red/Amber/Green rated and a progress update included. Governors confirmed the plan to be encouraging.
AGREED that the Curriculum Development report be noted.
Diana Tiernan and Stuart Wright left the meeting.
The Staff Governor left the meeting, reducing the number of members present to 4.
28. LESSON OBSERVATIONS/INSPECTION REPORTS – UPDATE
The Assistant Principal presented the report from the Lesson
Observations that had been carried out by EMFEC in November.
The meeting noted the 2% increase in observations that were graded as good or outstanding.
QSC Minutes 12.02.14
Page 4 of 5
Clerk/
Assistant
Principal May 14

Confirmation was given that the College had requested a critique report and this had supported the College’s own observations. The
Committee supported the use of external assessors to provide the annual inspection of Teaching and Learning, and appreciated the benefits of an external view.
AGREED that the reports be noted.
29. ESTATE DEVELOPMENT AND CURRICULUM IMPACT
The Principal gave a verbal update on Estates Development and the impact on curriculum, with particular reference to the Melton
Campus where works were progressing significantly.
The College had focused on feedback from both students and staff.
Some days had been difficult, with the noise levels on occasions causing some disruption, but the impact was not judged as significant. Actions had been taken when necessary to either relocate students or request the contactors to re-timetable drilling works.
Notably, no concerns had been raised in the Learner Voice meetings about noise levels.
Governors suggested that a simple plan of completion of areas of works be posted in the reception for students to see.
AGREED that the report be noted
Assistant
Principal
30. ANY OTHER ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS
There were no other items of urgent business.
31. EVALUATION OF MEETING
The meeting was considered to have been substantial and informative.
CONFIDENTIAL ITEMS
32. CONFIDENTIAL ITEMS
There were no other items of confidential business
There being no further business, the Chair thanked everyone for their attendance and participation and closed the meeting
The meeting ended at 12 noon
L. K. COATES
Clerk to the Governors
Signed as a correct record on 7 May 2014
.....................................................................Chair
Feb 14
QSC Minutes 12.02.14
Page 5 of 5