College Charter

Background

In 1993, the Department for Education produced the Charter for Further Education, which sets out targets which all colleges, local authorities and others involved in further education are expected to meet. Within the Charter are detailed the rights of every further education student and the commitment that by Summer of 1994, every college will have produced their own Charter spelling out how the requirements within the Charter of Further Education are met.

If you have any comments or observations to make about this Charter, please do not hesitate to contact Malcolm Wharton , Principal.

Foreword

"...everyone has the right to expect good service from further education. Better information and improved choice will help everyone make the most of what we offer".

(Extract from The Charter for Further Education 1993).

The College Charter is a statement of the commitment of Hartpury College to strive to provide a high quality service to all its customers.

The College Charter sets out the standards of service that the College aims to achieve.

The College is continually aiming to improve the quality of standards over time, in a way that clearly reflects the needs of all its customers.

Malcolm Wharton
Principal
1 August 2003

General Information About the College

Hartpury College Further Education Corporation is a specialist college dealing with all aspects of land-based education and training. Hartpury College is set in beautiful Gloucestershire countryside; an ideal environment for study or relaxation when work is over.

Campus Address:

Hartpury College
Hartpury House
GL19 3BE

Tel: 01452 700283
Fax: 01452 700629

Hartpury E-mail: enquire@hartpury.ac.uk
Web site: www.hartpury.ac.uk

Hartpury College provides education and training from pre-vocational to masters level. Areas covered include: Land Use; Agriculture; Conservation; Countryside Management; Horticulture; Landscaping; Garden Design; Greenkeeping and Sportsturf; Game and Fishery Management; Animal Care; Animal Science; Veterinary Nursing; Outdoor Education; Sports Studies; Golf, Football and Rugby Studies; Sports conditioning and Coaching; Equitation; Stud and Stable Management; Equine Science; Horse Racing; Farm Mechanisation; Information Technology and Basic Food Hygiene.

Admission

The College will maintain suitable arrangements to ensure that applications for admission are handled fairly and efficiently and completed within a maximum of two months of receipt of the completed application form.

This commitment will be fulfilled by:

• Making available College application forms and supporting information to prospective applicants through a variety of sources, including direct approach to the College, the County Careers Service, open days and careers conventions
• Issuing an acknowledgement of an application within ten working days
• Issuing full details of time, date, structure and format of the interview to which the applicant is invited
• Interviewing further education applicants normally within four working weeks of receipt of the completed application form
• During the interview process, offering the applicants the opportunity to look around the College campus and view the facilities available
• Providing the applicant with opportunities to discuss with the tutor requirements of the programme before making a decision
• Informing applicants of the outcome of the interview within ten working days
• Offering overseas applicants additional help, when required, to overcome any personal, linguistic or cultural difficulties they may encounter

Information Sources

The College will ensure all students will be given, either prior to, or on entry, information relating to the College.

This commitment will be fulfilled by providing:

• Pre-entry course and career guidance
• Joining Instructions, which contain the College and Academic Regulations
• The Learning Agreement between the College and the Student
• The College Handbook, which contains course specific information; the College Academic Regulations, the College Charter, College Services, Health & Safety, Equal Opportunities, Disability statements and other important matters

Fees

The College will provide clear written or verbal information on the levels of fees charged and possible support available to students.

This commitment will be fulfilled by providing:

• Details of fees payable for each course being available in writing, or verbally, from the College on request
• Details of, and arrangements for, payment of fees being given to applicants during the interview process
• Details of tuition fees, examination fees, registration fees and other College fees being published in the joining instructions given to students prior to, or at, commencement of the course
• Arrangements for reducing or remitting fees and the circumstances in which such arrangements may apply being provided by the College on request
• The College providing initial advice and guidance to prospective students wishing to apply for discretionary or mandatory awards from local authorities for their proposed courses. This guidance being made available during the interview process or on request
• Details of possible bursaries or charitable grants available for student support being made available to students, where such details are known to the College, on request
• The College operating an Access Fund and a residential support fund to support those students on FE courses who are experiencing financial hardship
• Students wishing to be considered for the Access Fund being encouraged and helped to contact the College for the necessary application form. Help and guidance is available from tutors or the Student Finance Administrator in Student Services
• Applications for assistance from the Access Fund being processed and a decision normally conveyed to the student within four working weeks of receipt of the completed application/closing date for Access Fund applications provided all information has been provided
• Providing help and advice to students on higher education courses who wish to apply for access funds operated by the University of the West of England. Students who wish to be considered for these funds should seek guidance from the Student Finance Administrator in Student Services

Accommodation

The College will provide all students who require residential accommodation with relevant information and practical support to enable them to make a choice of suitable accommodation.

This commitment will be fulfilled by:

• Providing a range of affordable accommodation for the majority of students requiring accommodation on and off the College campus
• Providing residential information, either prior to or at enrolment, on all matters relating to accommodation at Hartpury College
• Annually updated information will be available at interview, careers events and enrolment

Teaching and Learning

The College will ensure that each student receives teaching and learning opportunities to the highest possible standard.

This commitment will be fulfilled by:

• Ensuring that all programmes offered by the College are relevant and serving the needs of the industry. This will involve a consultation process being undertaken prior to inception and approval by a validating body. This consultation process will consider the appropriateness of the programme for the industry, the opportunities for students to participate in appropriate work experience placements and the relevance of the content and proposed mode of delivery
• The College ensuring that all staff are fully prepared to deliver the sections of the programme for which they are responsible. Schemes of work for all areas of the programmes being produced
• Course Tutors co-ordinating the delivery of the programme and checking student progress at the regular team meetings and student tutorial sessions
• Ensuring that, where appropriate, staff are identified for any necessary staff development to help ensure they are able to meet the required standards of delivery
• Ensuring that the Course Tutor, in consultation with the teaching team, draws up a schedule of assessments and assignments for each programme and carries out monitoring during the progress of the programme, to ensure that the schedules are adhered to
• Monitoring the quality of assessments through the system of cross-moderation devised by and monitored by the Deputy Principal (Quality and Standards)
• Ensuring that teaching staff are observed by an external assessor and that staff development opportunities are identified
• All NVQ assessors and internal verifiers possessing the appropriate awards as required by the Joint Awarding Body Guidance
• Ensuring qualifications offered by the College are accepted as valid by an appropriate external body
• The course team presenting evidence to the external moderators in order to review and improve the programme
• Seeking the opinions of students on the course through student representatives who attend course team meetings in order to review and improve the programme
• Vocational Panels meeting at least once during the academic year, to review the programme

Study Skills

• Encouraging students to develop study skills to enable them to realise their full potential  
• The students being given dedicated sessions during the induction periods at the beginning of the course to assist them to develop the study skills necessary for successful study  
• Discussing with the student any difficulties which become apparent for individual students as the programme progresses, during individual tutorials and an individual action plan being agreed to help that student  
• Arranging for tuition or support to help students overcome any particular learning problem  
• Detailing standards of work expected for each programme, times for completion and return of work set, during the induction period and in the course handbook

Progress Reports

• Students receiving both oral and written reports and guidance on progress. These being recorded in a personal file
• Written reports being sent at the end of each term. These reports being completed by the course tutor and the course team  
• Parents and guardians of students who are under 18 years of age at the beginning of their course receiving copies of termly reports until the student is over 18 years of age (and beyond this age by prior agreement with the student concerned)  
• Course tutors contacting parents or guardians in writing, or orally, regarding matters of concern about the student's performance if under 18 years of age (and beyond this age by prior agreement with the student concerned)  
• Copies of any correspondence and a record of any telephone conversations being kept in the students' confidential files, held by the course tutor and/or on central records  
• Continuing to develop learning agreements with students
• Conducting annual surveys of the views of students on the effectiveness with which the College has carried out its stated aims and objectives and publishing a summary of the survey's findings  
• Continuing to develop and review quality assurance procedures

Academic Enhancement

The College will ensure that information is provided on the positive approach of the College to students with learning difficulties or disabilities. The College is committed to ensuring that students with learning difficulties are enabled to integrate as fully as possible into the life and work of the College.

This commitment will be fulfilled by:

• Helping students identify programmes which are most suitable for their needs from the point of initial contact onwards
• During the initial interview process, identifying students' learning difficulties or disabilities and appropriate strategies being devised to enable students to derive the maximum possible benefit from the chosen programme
• All full-time students being assessed in their first year using screening tests to identify and quantify the level of support required in basic literacy and numeracy
• Offering appropriate support for students with identified needs, through the following:
  • Individual tutorial support within the College
  • Access to internal resource-based learning
  • Access to external support agencies
  • Arranging alternative assessment strategies with relevant examining bodies, to allow maximum opportunities to obtain qualifications, or other outcomes, to which the programme leads
• Arrangements for access for students with disabilities being identified and appropriate action being taken, where this is reasonably practicable
• Arranging for the first point of contact for students with additional academic requirements to be the course tutor

Performance

The College will make available information relating to the performance of students who have attended courses at the college.

This commitment will be fulfilled by:

• Making available, on request, comparative examination results as complied and published by the Department for Education and Skills
• Making available, on request, specific detailed examination results for the College
• Making available, on request, appropriate details of the destinations of College leavers for the preceding academic year
• Making available, on request, copies of the summary of any relevant Inspection report on the College and any response made

Guidance and Counselling

The College will provide academic and personal guidance and counselling for students at interview, on request, during, and on exit, from programmes.

The College will, where necessary, refer a student to a more appropriate or professional agency.

This commitment will be fulfilled by:

Prior to commencement:

• Each student receiving guidance on the most suitable programme of study available to meet their requirements, the qualifications to which that course of study can lead, and possible routes of progression after completion of the programme

At commencement students will be provided with:

• Information on the facilities available at the College which are additional to those required for their academic work, for example: catering facilities, accommodation, recreation and sporting facilities.
• A handbook specific to their programme of study giving details of the content of the programme, members of the course team, timetables, assessment methods, assignment schedules, recording systems, the appeals procedure for academic and practical grading.
• Joining Instructions and relevant academic requirements, setting out details of the College rules of attendance and behaviour, disciplinary and other procedures, health and safety requirements and personal safety arrangements
• Details of the role and activities of the Student Union

During the programme the College will provide guidance and counselling support for the student in the following ways:

• Providing a tutorial system which offers students the opportunity to discuss and receive help and guidance to deal with personal difficulties, such as money or accommodation, which may be affecting their studies
• Referring students to specialised counselling support where this is appropriate
• On request, providing information on how a student might transfer to other appropriate programmes of study
• The student being assisted to secure guidance as required from other agencies
• Guidance and information on the scope for continued study on completion of the current programme
• Providing students with information on possible employment, careers and other opportunities available on completion of the programme

Equal Opportunities

The College is committed to all aspects of Equal Opportunities.

It is the intention of Hartpury College that all students, staff and visitors shall be treated with respect, courtesy and integrity in all aspects of College life.

In order to achieve harmonious relations, the College is committed to a policy to eliminate harmful discrimination and aims to promote equality of opportunity for all members of the College community regardless of race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social class, disability, special educational need, political persuasion, trade union membership, marital status, age or any other characteristic which, in the view of the College, cannot be justified.

Its aim is to try to provide a safe and supportive environment in which individuals are able to pursue their agreed goals.

This commitment will be fulfilled by:

• The College designating a senior member of staff with responsibility for assuring Equal Opportunities within the College
• Monitoring the Equal Opportunities policy and feedback through evaluation forms and staff review and development
• Providing a copy of the College Equal Opportunities Policy to all staff and students at induction and in the College Handbook

Employers and the Local Community

The College will work to aid the employers and members of the local community by providing an education and training service that is appropriate to their needs.

This commitment will be fulfilled by:

• The College encouraging all students undertaking work experience placements to, wherever possible, consider the nature of the work experience they wish to undertake, to identify suitable potential employers, to contact those employers and make the necessary arrangements for employment
• College staff assisting students in contacting identified employers to discuss the requirements of the students, the College and the validating body
• Preparing students effectively to make useful contributions during their periods of work placement
• The College ensuring that students have work experience placements that:
  • Are suitable for the programme and qualifications
  • Are well prepared and available at the right time
  • Provide the necessary assessment opportunities and other feedback
• College staff ensuring that potential work experience placements are as safe as reasonably practicable and that employers have suitable insurance cover to supplement that provided by the College
• Where appropriate, visiting students on their work experience placements. The College staff will ensure the training needs and assessment opportunities for the student are being met and are providing both the student and the employer with opportunities to report on the student's performance
• Making available information to employers on the opportunities available through College programmes
• Providing employers with a clear statement of the intended learning outcomes and respective responsibilities of the employer and College for assessment and supervision of students on work experience placements
• Employers' comments on performance being taken into account when finalising students' outcomes by:
  • Recording all comments made by the employers during the assessment procedures
  • Making those comments available to the external assessors who are responsible for finalising student outcomes
• Ensuring that all enquiries are handled quickly and efficiently, responses being given, wherever possible, within 10 working days of receipt of the enquiry
• Making available, on request from the Clerk to the College Corporation, a list of Corporation Members' names and how to contact them
• The College providing, on request, appropriate references
• Nominating tutors of vocational areas as persons to whom employer related issues should be addressed

Top

Responding to Business and the Community

The College will encourage and provide opportunities for businesses and the local community to be actively involved in the educational and social developments of the College.

This commitment will be fulfilled by:

• All College programmes having a Vocational Panel which meets at least twice during the academic year; at these meetings, the local business representatives being encouraged to express their views and comment on the structures, content, assessment, currency and validity of the provision
• Providing additional groups, i.e. Industrial Consultation, Parents' Evenings, through which local business requirements, community needs and perspectives are made known to the College

Complaints

The College will ensure it responds within 10 working days, in a courteous and efficient manner, to any oral or written complaint about the educational or other College services made by student, employers or member of the local community.

This commitment will be fulfilled by:

• A copy of the College Complaints Procedure being available on request
• Ensuring that the arrangements for dealing with complaints are clear and effective
• Complainants receiving a full explanation in the event of the complaint being found unsubstantiated by the College
• The effectiveness of the Complaints Procedure being monitored on a regular basis by a designated responsible person