A homage to our colleges

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a total of 234 FE colleges currently deliver Access to HE provision, serving approximately 20,100 students.

Of those, we can expect around 77 per cent to progress into higher education. Some AHED graduates choose to continue their studies at institutions in new towns and cities, often at large and well-known universities.

But many choose to continue to study locally. This may be because they have family connections and social and support networks in their local areas; it may be because they have carer responsibilities; it may be because they are parents who don't want their children to have to change schools if they move; it may be because they have part-time jobs in their areas, or homes. There may in short be a whole range of personal, social, familial, educational and economic reasons for staying in their hometowns.

Or it may simply be because – and we have seen this on many occasions – they had such an excellent experience of study when completing their Access to HE course at their local college, that they decide that's where they wish to continue their studies – because they feel comfortable and supported in that environment, because it's an environment and a structure they understand, and because they have experienced teaching of an extremely high quality there.

Take, for example, the case of Hannah Halley who took an Access to Higher Education Diploma in Humanities and Social Sciences at Peterborough Regional College 12 years ago, and progressed to complete a Bachelor's degree in Media Studies at University Centre Peterborough – and went on to study for a Master's in Digital Media Management at Birkbeck, University of London.

When we spoke with Hannah in October 2024 about her experiences of her AHED course, she gave a special shout out to one particular Media & Journalism lecturer called Claire.

"She was such a lovely and warm person - and so supportive," Hannah said. "She was also my tutor for my degree, as I chose to stay on at Peterborough. It made such a difference to have people so understanding giving extra support, time and feedback when I needed it."

That Claire happened to be none other than our very own Claire Swales, formerly of Peterborough College, and now Access to HE Diploma Officer here with us at QAA.

As this week we salute our friends and colleagues who do such brilliant work across the college sector – whose work transforms so many people's lives – I'd like to give the last words of this blog to our valued colleague Claire herself:

"College teachers are a little like Access to HE learners – they come from all walks of life and are looking for fulfilment. For me, that fulfilment came from learners like one who was so agoraphobic that he had to do his photographic installation project in a greenhouse but went on to study his dream course in music at university, and another who was painfully shy but overcame that to work very successfully in communications for some big-name brands. I once taught a father and son combo – the father had been a private helicopter pilot and was looking for new skills to support a new business venture, and the son needed a UK qualification having been educated abroad. I worked alongside former police officers, accountants, journalists, civil engineers to design courses and bring them to life in the classroom. And we borrowed ideas from each other to find innovative ways to assess that were authentic, inclusive and stretching. Sometimes we were building from scratch, other times we were responding to the parameters set by a franchising or validating institution, adapting to master a range of policies and systems. The education sector may not be known for its agility, but that's certainly one word I would use to describe my colleagues. Dedicated, resourceful, compassionate are just a few more."