Education Partnership North East colleges deliver student satisfaction

Education Partnership North East’s higher education programmes have been ranked among the best in the region for overall student satisfaction.

The group, which includes Hartlepool Sixth Form, Northumberland College and Sunderland College, saw more than 87% of its registered students agree that they were satisfied with their course according to the latest National Student Survey (NSS), published on 15 July.

The independent survey gauges students’ experiences of learning and teaching at their university or college, with Education Partnership North East scoring higher than the national average of 75%.

Overall, 15 courses from Northumberland College and Sunderland College were rated with Healthcare Practice, Policing, Travel and Tourism, Business and Management, Social Sciences and Medicine all achieving 100% overall satisfaction, while Education and Care (94%), Exercise Health and Fitness (90%) and Agriculture (90%) also performed well.

During a challenging year, most Education Partnership North East students rated their overall experiences of their courses positively while also praising the quality of the teaching with 92% agreeing they were able to access course-specific resources (equipment, software, facilities), 95% agreeing that staff are good at explaining things and 89% agreeing that their course challenged them to achieve their best work.

Sally Dixon, Executive Director of Higher Education, said: “A huge amount of work has gone into adapting our delivery and assessment methods as well as how we support students to ensure the best possible student experience in what’s clearly been a very challenging year for colleges responding to the global pandemic.

“Our success in the NSS is testament to staff dedication and commitment.”

Toni Rhodes, Principal of Sunderland College and Hartlepool Sixth Form, said: “Despite the challenges we have faced we are delighted at the positive responses from our students.

“This is a testament to the continued efforts of our staff to ensure that we continued to deliver the highest quality of not only teaching and learning but also support during what has been difficult times.”

Nigel Harrett, Principal of Northumberland College, said: “These are fantastic results and show the commitment of our staff and the college to supporting our students during this very difficult period.

“Our students have clearly recognised the benefits of choosing Northumberland College for their higher education with our focus on teaching, learning and quality provision.”