Mapping awarding gaps for colleges

In May, QAA published a major new resource which, by charting key points through the student journey, flags key materials to support educators in implementing effective measures to close awarding gaps.

Awarding gaps represent the variations in final attainment averages achieved by different demographic groups. Although providers' initiatives and interventions have in recent years demonstrated real progress in addressing some of these gaps, these ongoing challenges remain central to access and participation work across the UK.

We have now published a special edition of our Awarding Map resource which offers our college Members a bespoke guide to materials and strategies designed to address awarding gaps.

This resource selection has been brought together specifically for colleges to use across a wide range of provision and many of the resources can be adapted to meet identified needs of college students, irrespective of subject of study or student characteristic.

It flags a range of resources which cover approaches to transition support, ways to shape classroom cultures and the development of assessment readiness. It emphasises such themes as inclusivity, belonging, optionality, supporting neurodiversity, the experience of BAME students and strategies to address racial inequalities.

'We hope that colleges will find this focused resource valuable in their work to close attainment gaps,' says QAA's Ann Cotterill. 'This focus reflects clear national priorities for both FE and HE – to ensure that the success of young people in education and their future careers is not limited by background or determined by degrees of social or economic advantage - and that everyone has a fair opportunity to shine.'

Ann leads QAA’s College HE Providers’ Network which brings together QAA College HE Members from across the UK, providing a platform to keep up to date with key higher education policy developments, discuss quality-related issues and share practice. Our next meeting on Wednesday 5 November, 10:30-12:30 will focus on 'Supporting HE teachers in a college environment'.

QAA Members can access The Awarding Map on our Membership Resources site. Sign up to use the site by completing our simple registration form.