Wednesday 28-01-2026 - 08:38

 

 

Lancaster University partners with a number of different institutions within the UK and around the world. In the UK, Blackpool and The Fylde College, Frontline, UA92 Manchester and Blackburn College all hold partnerships with Lancaster University. These work by having university courses run at their institution, but the students receive a Lancaster University degree at the end of their course. 

 

 
Our University and Blackburn College have had a particular agreement in place since 2022. This means that the AQSC (Academic Quality, Standards and Conduct) team will regularly monitor the courses at the college to ensure the courses are up to standard, which is completed through a number of different ways, including a multi-stage Periodic Review.
 
In the beginning of Michaelmas term, I was asked by our Education Officer, Liz Gillet, if I was available to sit on the Periodic Review Panel for Blackburn College to act as the Student Panel Member. I gladly agreed as this is a great, unique experience with opportunities to review confidential documentation, see the inner workings of an FE/HE College and work closely with senior university staff, including Sarah Kemp, Pro-Vice Chancellor. With my aspirations to become a teacher, this was not an opportunity to pass up. Also, the honorarium of £400 made the whole experience just that touch more enjoyable.
 
Prior to the actual day of the panel, I met with the other members of the panel a number of times. We discussed and learnt about the history of the partnership, how Lancaster works to support and oversee the college, and how the Periodic Review would work. Numerous documents were shared for our critique, including the Self-Evaluation Document (SED) of Standards, Quality and Student Experience, which makes up the bulk of the Stage 1 of the review. I spent a number of days reading all of the documentation, critiquing and commending different aspects all while learning more about the college and its inner workings. All members of the panel were asked to come up with questions for the day focusing on different aspects of the document. As the student representative, I focused my efforts on querying student experience and how resources, assessment and AI were affecting the students on a day-to-day basis. 
 
On Friday 12th December 2025, we all ventured to the college for a full day of meetings, talks and discussions with all aspects of the Blackburn College community. They greeted us with kindness and respect, making us feel very welcome in their environment. The day consisted of meeting with different stakeholders, including Senior Management Staff, Teaching Staff, Support and Services Staff, as well as a range of different students. We used these meetings to clarify, question, and compare the views of different groups. Assessment, resources, and student voice were just some of the topics we touched on. To conclude the day, we met with the Senior Management Team and the Principal to report back our commendations of good practice and recommendations for areas of improvement. 
 
Overall, the day was an enriching and insightful experience to get to understand the inner workings of such an interesting institution. It forced me to reflect upon our institution and areas where perhaps we can take ideas from Blackburn College to implement ourselves. With my plans to go into a teaching career myself, this opportunity was a great experience to explore what life is like for teachers and staff outside of the classroom, an insight I am fortunate to have witnessed.