Updated Oct 2022 (DM)

Quality Assurance Procedures

 

We regard providing a quality service to our users as essential to the future of WSE.  Not only do we want to maintain a high quality of service, but we want to find ways to improve the service we deliver.

 

To monitor and maintain our quality we:

 

• Give students a questionnaire on their first day to obtain feedback on the welcome provided by the homestay, the airport transfer (if used) etc.
• Issue questionnaires to all students at the end of their first week.
• Hold Leavers’ Meetings to get oral feedback from a selection of leaving students each week.  This includes asking for comparisons with other schools the students have attended.
• Issue End-of-Course online questionnaires to all students who are leaving the school.  This covers all aspects of their stay including accommodation and the social activities offered as well as the teaching.  Results from these questionnaires are summarised and fed back to staff at their regular meetings and analysed by the Quality Committee, who suggest improvements to our service to senior management.
• Inform students on their first day (via the welcome pack and welcome talk) about who to contact on any issue they might have whether it is academic or homesickness.  This is reinforced at the Arrivals Meeting which is held at the end of week one.
• Ask students how they heard of WSE (agent, publicity, website, personal recommendation etc.)  If students are coming based on personal recommendation this is a measure of a value for money service.
• Meet regularly with agents to seek feedback.
• Hold social events for homestay hosts.  This gives hosts the opportunity to speak to us in person in a relaxed atmosphere.  This feedback is invaluable as it gives us an insight to what the students are saying about the school outside of the academic environment.
• Seek host family feedback through an annual survey.
• Study exam results and the level of passes/fails.
• Analyse current and future student numbers as well as the nationality mix.
• Study staff turnover.
• Seek staff feedback through an annual survey.

To improve our service, we:

 

• Study in detail the British Council Accreditation and Inspection report and Quality English visit report and discuss how we can improve on any areas highlighted by these.  This includes putting training plans in place where necessary, for example providing Pronunciation workshops led by Adrian Underhill (an expert in the field) for all teaching staff;
• Ask staff for ideas in meetings and as part of their annual appraisal;
• Hold regular teacher training workshops;
• Provide training for administration and facilities staff;
• Collaborate with other schools in order to share best practice;
• At Leavers’ meetings & in Leavers’ Questionnaires, ask for students’ suggestions on how we can improve the service we offer.