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What type of institutions operate in the independent FE and HE sectors?
The strengths of an independent institution should centre on its responsiveness to the needs of individual students. British students who choose to study in the independent sector may be looking for something different from traditional schooling or may have experienced disruption in their education which makes it hard for them to fit into normal school structures. Many students in independent colleges come from overseas and require assistance with settling in to life in the UK , need English language and study skills support and more general support in adapting to the British approach to learning and assessment, which may differ considerably from their experience in the education system of their home countries.
It is difficult to define a “typical” independent sector college. BAC accredited large colleges with purpose-built premises, small colleges operating in converted houses or within commercial premises and colleges which operate within a state university campus. In most cases, students enrolling in an independent college will find that the class sizes are considerably smaller and the level of individual support is greater than might be expected in the public sector. It is, however, true that BAC receives a small number of complaints from students who have arrived with the expectation that they will be studying in “Oxbridge” style colleges because this is their image of British education. For this reason BAC inspectors scrutinise websites and Prospectuses to ensure that false impressions are avoided.
BAC-accredited colleges fall into four main categories:
Independent Sixth Form and Tutorial Colleges
These specialise in enabling students to gain places at universities, often in subjects for which there is a lot of competition, such as Medicine, Dentistry, Law or Veterinary Sciences. Most offer GCE and AS/A2 courses, but others provide preparation for International Baccalaureate, AVCE and Scottish Higher examinations. Several have developed their own pre-university Foundation courses. Most also offer English language classes, generally preparing students for the IELTS test.
Business and Professional Education and Training
The majority of the courses are in Business Studies or Information Technology, but accredited colleges offer a wide range of programmes including, for instance, Accountancy, Cookery, Interior Design, Drama, Health Care, Hotel Management, and Steiner Teacher Training (Montessori and Rudolf Steiner).
Higher Education
Although it is not legal in the United Kingdom for independent colleges to offer their own degrees, a number of colleges, particularly in London , have negotiated agreements with recognised universities and awarding bodies to offer programmes leading to degrees or other higher education qualifications. Some of these degrees are awarded by British universities, but there are also degree programmes leading to overseas awards.
Non-Collegiate Accreditation
BAC offers non-collegiate accreditation to eligible course providers which do not operate as year-round institutions. It is designed for independent organisations which offer courses of further or higher education on a short-term or less-than-full-time basis, normally in premises which are leased specifically for the duration of the courses. Accreditation is restricted to a specified range of courses. To date, accredited non-collegiate providers have offered such diverse courses as Animal Osteopathy, Hypnotherapy and Theological Studies.
