College Strategies

Strategy Framework

1. Introduction

  1. London Churchill College (LCC) is a private, medium-sized higher education institution based in East London. This strategic document outlines the College’s priorities from 2025 to 2030, setting a course for continued growth, inclusivity and commitment to quality. With input from students, staff and external stakeholders, the strategy incorporates feedback from the College’s community to address priorities across key areas, ensuring LCC’s evolution aligns with the needs and aspirations of those we serve. Aiming for fee-cap status under the Office for Students (OfS), LCC seeks to qualify for a minimum Silver rating within the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and to achieve readiness for Direct Awarding Powers (DAP) by the 2029/2030 academic year.
  2. This strategic document, informed by consultations with students, staff and stakeholders, outlines LCC’s vision for the period 2025 to 2030. By aiming for fee-cap status, TEF Silver and the readiness for DAP by 2029/2030, LCC commits to enhancing its educational offerings, accessibility and operational resilience to meet the evolving needs of our students and community 
  1. Our mission is to empower students to reach their potential by delivering high-quality learning experiences tailored to meet career and educational aspirations. We prioritise an inclusive student experience that builds self-confidence and encourages an entrepreneurial outlook, preparing students for the demands of modern employment.
  1. LCC’s values are informed by the contributions of our students and staff, who are committed to:
    a) Demonstrating mutual respect for all members of the College community
    b) Working collaboratively and supporting each other across activities
    c) Striving for excellence in all undertakings
    d) Taking accountability for actions and promoting transparency
    e) Upholding diversity and inclusivity in all activities
  1. Widen Access and Participation: Expand access to higher education through targeted outreach and support for underrepresented groups, with a focus on the East London community. Priority will be given to improving access and outcomes for Black students, disabled students, and other disadvantaged groups in alignment with the College’s Access and Participation Plan.
  2. Fee-Cap Qualification and Silver TEF Rating: Qualify for fee-cap status with the OfS and achieve a minimum Silver TEF rating, reflecting strong student outcomes, high teaching quality and active engagement.
  3. Preparation for Direct Awarding Powers (DAP): Develop the institution’s capacity to meet DAP standards, with full readiness by 2029/2030 to independently award degrees and meet the highest standards in academic governance.
  4. Financial and Operational Resilience: Build an adaptable, sustainable operating model that supports growth and efficiency, emphasising resource management, environmental responsibility and financial stability.
  1. Strategic Aim
    1. Deliver an enriching, high-quality academic experience that aligns with UK standards, prepares students for professional success and reflects community consultation and aspirations.
  2. Key Objectives
    1. Achieve teaching and learning benchmarks that meet a minimum Silver rating within the TEF, ensuring standards align with the expectations of students, staff and regulatory bodies.
    2. Develop a curriculum that reflects both the requirements of regulatory bodies and the input of students, with ongoing adjustments based on their feedback.
    3. Secure approval of LCC’s Access and Participation Plan (APP) by OfS by the end of the 2025 academic year.
    4. Ensure that curriculum planning, course design, and quality assurance processes actively reduce attainment gaps and improve retention for students identified in the Access and Participation Plan, using clearly defined performance indicators and inclusive academic practices. Ensure evaluation of all APP-linked interventions follows sector best practice and informs both strategic planning, curriculum review and annual quality cycles.
  3. Key Metrics
    1. Maintain student satisfaction levels at or above OfS benchmarks, informed by regular student feedback.
    2. Ensure non-continuation rates remain below sector averages, targeting a sustained rate of 15% or lower.
    3. Achieve a qualification rate of 75% among students, with a focus on closing any performance gaps among different demographic groups.
    4. Fulfil all relevant requirements outlined in the Quality Code, achieving full compliance in all practices and standards.
    5. Ensure the graduate outcomes response rate consistently exceeds 60%.
  1. Strategic Aim
    1. Secure a sustainable and resilient financial base through prudent management, investment and environmentally conscious practices, creating a foundation for a first-rate educational experience.
  2. Key Objectives
    1. Develop a financial strategy that supports LCC’s goals of fee-cap qualification and long-term stability.
    2. Invest in infrastructure that addresses student and staff needs while incorporating sustainable practices.
    3. Promote sustainable principles across all aspects of resource management, aligning with environmental objectives and student expectations.
  3. Key Metrics
    1. Maintain cash reserves covering at least 120 days of operational costs.
    2. Limit dividend distributions to a maximum of 25% of surplus funds to prioritise reinvestment in College development.
    3. Attain a 90% satisfaction rate in student surveys regarding library resources, study spaces and academic materials.
    4. Prioritise low-risk investments with returns exceeding LIBOR or inflation rates.
  1. Strategic Aim
    1. Increase access and inclusivity, focusing on disadvantaged or underrepresented groups while providing a supportive and diverse environment for all.
  2. Key Objectives
    1. Secure OfS approval for the Access and Participation Plan, enabling LCC to expand access for a broad range of students.
    2. Establish strategies to support mature students, widening access mature students. and other underrepresented groups, incorporating continuous feedback to enhance student experience.
  3. Key Metrics
    1. Ensure 50% or more of students are from mature or widening access mature students. backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of the community we serve.
    2. Increase the proportion of Black students in the annual intake to at least 20 percent by 2029-30, and the student of other ethnicities (Mixed, Others) to at least 5 percent, through targeted outreach and partnership work in ethnically diverse areas of East London.
    3. Achieve a 90% progression rate into employment or further education for students from underrepresented backgrounds.
    4. Maintain a retention rate above 85% across all underrepresented student groups including by:
      a) Increase the proportion of students disclosing a disability from 0.3% in 2023–24 to at least 5% by 2029–30, supported by enhanced disability awareness campaigns, improved visibility of support services, and a strengthened culture of trust and confidentiality.

      b) Reaching 5% representation of young IMD Q1 students in annual intake. Increase the proportion of students aged 18–20 from Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) Quintile 1 backgrounds to at least 5% of the annual intake by 2029–30, through targeted school engagement initiatives and local awareness campaigns promoting vocational higher education pathways.
  1. Strategic Aim
    1. Develop an advanced IT infrastructure that enhances learning and support services, meets the needs of on-campus and remote students and supports efficient College operations.
  2. Key Objectives
    1. Maintain and continuously improve the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), optimising support for students and staff.
    2. Implement regular updates to keep the IT systems current and aligned with modern educational needs and student preferences.
  3. Key Metrics
    1. Achieve a minimum 90% satisfaction rate regarding IT resources and facilities, based on regular student input.
    2. Ensure VLE access and usage rates remain consistently above 90%, reflecting its effectiveness as a primary learning tool.
    3. Meet compliance standards for the Prevent Duty through IT policies and practices.
  1. Strategic Aim
    1. Build a capable workforce aligned with LCC’s strategic objectives, building a positive culture of learning, accountability and development for all staff.
  2. Key Objectives
    1. Design a comprehensive rewards programme that reflects individual and team achievements and encourages continuous professional growth.
    2. Ensure development opportunities are aligned with LCC’s goal to achieve DAP by 2029/2030, preparing staff to meet future institutional standards
    3. Support all academic and professional staff to deliver inclusive teaching and student support, through targeted training and appraisal-linked development plans.
    4. Introduce performance thresholds for key HR indicators to ensure timely intervention where staff development, satisfaction or access are not meeting minimum expectations..
  3. Key Metrics
    1. At least 90% of students report that they can easily access staff for support.
    2. A minimum of 90% of students and staff feel part of a cohesive, supportive community, as confirmed by regular surveys.
    3. Provide 100% of staff with development support to enhance career potential, with a focus on preparing staff to support LCC’s DAP objectives.
    4. Achieve 100% staff satisfaction with professional development, recognition and workplace culture, as evidenced by annual staff survey results.
  1. Strategic Aim
    1. To establish a robust regulatory, compliance and standards related policies and procedures that ensure full compliance with the Office for Students (OfS) regulatory framework while embedding robust quality assurance mechanisms that uphold academic standards and deliver excellent student outcomes.
  2. Key Objectives
    1. Enhance Academic Quality and Standards: Ensure all academic programmes deliver in line with the awarding bodies’ expectations whilst also align with the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ).
    2. Strengthen Regulatory Compliance: Fully embed processes to meet OfS registration conditions, focusing on financial sustainability, governance and student outcomes.
    3. Develop Governance Frameworks for DAPs Readiness: Create a governance structure that demonstrates institutional capability for autonomous degree awarding, including a transparent quality assurance system
    4. Ensure that governance arrangements enable continuous scrutiny of APP performance data and support informed decisions to reduce gaps in access, continuation and attainment.
    5. Ensure that College governance supports both academic standards and equality duties under the APP, demonstrating the College’s readiness for degree awarding responsibilities.
    6. Implement upgraded student data systems capable of tracking outcomes by protected characteristics and APP target groups, to support evaluation and compliance.
    7. Foster Continuous Improvement: establish mechanisms for regular self-assessment and external review to maintain compliance with evolving regulations and sector expectations.
  3. Key Metrics
    1. Attain 100% compliance in all OfS or internal Regulatory Compliance Monitoring and Review Visits monitoring reviews and audits.
    2. Submit error-free data returns to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and the OfS within deadlines.
    3. Achieve positive external verifiers and awarding bodies review visit reports and produce an improvement action plan and carry out and achieve completion rate of 90% on an ongoing basis.
    4. Governance Readiness Review: Achieve 100% alignment with the OfS criteria for New Degree Awarding Powers (New DAPs) governance frameworks as self-assessed against the OfS Regulatory Advice 12: How to apply for degree awarding powers.
    5. Conduct annual evaluations of governance boards and committees, achieving a positive effectiveness rating.
  1. Strategic Aim
    1. To implement and continuously review the LCC Student Engagement Framework and Strategy, ensuring an effective and collaborative relationship between LCC and its student body through robust representation, constructive feedback mechanisms and dynamic engagement initiatives.
  2. Key Objectives
    1. Strengthen Student Representation Structures
      1. Enhance the role of the LCC Student Representatives Association (SRA) and its leadership, including the Student Rep President and Vice Presidents, to provide a central forum for student engagement and advocacy.
      2. Ensure student representation on the APP Monitoring Committee and its advisory groups.
    2. Embed the Student Voice in Decision-Making
      1. Integrate student representatives into senior committees, including the Board of Directors, Academic Board, College Oversight Board and Programme Committee Meetings, ensuring their voices shape institutional policies and decisions.
    3. Foster Constructive Student Feedback Mechanisms
      1. Collect and act on student feedback through surveys and formal committee discussions, ensuring the feedback is recorded, respected and disseminated to the student cohorts via their representatives.
    4. Inclusive and Collaborative Engagement
      1. Create an environment where all students are members of the SRA, enabling them to participate in activities that complement their educational experience and engage in meaningful dialogue with College leadership.
      2. Provide regular feedback to students on APP progress and updates to strategy based on student input.
  3. Key Metrics
    1. Student Representation Rate: All cohorts and programmes must have at least one student representative by the end of the first term of each academic year.
    2. Student Involvement in Decision-Making: Ensure 100% of senior committees/boards include at least one student representative by the end of the term.
    3. Student Feedback Satisfaction Rate: Achieve above NSS average feedback rate of all student feedback within one semester.
    4. SRA Engagement: Achieve minimum 60% SRA participation in student engagement events and activities by the end of the academic year.
    5. Student Satisfaction with Representation: Metric: Attain 85% student satisfaction with engagement and representation in the annual survey.
  1. Strategic Aim
    1. To establish and sustain high-quality partnerships with awarding bodies, universities, employers and regulatory bodies to enhance academic standards, improve employability outcomes and ensure compliance with sector-wide regulations.
  2. Key Objectives
    1. Strengthen Academic Partnerships and Progression Pathways by maintaining a high standard of delivery for Pearson HND programmes and ensure compliance with Pearson’s quality assurance processes.
    2. Secure a university partnership to offer undergraduate top-up courses for HND students and full undergraduate degree programmes in Business and Hospitality.
    3. Enhance employer engagement and work-based learning by developing strong partnerships for knowledge exchange, guest lectures and employability training, while establishing structured work placements in Health and Social Care and other relevant disciplines. Strengthen policies and frameworks to ensure a seamless experience for students and placement providers.
    4. Ensure regulatory compliance and institutional sustainability by maintaining full adherence to OfS registration conditions, implementing robust monitoring of academic standards and student outcomes and developing a sustainable funding model through strategic partnerships and fee-cap approval.
  3. Key Metrics
    1. Establish University partnership with minimum one UK university for undergraduate top-up and full degree programmes.
    2. Secure positive Annual External Examiner and Academic Management Review outcomes indicating programme quality and compliance.
    3. Employer and Placement Engagement: The College or student secure work placements for all students who need mandatory work placement as part of the course
    4. Organise at least 3 workshops, knowledge exchange and employability training sessions over an academic year available to all students.
    5. Achieve full compliance with OfS conditions across access, quality, governance and financial sustainability by the end of the academic year and secure fee-cap approval by [specific date], ensuring enhanced financial viability and increased student funding opportunities.

Reference

Version
6.0
Updated
July 2025
Author
Principal’s Executive Group
Delegated authority
Principal
Approval By
Board of Directors
Approval Date
11 July 2025
Version History
V4.1 (July 2021), V3.1 (Sept 2020); V3.0 (June 2020), 2.02 (May 2020); V1.0 (May 2020); V4.2 (May 2022); V5.0 (Nov 2024)
Review
College Oversight Board (COB)
Circulation
Public Information
Key Metrics Sources
OfS Benchmark / HESA data / LCC Quality Cycle & Assurance Manual

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