Following the consultation exercise reported to ASC in January 2019, the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment (UKSCQA) has issued the outcome of its national consultation on Degree Classification. This comprises two documents: i) a consultation analysis and ii) a Statement of Intent for the UK HE sector which has been devised as an outcome of the consultation.

The Statement of Intent sets out the principles and actions the UK HE sector has committed to in order to protect the value of its degrees. In terms of implementing the Statement of Intent, there are different approaches across the four nations of the UK. For Scotland it is accepted that our national Quality Enhancement Framework achieves this due to the various features of the framework which institutions follow, including ELIR, annual reporting to the SFC and annual engagement meetings with QAA Scotland.

ASC is invited to note the consultation analysis and the new sector Statement of Intent.

The Senate Office will monitor further developments in this area, including any further work in the Scottish sector focused on understanding the classifications profile; this will be overseen by the Quality Arrangements in Scottish Higher Education (QASHE) group.

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