Our strategy sets out our vision for students and the sector: a system where every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers.
Key performance measures
Our key performance measures are our main tools for understanding whether that vision is being realised.
They measure progress against specific aspects of our strategy. The strategy is divided into five strategic objectives. Each of these contain a list of strategic outcomes that give more detail on what we are trying to achieve. Each outcome is measured by at least one key performance measure.
How much do they cover?
The issues covered by the measures reflect our priorities. They focus on the areas where we feel there is the greatest need, and the greatest opportunity, to improve.
This means the issues they cover are not the only things that matter in English higher education - there are many more measures that we will track, and areas where we hope to make improvements working with students and the sector.
Using key indicators
The measures themselves are proxies - we can't directly measure how fulfilling students' find their experience, or whether every student from an underrepresented background, with the ability and desire to do so, is supported to access, succeed in and progress from higher education.
But we can use data to help us understand whether we and the sector are improving outcomes for students.
Targets and our success
We are an outcomes-focused regulator. We want to be judged by the difference we make to students' lives, not by our processes.
We hope the key performance measures will enable others - students, providers, citizens - to hold us to account.
In the future, we'll set targets for each measure so anyone can see clearly how far we are succeeding. These measures and the forthcoming targets reflect our bold and ambitious agenda - there is no guarantee that they will be achieved.
External factors will always play a part, and may prevent progress. But despite this, we still believe in the importance of measuring our performance against our goals.
On their own they cannot tell the whole story of our performance, but they can highlight possible issues, prompt reflection, and focus attention where it may be needed most.
Feedback
We are always seeking to improve our approach to measurement. If you have any comments or suggestions on how we can do so, please contact [email protected] with your feedback.
