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2.1 Policy

Scoil Mhuire Adult Education is committed to a transparent, robust and fully documented approach to Quality Assurance.

The QQI Core QA Guidelines 2016 (page 9) requires that our “quality assurance system is fully documented; there are robust , documented policies and associated procedures for the assurance of the quality and standard of provision “.

The design and presentation of our QA policies, procedures and related QA documents in a consistent, clear, accessible and easy to read format is key to the success of embedding and implementing the QA system.

Relevant policies are detailed or explicitly referenced in our handbooks while additional guidelines, forms and templates are included as appendices and/or online forms through MS Office 365 and Google Workspace for Education systems. In accordance with our commitment to transparency, policies and procedures are available publicly on our website. The QA manual is available online at www.claneqa.com

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• Governance Officer

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2.2 Definitions

(Ref: QQI Reengagement Application Guide February 2017 V0.1)

Policy

A policy is a statement or series of statements which set out a provider’s position and commitment(s) on a particular area of education and training provision.  It should show that a provider is aware of its obligations in the area and is committing to deliver on these obligations. Policies set out the approach to a given area (for example, programme development). Policies are relatively high-level documents setting out the ‘why’ a provider does something and the principles that inform the approach.

A policy :

• Is written for all stakeholders, internal and external, with a primary purpose of informing the reader as to the position of the provider on a particular aspect of its role.
• Sets out broad parameters.
• Is available to all stakeholders e.g., on a website.
• Has the understanding and backing of governance and senior management.
• Informs the learners of what they should expect from the provider.
• Informs staff of what is expected of them.
• Provides a protection and support to provider staff in carrying out their work.

Procedure

Policies are supported by procedures that set out the ‘how’, ‘when’ and ‘by whom’ written with a level of detail that makes it clear how something is done (would a new person in the role know what to do based on the procedures?) . A procedure describes a process intended to deliver all or part of a policy commitment.

A procedure:

• Is written to be available and understood by the people who will be operating the process or engaging with it
• Addresses the practicalities of the process – actions, forms, actors, timelines, information flows, records etc.
• Is designed with the intention of delivering quality and consistency
• Must be capable of being monitored i.e. records and / or indicators will be generated which should show if the procedure is being followed and, crucially, if it is effective
• Evolves over time as possible improvements are identified and implemented.

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2.3 Roles and Responsibilities

We are committed to providing the public and learners with up-to-date and accurate information on all activities. Steps are taken by the Director of Adult Education and the IT and Data Management Officer to review and approve all information prior to publication. Quality Assurance policies and Procedures are published online and hard copies of the brochure and handbooks are printed annually.

• The Quality Committee has overall responsibility for ensuring that the quality assurance system is fully documented.
• The Director of Adult Education and Quality Officer manage the system and co-ordinate the maintenance of the documents on a day-to-day basis.

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