Professional Documents
Culture Documents
COMMUNICATION
CORPORATE PLAN 200708
Contents Page
Introduction and Background 3
Planning Assumptions 4
Mission Statement, Core Values and Key Stakeholders 5
Aims, Objectives and Performance Indicators 6
Monitoring Progress 15
Key Performance Targets 16
Acronyms 23
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Introduction and Background
During this year Ravensbourne’s key priority was to consolidate and strengthen its core
activities of learning, teaching and knowledge transfer in the context of its longer term plans
for the new location on the Greenwich Peninsula
The College successfully completed its QAA audit and is still developing its plans for the
development of strategic alliances with institutions and organisations
In addition to the challenges of collaborative working it recognises the need to manage the
effects of continuing change in the external environment. This year marked the first year of
changed tuition fee arrangements for fulltime undergraduate students and student numbers
have remained buoyant. However we know that it will be important for us to continue our
focus on ensuring continuity and stability in our core operations so that our students can
continue to benefit from Ravensbourne’s unique environment.
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Planning Assumptions
During 200708 we anticipate:
§ Students’ expectations of high standards of teaching and learning and positive
employment outcomes are likely to increase with the introduction of variable tuition
fees.
§ Continued emphasis on ensuring that education provision is flexible, accessible to a
more diverse student body and allows for progression to enable students to become
successful lifelong learners.
§ Continued developments in the review of the method for allocating funds for teaching.
§ Increasing emphasis on employerled (and employerfunded) provision for higher
level skills.
§ Increasing competition for overseas students.
§ Increased competition for UK students from overseas institutions.
§ Increasing emphasis on a researchinformed teaching environment.
§ Increased emphasis on longer term sustainability given the continued uncertainty
arising from the introduction of variable tuition fees and the possibility that the 2009
review of HE funding may result in the raising of the £3000 cap and hence intensified
competition across the sector.
§ Increased emphasis on securing corporate sponsorship, the Ravensbourne Fund,
community pilot programmes and development of formal alumni networks.
§ Increased emphasis on collaboration as a mechanism to secure longer term
sustainability, including shared services, particularly in Greenwich and the Thames
Gateway
§ Increased emphasis on knowledge transfer to enhance economic development and
continued developments in the methods for collecting quantitative and qualitative
information to determine the method for distributing funds from 200809.
§ Continued emphasis on selfregulation and continuous improvement with regard to
leadership, management and governance.
§ Continued development of learning and teaching strategies to examine different
methods of delivery.
§ More emphasis upon mobile learning and student centred delivery.
§ Emerging transitional management strategy.
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Mission Statement, Core Values and Key Stakeholders
Ravensbourne’s Mission Statement and Core Values were approved by the Board of
Governors in July 2003.
Our Mission Statement is as follows:
“Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication aims to provide
innovative and dynamic educational opportunities through high quality teaching
and student support. We are a national institution with international perspectives
but we attach particular importance to contributing to London’s social and cultural
vibrancy and its economic prosperity. We encourage creativity and enterprise in
our students and staff and champion the creative exploitation of digital
technologies in design and communications.”
Our Core Values are as follows:
• We are committed to ensuring high quality vocational learning experiences for
our students;
• We recognise staff as fundamental to our success and we encourage the
creative sharing of knowledge and expertise across disciplinary boundaries;
• We recognise the importance of diversity and will continue to embed equality of
opportunity throughout all of our activities;
• We are committed to maintaining an overall sound financial position
• We are committed to maintaining a high level of investment in digital
technologies;
• We are committed to working collaboratively to support regeneration of the
Thames gateway economy and respond innovatively to the needs of the creative
industries;
• We recognise the importance of inclusivity and fairness and seek to ensure
effective communication with our stakeholders;
Our key stakeholders are:
§ Students and alumni
§ Staff – current and past
§ Governors – current and past
§ Industrial and commercial partners
§ Professional and trade associations
§ Government – national, regional and local – and associated strategic planning
agencies
§ Educational partners – community organisations, FE Colleges, Higher Education
Institutions and private training providers.
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Aims, Objectives and Performance Indicators
During 200708 the College will focus on the following aims:
1. Implementing plans to relocate the College to new premises on the Greenwich
Peninsula.
2. Developing strategic alliances with selected partners and collaborating actively with
regional, national and international partners in support of the creative industries.
3. Providing high quality, specialist education in design and communications which
meets the needs of our students from diverse backgrounds, their employers and the
business sectors we serve.
4. Developing an inclusive community programme to respond to the educational and
vocational needs of the Greenwich and Thames Gateway economy
5. Developing creative and effective knowledge transfer and business support services
which meet the needs of our client industries.
6. Maintaining and developing responsible and sensitive arrangements for management
and governance.
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AIM 1
Ravensbourne will implement its plan to relocate the College to new premises on the
Greenwich Peninsula in 200910
During 2007/08 the College continued with its plans to relocate to the Greenwich Peninsula
following a successful appeal on its Chislehurst site and the submission of a planning
application to the London Borough of Greenwich together with the confirmation of funding
from its stakeholders.
Objectives
During 200708 the College will:
1. Conclude unconditional agreements with regard to the disposal of its current estate.
2. Conclude unconditional agreements with regard to the acquisition of its new estate.
3. Secure the required planning consent on the Greenwich site.
4. Ensure reporting and control functions are in place to begin the build phase of the
project in 2007.
5. Implement the Communications plan
6. Production of a Relocation Strategy and Action Plan
Performance Indicators
During 200708 the College will:
§ Achieve unconditional contracts – Chislehurst and Greenwich.
§ Successful planning application with LBG
§ Onsite in 2008
§ Regular reporting to all stakeholders.
§ Achieve key communications objectives
§ Implementation of the Relocation Strategy
Key strategic risks
The key risk is to keep project within budget and timescale and to take forward its academic
development plans.
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AIM 2
Ravensbourne will develop strategic alliances with selected partners and collaborate
actively with regional, national and international partners in support of the creative
industries
The College recognises that closer ties with partner institutions will be essential to its longer
term academic vitality and institutional sustainability and will seek to reach firm agreements
with partners as to a preferred option for future development.
During 200708 the College intends to continue its active engagement with the full range of
organisations with whom it has previously worked successfully and will seek to extend
regional, national and international alliances of significant strategic importance. This includes
active involvement in three Lifelong Learning Networks, a Knowledge Exchange, a Pre
Commercial Investment Fund, SkillSet, DCLG, HEFCE, AEG and the LDA.
Objectives
During 200708 the College will:
1. Seek to reach agreements with organisations and Specialist Higher Educational
institutions to achieve closer ties
2. Work with strategic funding partners in London to support initiatives focussed on the
creative industries.
3. Work with partners, including other HEIs, strategic public sector agencies and
employers, to stimulate enterprise initiatives.
4. Ensure successful delivery in ongoing partnership activities.
5. Continue to develop collaborate activities with partner institutions as a consortium
member of Life Long Learning Networks (National Arts Lifelong Learning Network
NALN, Thames Gateway Lifelong Learning Network Creative Way and the South
London Lifelong Learning Network.)
6. Increase the number of students recruited from vocational courses onto
undergraduate programmes using ASNs allocated for this purpose by HEFCE
through the Lifelong Learning Networks.
7. Continue to respond to opportunities to apply for further ASNs through Lifelong
Learning Networks.
Performance Indicators
During 200607 the College will:
§ Establish strategic agreements with partner institutions and organisations in London.
§ Secure HEFCE support to develop collaborative activities.
§ Secure further LDA support to develop collaborative business support services.
§ Secure appropriate external recognition for partnership and employer engagement.
§ Maintain its role within existing partnership activities.
§ Develop progression agreements with at least three Further Education Colleges
§ Recruit students to the Lifelong Learning Networks ASNs
§ Ensure appropriate bids for ASNs are sent to Lifelong Learning Networks within
allocated timescales.
Key strategic risks
The key risks to achieving our strategic objectives under this aim are:
§ That we are unable to reach agreements with other institutions and organisations.
§ That we are unsuccessful in securing external recognition for employer engagement
(eg Skillset Academy status).
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AIM 3
Ravensbourne will provide high quality, specialist education in design and
communications which meets the needs of our students, their employers and the
business sectors we serve.
The College achieved the successful revalidation of its undergraduate courses and began the
process of evaluating its predegree provision to enhance progression and participation
opportunities. The College’s efforts in strengthening its quality assurance systems were also
rewarded by confirmation by the Quality Assurance Agency agreement to award a
confidence judgement following its recent audit.
We will also continue to strengthen academic planning to ensure that our provision is
responsive to a diverse student body, is sufficiently flexible to accommodate longer term
changes in the teaching funding method and is appropriate to 21 st century Higher Education.
Objectives
During 200708 the College will:
1. Review its provision and, where appropriate, implement changes to improve
progression and participation opportunities for learners.
2. Continue the development of new courses, prioritising programmes for which there is
a clearly identified demand.
3. Continue to develop the professionalism of its teaching staff and the expertise of all
staff who support learning and teaching.
4. To continue to achieve excellent results in external review and other engagements.
5. Implement its learning and teaching strategy.
6. Strengthen its engagement with elearning to support independent learning.
7. Continue to provide comprehensive student support services.
8. Continue to implement more efficient resource management systems.
9. Respond to the new LSC strategy for FE
10. Revise its post graduate programme
11. Define new methods of delivery appropriate for the context of the courses and its
move to Greenwich.
Performance Indicators
During 200708 the College will:
§ Achieve recruitment targets for Foundation Diploma, undergraduate and international
students.
§ Ensure its student retention and achievement rates are at or above the relevant
benchmark.
§ Ensure its graduate employment rates are at or above its benchmark.
§ Achieve the successful validation and revalidation of new and existing courses as
outlined on the validation schedule.
§ Provide a change management plan for FE.
§ Achieve targets for the professional development of teaching and support staff,
including where appropriate, HE Academy accreditation.
§ Implementation of the Grade Progression Policy for all staff and additional reward
opportunities to acknowledge outstanding achievement.
§ Maintain and improve upon the College’s high level of student satisfaction as
indicated by responses to the College Course Experience Questionnaire.
§ Secure appropriate recognition of employer engagement.
§ Continue to play an active role in the Lifelong Learning Networks in which we are a
partner.
§ Continue to implement revised resource management arrangements and achieve
measurable improvements in resource utilisation.
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§ Continue the development of elearning utilising technologies to support learning
where appropriate.
Key strategic risks
The key risks to achieving our strategic objectives under this aim are:
§ That we fail to achieve recruitment targets.
§ That we fail to take appropriate steps to ensure our provision meets the national
agenda with regard to progression, participation and flexible credit based provision
§ Failure to adapt new methods of teaching delivery to maximise the use of the new
building.
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AIM 4
Ravensbourne will develop an inclusive community programme to respond to the
educational and vocational needs of the Greenwich and Thames Gateway economy
During 200607 the College launched its Development Office facilitating the development of
mutually beneficial partnerships with alumni and the creative industries with the aim of
securing sponsorship and donations for the benefit of disadvantaged students and the
college.
During 200708 the College intends to continue developing and actively promoting its
charitable objects through the Development Office, by launching a series of community pilot
programmes in collaboration with selected HE/FE and training providers as well as
community groups in Greenwich.
These pilot programmes will serve as a testbed for launching an inclusive community
programme at the new campus on 2009/10, which attract corporate sponsorship from non
creative industries as well as statutory, Lottery and Charitable Trust funding.
Objectives
During 200708 the College will:
1. Launch the Ravensbourne Youth Board as its first pilot community programme in
Greenwich
2. Build upon the outputs and capacity of Widening Participation to reach a more
diverse student audience
3. Focus on securing corporate sponsorship from Canary Wharf and the Greenwich
Peninsula developers in support of the community programme
4. Focus on securing funds from statutory sources
5. Actively rollout the Ravensbourne Fund to target businesses and the general public
with the support of Marketing and Communications
6. Focus on consolidating and developing its alumni database for fundraising purposes
Performance Indicators
During 200708 the College will:
§ Develop and promote the charitable objects of the College for external and internal
stakeholders
§ Consolidate its alumni data from 19702007
§ Develop its offering to the noncreative industries to increase fundraising success
§ Develop its sponsorship and funding relationships
§ Secure strategic collaborations within Greenwich and the Thames Gateway.
Key strategic risks
The key risks to achieving our strategic objectives under this aim are:
· That we do not develop and disseminate our core charitable message to our
stakeholders which will seriously impede fundraising progress
· That we do not consolidate alumni archives onto Donor Strategy, which will reduce
our fundraising target audience, thereby affecting Annual Fund targets
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AIM 5
Ravensbourne will develop creative and effective knowledge transfer and business
support services which meet the needs of our client industries.
During 200607 the College continued to strengthen its knowledge transfer portfolio and
began the process of implementing organisational changes designed to ensure maximum
benefit from institutional engagement with knowledge transfer activities.
During 200708 the College intends to sustain the development of business interaction and
knowledge transfer activities with a view to enhancing its contribution to the development of
the creative industries, reviewing policy documentation and engaging the academic
community in knowledge transfer.
Objectives
During 200708 the College will:
1. Continue its focus on enterprise support initiatives targeted at College students and
graduates.
2. Continue to develop its CPD and consultancy portfolio.
3. Following a review of its IP policy and Consultancy policy, focus on securing benefits
from the careful management of its IP portfolio.
4. Continue to play an active role in Knowledge East and knowledge transfer networks.
5. Implement strategies to increase Faculty involvement in knowledge transfer activities.
6. Monitor the implementation of the knowledge transfer and commercial development
strategy to ensure HEIF 3 targets are met and quantitative and qualitative information
is recorded to enhance opportunities to benefit from revised methods to distribute
knowledge transfer funding.
Performance Indicators
During 200708 the College will:
§ Maintain the provision of work experience placements at or above the numbers
achieved in 200405.
§ Achieve enterprise support targets.
§ Achieve CPD and consultancy targets.
§ Achieve Faculty knowledge transfer targets.
§ Achieve income targets for knowledge transfer activities.
§ Achieve Ravensbourne Limited targets.
Key strategic risks
The key risks to achieving our strategic objectives under this aim are:
§ That we neglect knowledge transfer work relative to teaching and learning because,
for example, our allocation of HEIF funding is insufficient to fully engage the institution
and unlock its knowledge and expertise base for the benefit of industry users.
§ That we fail to recover full costs from knowledge transfer work
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AIM 6
Ravensbourne will develop responsible and sensitive arrangements for management
and governance.
Ravensbourne recognises the importance of continuous improvement and during 200708
intends to focus on ensuring that the College engages fully with the national agenda for
strengthening leadership, management and governance.
Recognising the importance of implementing measures to secure its longer term viability, the
College focussed on developing its financial, resource management and HR strategies during
200708. Institute a renewed focus on marketing and communications and on bringing new
resources into play to support College development.
Objectives
During 200708 the College will:
1. Continue to implement its financial strategy.
2. Continue to implement its human resource strategy.
3. Continue to implement its Equal Opportunities Impact Assessment Policy.
4. Implement its estates and resources management strategies.
5. Implement its revised marketing and communications plans.
6. Launch its information strategy.
7. Launch its fundraising and development plans.
8. Continue to implement its IT Strategy
9. Review academic and student administration at the College to ensure it is fit for
purpose in advance of relocation.
10. Build on the judgement of confidence in the institutional audit by the QAA.
11. Achieve the confidence of Ofsted if required.
12. Support measures to develop alternative sources of income and reduce reliance
on public funding.
13. Continue to review risk assessment and risk management arrangements to
safeguard corporate interests.
14. Implement and monitor its revised Health and Safety Policy.
15. Set targets and implement measures to ensure continuous improvement through
enhanced leadership, management and governance.
Performance Indicators
During 200708 the College will:
§ Achieve key financial objectives.
§ Achieve key HR objectives.
§ Achieve key estates and resource management objectives.
§ Achieve key marketing and communications objectives.
§ Achieve targets to ensure continuous improvement through enhanced leadership,
management and governance.
§ Report and recommendations accepted by the Board following the review of
academic administration
§ Review fitness for purpose of Academic Board SubCommittee structure
§ Develop a 3 year Quality Assurance and Enhancement Strategy through to midterm
review and potential TDAP
§ Act on recommendations and advice contained in the report of the QAA Institutional
Audit of March 2007
§ Faculties to embed unit planning schemes of work.
§ Achieve key health and safety targets.
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Key strategic risks
The key risks to achieving our strategic objectives under this aim are:
§ That we fail to meet key financial objectives and hence weaken our ability to maintain
longterm sustainability in more challenging market conditions.
§ That we fail to invest in appropriate development measures to ensure effective
leadership, management and governance in the context of a more complex operating
environment.
§ That we fail to utilise and manage the full range of College resources effectively and
hence weaken our ability to deliver provision that meets demand.
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Monitoring Progress
Progress against the Corporate Plan will be monitored in two main ways.
1. Over the course of the year the Board of Governors will review progress against each
of the six aims.
2. Over the course of the year the Management Committee, the Academic Board and
the Committees of the Board and Academic Board will review progress against the
full range of institutional strategies and the Management Committee will review
progress against the College Business Plan.
3. Audit Committee can review the full range of institutional strategies to monitor
Output progress.
Estates Finance & General Purposes
Committee
Marketing and Communications Finance & General Purposes
Committee
Fundraising and Development Commercial Development and
Enterprise Committee
Risk Management Finance & General Purposes
Committee
Governance Audit Committee
IT Finance & General Purposes
Committee
Commercial Commercial Development and
Enterprise Committee
Enterprise and Innovation Commercial Development and
Enterprise Committee
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Key Performance Targets
AIM 1 – Relocation
To conclude legal agreements – Unconditional contracts –
Chislehurst & Greenwich Chislehurst & Greenwich Q4 07
To secure funding package Funding commitments from
HEFCE, the LDA and the DCLG for Q4 07
sum of £7.25M
AIM 2 – Alliances and Partnerships
To establish strategic Board of Governor approvals for
agreements with partner higher the proposed agreements Q4 07
education institutions and
organisations in London
To secure HEFCE support to Funding commitment from HEFCE
develop collaborative activities Q4 07
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Ensure appropriate bids for Bids sent to LLNs and ASNs Q4 08
ASNs are sent to Lifelong awarded to Ravensbourne
Learning Networks (LLNs) within
allocated timescales
AIM 3 – High Quality Specialist Education
To achieve recruitment targets HESES Return (HEFCE funded
for Foundation, undergraduate, students) Q4 07
postgraduate and international LSC Return
students. Overseas Target measured as
number of students enrolled.
To ensure its student retention, HESA Performance Indicator
achievement rates and graduate Tables Q3 07
employment rates are at or
above the relevant benchmark.
To achieve the successful Course validation achieved
revalidation and launch of its Q4 07
postgraduate courses.
To maintain and improve upon The College Course Experience
the College’s high level of Questionnaire. Satisfaction levels
student satisfaction as indicated compared annually and reported to
by responses to the College Academic Board. (The latest figures Q3 07
Course Experience are due at the end of this term,
Questionnaire. once received the plan will be
updated to include targets.)
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To continue to implement revised To achieve the costing project and Q3 08
resource management the targets contained within it.
arrangements and achieve
measurable improvements in
resource utilisation.
AIM 3 – High Quality Specialist Education continued
AIM 4 – Inclusive Community Programme
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FE DETAILS HERE
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AIM 5 – Effective Knowledge Transfer and Business Support
To achieve Ravensbourne Ltd HE Business and Community
targets Interaction Survey together with Q2 08
audit reports and financial
statements from the Board of
Directors of Ravensbourne Ltd to
the Board of Governors
AIM 6 – Continuous Improvement
To achieve key financial, HR and Financial statements, audit reports,
estates objectives HESA statistics and EMS data. On due dates
Achieve Value For Money savings Ongoing
of 1% on nonsalary expenditure
per annum.
To achieve targets to ensure Satisfactory reports from HEFCE
continuous improvement through Assurance Service No date set for HEFCE
enhanced leadership, review
management and governance.
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AIM 6 – Continuous Improvement continued
Robust Unit Schemes of Work in Q3 07
place for all units running in
2007/08 prior to delivery of the unit.
Achieve key health and safety Permanent member of staff in place Q3 07
targets
Achieve targets inline with the Q3 08
timescales within the Health and
Safety action plan.
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GLOSSARY
ACRONYMS
AEG Anschutz Entertainment Group
ASN Additional Student Numbers
CPD Continuing Professional Development
DCLG Department of Communities and Local Government
EMS Estates Management Statistics
FE Further Education
HEFCE Higher Education Funding Council of England
HEI Higher Education Institution
HEIF Higher Education Innovation Fund
HESA Higher Education Statistics Agency
HR Human Resources
IT Information Technology – This includes Information Systems,
Information and Communication Technology including Learning
Technology and Information and Communication Technology
Research and Development.
IP Intellectual Property
LBG London Borough of Greenwich
LDA London Development Agency
LLN Lifelong Learning Network
LSC Learning and Skills Council
NALN National Arts Lifelong Learning Network
Ofsted Office for Standards in Education
QAA Quality Assurance Agency
TDAP Taught Degree Awarding Powers
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