Inchbald Published Information Policy

Introduction and Scope

1.1 The school produces a wide range of information which it publishes to a range of audiences.This policy aims to assure the accuracy and consistency of the published information by Inchbald School of Design, along with where and how the information is published.

1.2 This policy covers information published in electronic via the School website, intranet, social media and any online learning platforms,or printed form which refers to:

• academic programmes,
• services,
• corporate strategy,
• policies,
• public data returns
• press & media communication.

1.3 It does not cover:

• letters,
• verbal communication,
• presentations,
• teaching and learning material,
• staff recruitment advertisements,
• the outputs of research,
• scholarly activity or the content of creative work

Definitions

"Inchbald School of Design" is the institution providing the teaching and may be referred to as 'Inchbald School of Design' or 'The School'

"Student" is someone who is registered as attending Inchbald School of Design for any educational course and has undergone the enrolment process, whether actively on a program at the time and before any formal cessation of studies.

'Programme Handbook-a document approved by our Awarding Bodies to contain specific information about an individual programme of study, its intended outcomes and the means by which these outcomes are achieved and demonstrated.

'Prospectus'-substantive printed document cataloguing programmes and related information. The online prospectus is a digital copy of the approved printed prospectus.

'Website'-Inchbald's central online presence which includes all information for courses, admissions, student support. It is also the main online presence informing all other social media outlets and representing Inchbald in the online public domain.

'Publications'-documents and other items published by the School itself, including the prospectus, brochures, leaflets/flyers, web pages and information available to students through the UCAS site.

'External Publications'-documents and other items published by Inchbald's awarding bodies.

'Advertisements'-text/image which appears in an external publication or online, where that appearance is paid for by the School.

'Directory entries'-information published externally without a charge being made to Inchbald.

'Social Networking'-information published by The School on social networking resources, inclusive of, but not exclusive to, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,YouTube.

Policy Statement

3.1 Inchbald School of Design aims to publish and communicate information that is accurate, fair, reasonable, fit for purpose and timely. We aim to enable staff, current and prospective students, external regulatory and other parties to form an accurate impression of the school and help make any informed decisions.

3.2 Inchbald School of Design's aim is to engage with press and media in an effective and constructive manner in order to build their reputation and to contribute to public debate. To achieve this, The Board of Directors and Managing Committee are authorised to speak on the School's behalf.

3.3 Public information is communicated in the context of legislation and best practice guidelines, including the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Consumer Markets Authority(CMA) requirements.

3.4 Published information must provide current students with an accurate information as to how they can make the most of their learning opportunities and confirmation of what can be achieved by students.

3.5 Any images and video used by the School must be the copyright of the School or where this is not the case, be used with permission.

Marketing and Recruitment

3.6 No content is published on the School website without the approval of the Management Committee, who should be satisfied that the content has been properly approved before publication by the relevant senior managers. Publication pertaining to courses validated by an academic partner will also have content checked and approved by that partner.

3.7 Printed materials for prospective students including the prospectus require the approval of the Management Committee, who should be satisfied that the content has been properly approved before publication by the relevant committees or senior managers.

3.8 The wording for tag lines, mottos and slogans relating to league table performance, rankings and awards requires the approval of the Board of Directors, in consultation with the Chair of Audit Committee.

3.9 All published information must provide prospective students and staff a clear, transparent and accurate portrayal of the school to allow an informed decision to be made.

3.10 The School makes or will make a number of public data returns each year, as part of its obligations to statutory and regulatory bodies and validating university. These include Statistical Data returns and written returns.

3.11 Members of staff responsible for the collection of data submitted as part of the public data returns are provided with the necessary training to ensure information is accurate and submitted correctly.

3.12 Data being submitted must have been agreed via the Managing Committee and Board of Directors prior to any submission or publication.

3.13 Any data or report that is required to be published will be undertaken within the guidelines of the governing bodies and clearly visible on the Inchbald website.

Policies, Procedures, Regulations and Curriculum

3.14 Proposers for new Inchbald School policies, procedures and regulations should seek the advice of the Audit Chair and the Management Committee for approval prior to any publication.

3.15 Once new School level policies are approved they should appear clearly in Faculty/Programme Handbooks.

3.16 Changes to School policies, procedures and regulations are all approved in accordance with the review cycle and approval lines stipulated.

3.17 Where the review point arrives and no change is required, senior managers are permitted to provide a sign off confirmation of 'No Change'.

3.18 Where the review point arrives and change is required (for example, in response to internal or external demands or requirements), these changes must be submitted (in tracked form where appropriate) to the relevant committees; or seek Chairs Action for urgent changes.

3.19 Curriculum matters (i.e.new, changed and closed programmes and modules) all need to be approved by the Management Committee in conjunction with approval from the validating institution, Wrexham Glyndwr University.

Press and Media Communication

3.20 The Board of Directors is responsible for the accuracy of the online presence of the school.

3.21 Marketing must ensure, through a locally-arranged process of regular review and thematic audit (see section 4), that information is accurate, substantiated and appropriate.

3.22 The Marketing Team also monitors all digital outlets for potentially offensive material and aims to ensure that any material is removed as appropriate. Social networking sites badged as belonging to Inchbald, departments or functions must be managed appropriately, with processes in place to deal with user-created content and behaviours of participants who may not be formally part of Inchbald.

3.23 Channels not directly managed by those responsible for marketing, will be monitored by the Board of Directors but the designated Administrators are responsible for ensuring their channels are managed appropriately and in accordance with Inchbald School brand values

Implementation and Monitoring

4.1 An annual audit will be performed each year to provide a mechanism which enables Inchbald to confirm that the Public Information Policy is being applied consistently across all outlets.

4.2 The audits are overseen by the Board of Directors and submitted to the Audit Committee.

4.3 Audits of different aspects of Published information will normally be undertaken through the course of the academic year to cover specified areas such as the prospectus, the website and online learning platform to assess current content and practice across all relevant aspects of the Quality Code.

4.4 The Audit Committee will prepare an action plan which will be submitted to the Managing Committee along with the audit report findings.

4.5 The designated member of the Audit Committee will advise on consistency with School policy, appropriate consultees across Inchbald, and the correct committee route for approval

4.6 Reviews of Departmental Handbooks should occur annually and be conducted by the faculty themselves and reported to the Management Committee. Changes to curriculum, hand books and published course descriptors need to be shared with any Validating partner before approval.

4.7 Changes to policies and procedures are only to be implemented following agreement by the relevant committees in accordance with the approval lines

4.8 Back copies of all policies and procedures are stored on an accessible drive, named clearly with the term and date

Responsible parties

5.1 The Audit Committee is responsible for the accuracy of the online presence of the school.

5.2 The Management Committee will be responsible for the overall accuracy of all published information on behalf of the School.

5.3 The Marketing Department and the Management committee will be responsible for ensuring that all published information is reviewed regularly, usually at least every year.

Reference points

Internal

External

UK Quality Code for Higher Education

Guidance for higher education institutions about Consumer Protection Legislation by Competition and Markets Authority.

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