Reports & Legal
© Plymouth College of Art All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder and the publisher, application for which should be made to the publisher.
Plymouth College of Art is not responsible or liable for any claim for loss or damages, direct or indirect, arising out of third party copyright infringement by using the content available on this website.
It is forbidden to sell, license, copy or reproduce the contents of this website in whole or in part, in any manner, for commercial purposes, without the prior written consent of Plymouth College of Art.
These terms and conditions together with the privacy policy shall govern at all times your access and use of this website together with the Materials (defined below) available to you in connection with this the Plymouth College of Art website found at www.plymouthart.ac.uk (the "Website"). These terms shall also govern the viewing and/or downloading of any Materials available on the Website.
Please read these terms and conditions carefully. If you have any questions about them or do not wish to accept them, please contact Plymouth College of Art at enquiries@pca.ac.uk before using this website.
Plymouth College of Art may change these terms and conditions or the privacy policy at any time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to review these terms and conditions to ensure you are happy with any changes. Using or accessing this website indicates your acceptance of these terms and conditions. If you do not accept these terms and conditions, please do not use this website.
The Website is operated by Plymouth College of Art whose registered office is at Tavistock Place, Plymouth, Devon. PL4 8AT. Plymouth College of Art may be contacted at this address by letter or e-mail to enquiries@pca.ac.uk.
- You must not harm, or attempt to harm, the integrity, security and/or availability of the Website.
- If you believe that the integrity and/or security of the Website has been, or is at serious risk of being harmed, you must notify Plymouth College of Art immediately on telephone number 01752 203434 (or any other number which the College notifies to you).
- You agree to fully indemnify Plymouth College of Art against all liabilities (including, but not limited to, legal and other professional fees and expenses) which Plymouth College of Art may incur in connection with a breach of this clause.
- You accept all responsibility and liability for any loss or damage of any kind resulting from your conduct.
- Plymouth College of Art may terminate your right to use the website, at any time without notice for any reason whatsoever.
- This Website contains material which is owned by or licensed to Plymouth College of Art. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics of the Website, and any documents, templates and reports owned or licensed by Plymouth College of Art and contained thereon ("the Material"). The Material is protected by intellectual property laws including, but not limited to, copyright.
- Unauthorised use of the Website and/or the Material may give rise to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offence.
The intellectual property rights in the Material shall vest in and remain with Plymouth College of Art. This Website and the Materials have been made available to you for personal non-commercial use. No commercial use of the Material is permitted. You may not sell, distribute, republish or otherwise make the Materials available to anyone else for commercial purposes without the prior written consent of Plymouth College of Art.
- The information and documentation in the Website and the Material is given in good faith and for general information and interest only. It is subject to change without notice. Plymouth College of Art is not responsible for any inaccuracies and (except as set out in clause 7) makes no representation and gives no warranty as to its accuracy and users of the Website are advised to carry out their own checks to ensure the accuracy of any information posted by third parties.
- The information in Plymouth College of Art’s website should not be relied on and does not constitute any form of advice or recommendation by Plymouth College of Art. By using this website you confirm that you have not relied on any such information. Any arrangements made between you and any third party named or referred to on the website are entirely at your sole risk and responsibility.
- Nothing on this website is intended to be nor should be construed as an offer to enter into a contractual relationship with Plymouth College of Art or any third party. Nothing in this Agreement shall create any relationship of employer and employee, any partnership or agency with Plymouth College of Art.
- This website contains links to other third party websites. Plymouth College of Art accepts no responsibility or liability for the content of other third party websites which are not under the strict control of Plymouth College of Art. Any link is not intended to be, nor should be construed as, an endorsement of any kind by Plymouth College of Art or that other website.
- You may not create a link to this website from another website or document without Plymouth College of Art's prior written consent.
- Plymouth College of Art does not guarantee that use of the Website will be compatible with all hardware and software which may be used by visitors to the site or that the Website will be available all the time or at any specific time. Plymouth College of Art reserves the right to withdraw or modify the Website at any time.
- Plymouth College of Art gives no warranty or representation to you about the Website and the Material except those which are expressly stated these terms and conditions. All terms expressed and implied by statute and/or by common law are excluded from these terms and conditions provided that nothing in these terms and conditions will have the effect of excluding or limiting the Plymouth College of Art's liability in respect of any implied warranties which may not be excluded by law. In particular, but not by way of limitation, Plymouth College of Art does not warrant or represent to you that the Website will be free from defects or that your use of the Website will be uninterrupted or error-free.
- Except as set out in this clause 7, Plymouth College of Art will be under no liability to you whatsoever whether in contract, tort, (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, restitution or otherwise for any injury, death, damage or direct, indirect or consequential loss (all three of which terms include, without limitation, pure economic loss, loss of profits (whether direct or indirect), loss of business, depletion of goodwill and like loss) howsoever caused arising out of or in connection with the use of the Website or the use, accessing, downloading or relying on the Materials, any information or other materials contained in the Website, including, without limitation, as a result of any computer virus.
These terms and conditions do not exclude the Plymouth College of Art's liability (if any) to you for personal injury or death resulting from the Plymouth College of Art's negligence, for fraud or for any matter which it would be illegal for Plymouth College of Art to exclude or to attempt to exclude its liability.
These terms and conditions (including the privacy statement elsewhere) contain all the terms which you and Plymouth College of Art have agreed in relation to the use of the Website.
This Website is controlled and operated by Plymouth College of Art from its address in England. The formation, existence, construction, performance, validity in all aspects whatsoever of these terms and conditions or of any term of these terms and conditions or any dispute in relation to the materials contained on the Website shall be governed by English law. The English courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any disputes which may arise out of or in connection with these terms and conditions or use of the Website.
At Plymouth College of Art we believe strongly in protecting our users’ privacy. We will not wilfully disclose information about our users to any third party without first receiving our user’s consent. This Privacy Policy sets out the privacy practices for the services offered on any Plymouth College of Art owned and/or operated websites (“the Website”).
1. Your Personal Information
All personal information you provide via the Website will be treated as private and confidential. Plymouth College of Art may compile data in aggregate form so that Plymouth College of Art may better understand users that visit the Website. For example, we may produce reports on the most popular search terms by collecting general search term data based on individual searches. Plymouth College of Art may send you emails to notify you about new services on offer updates and features on the Website.
2. Sharing of Information
Plymouth College of Art will not sell, rent, trade or give away any user’s personal information or email lists to third party companies without first obtaining our user’s consent. E-mails sent to Plymouth College of Art may occasionally be used for testimonial purposes but will be withdrawn from the Website if requested. The Website contains links to other websites. Plymouth College of Art is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites.
3. Security
Plymouth College of Art is committed to the security of our user’s personal information and we have security procedures in place to protect against loss, misuse or alteration of personal information under Plymouth College of Art’s control.
4. Cookies
When you visit the Website, Plymouth College of Art may send your computer a "cookie", a small file that resides on your computer's hard drive. Cookies allow Plymouth College of Art to make the Website more useful by tailoring the services Plymouth College of Art offer from time to time. You can set your browser not to accept cookies, although you may not be able to access all of the features on the Website.
5. Opt-out Policy
To unsubscribe from receiving emails from Plymouth College of Art as outlined in paragraph 1 send an email with your details to WebMaster with “unsubscribe” in the subject header. We will then remove you from our database.
All removal requests will be dealt with within 28 days of receipt of the request.
6. Contacting Plymouth College of Art
If you have any questions about Plymouth College of Art’s Privacy Policy or concerns about personal information you have supplied to Plymouth College of Art, please e-mail enquiries@pca.ac.uk or write to:
Plymouth College of Art, Tavistock Place, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AT, England.
Please find our latest Admissions Policy document linked below. For more information please email admissions@pca.ac.uk
Under the Freedom of Information Act, all individuals have a general right of access to information that is held by public authorities.
Plymouth College of Art is committed to openness in relation to its staff and students and also to the general public. Subject to the exemptions provided in the Act, anyone who makes a request for information will be informed whether the College holds the information requested and, if it does, the College will either supply the information or advise where that information can be found (e.g. on the website). If another public authority already publishes the information requested, we will inform you how you can access the information.
Publication Scheme
The Freedom of Information Act requires the College, as a public authority, to adopt and maintain a publication scheme. A publication scheme is a guide to the information that the College is committed to publishing. This scheme follows the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Definition Document for Universities and Higher Education Institutions and so it sets out the types of documents/information available and how we publish the different items of information.
Making a Freedom of Information request
To make a request under the Freedom of Information Act, please contact our Head of Compliance & Quality Systems Jeff Wright by email (jwright@pca.ac.uk) or in writing to:
Jeff Wright
Head of Compliance & Quality Systems
Plymouth College of Art
Tavistock Place
Plymouth
PL4 8AT
Your request will be acknowledged as soon as possible and normally you will receive a response within 20 working days.
Charges for information
If a charge is to be made, confirmation of the payment due will be given before the information is provided. Charges are set out in our Guide to Information.
Further Information
- Please download Plymouth College of Art's Guide to Information here.
- Find out about Definitition Documents on the ICO website here.
- Head to the ICO website for further general information.
Plymouth College of Art Corporation believes that it is always unacceptable for a student to experience abuse of any kind and recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all students by commitment to practice that protects them.
The College and Corporation are committed to:
- Providing a safe learning environment for all students with equal protection from all types of harm and abuse.
- Identifying children, young people and vulnerable adults who are suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm, and taking appropriate action to see that such children, young people are vulnerable adults are kept safe, both at home and at the College.
- Working in partnership with students, staff and other institutions to promote a safe learning environment
Please click on the links below to access Plymouth College of Art's Annual Report and Financial Statements.
- PCA Annual Report and Financial Statements 2011-12
- PCA_Annual_Report_and_Financial_Statements_2012-13
- PCA_Annual_Report__Financial_Statements_2013-14
- PCA_Annual_Report__Financial_Statements_2014-2015
- PCA_Annual_Report_and_Financial_Statements_2015-2016
- PCA_Annual_Report_and_Financial_Statements_2016-2017
- PCA_Annual_Report_and_Financial_Statements_2017-2018
- PCA_Annual_Report_and_Financial_Statements_2018-2019
- PCA_Annual_Report_and_Financial_Statements_2019-2020
Plymouth College of Art makes robust arrangements for Health, Safety & Wellbeing at the College which demonstrate a clear commitment from the Corporation and Principal.
The Corporation integrate Health and Safety into the Finance and General Purpose Committee.
The Principal has the overall responsibility for Health and Safety at the College.
The Vice Principals are delegated with the day to day responsibility for ensuring the policy is put into practice.
College Directors and Managers accept Health and Safety duties and responsibilities for keeping a safe working environment for operations under their control.
Everyone has an important part in creating and promoting a healthy College by having respect and value for their own safety and everyone around them.
Health and Safety arrangements are continually reviewed, to progressively improve standards of efficiency in College operations, as reflected in the context of the business plan.
The Health, Safety and Welfare Requirements of the educational funding organisations are acknowledged within the policy arrangements.
Find downloadable documents with further information below:
Please view Plymouth College of Art's Certificate of Employers Liability linked below:
The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education safeguard quality and standards in UK universities and colleges so that students have the best possible learning experience. Plymouth College of Art is a subscriber institution to QAA inspection and review services.
Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. They inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people, and services providing education and skills for learners of all ages.
Please click on a report below to open it:
- Plymouth College of Art Pre-Degree Self Assessment Report 2019 - 2020
- Plymouth College of Art Pre-Degree Quality Improvement Plan 2020 - 2021
- Plymouth_College_of_Art_Ofsted_Report_June_2017_Short_Inspection
- Plymouth_College_of_Art_Quality_Enhancement_Plan_2016_17_Updated_Oct_16
- Plymouth_College_of_Art_QAA_Summative_Review_Report_Nov_2015
- Plymouth_College_of_Art_Ofsted_Report_June_2013
- Plymouth_College_of_Art_QAA_Summative_Review_Report_Mar_2011
The purpose of our Complaints Procedures is to clearly set out the process for making a complaint for any student of the College and for any person who otherwise comes into contact with the College and who is dissatisfied with any aspect of their experience.
This, therefore, applies to:
All students on higher education programmes (Undergraduate / Postgraduate) at the College.
Pre-degree students (A-level, Extended Diplomas, Foundation Diploma, International Baccalaureate, apprenticeships and GCSE courses).
Adults and young people enrolled on evening Masterclasses or Young Arts Clubs.
Parents or guardians of students studying at the College who are under 18 years of age.
These procedures are not applicable to students or members of staff who have a grievance against another individual such as a student or staff member. In these cases, other policies and procedures will apply such as for staff the Grievance Procedures or the Bullying and Harassment policy and for students the Dignity at Study Policy. If unsure please contact the Head of Compliance & Quality Systems at jwright@pca.ac.uk for clarification.
Other users of College services or members of the public affected directly by College services or staff/students should refer to the document 'Complaints Procedures for Members of the Public'.
To view our Complaints Procedures for students and members of the public please click below:
The Office of the Independent Adjudicator runs an independent scheme to review student complaints. Plymouth College of Art is a member of this scheme (under Condition C2 of the OfS Conditions of Registration). If a student is unhappy with the outcome, they can ask the OIA to review the complaint. Students usually need to be studying at higher education (Level 4-7) and have completed the College’s own procedures before complaining to the OIA. Students have 12 months from the College’s completion of procedures to submit a complaint to the OIA.
You can find more information about making a complaint to the OIA, what it can and can’t look at and what it can do to put things right here: Students - OIAHE.
The OIA makes public the annual statements for each HE provider.
At Plymouth College of Art, we're open with our students and are clear with them how their tuition fee is spent.
A large proportion – almost 30% in 2019-20 – of a BA (Hons) student's £9,250 fee is spent on direct teaching costs. We also invest heavily into the college campus technical equipment and workshop resources – 13.8% of our total expenditure – which our students get first hand benefit from through the use of these industry standard facilities, kit, and space. IT services take up 4.6% expenditure of a fee, and 5.3% on learning and teaching supporting services - library, study support and careers.
8.4% dedicated to Student Support provides student wellbeing services, counselling, disability support and financial advice as well as finance itself through student bursaries. The proportion of estates costs is 15.2%, with the supporting academic and general administrative infrastructure another 18.5%.
We hope that through being open and honest about how tuition fees are spent, we can continue to maintain a strong relationship with our students.
In keeping with our vision, ethos and values, and with the key development horizons designated in our Corporate Strategy, our Strategic Plan identifies key business priorities and performance indicators within our annual planning cycle for the coming year against prospective five-year objectives.
Subject to annual review and in parallel with the Business Plan and Risk Register, the Strategic Plan serves to provide headline assurance to the Board of Governors and guidance for more detailed operational planning within Directorates which in turn informs line management and performance appraisal priorities.
Our eight key formative development horizons involve People, Ideas, Partnership, Curriculum, Studentship, Environment, Business, and Brand.
Download our Strategic Plan for 2015-2020 here.
We will do our best to support you in funding your studies and provide a sustainable education for all our students.
The Student Debt Policy informs students of the regulations concerning the payment of tuition fees, applying for loans and actions to take in the event of financial difficulty or withdrawing from the programme.
The document can be read and downloaded here.
Contacts:
- Central College Finance
Email: finance@pca.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 1752 203426 - Student Hub, student finance advisers
Email: studentfinance@pca.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 1752 203423
Our Office for Students (OfS) Access and Participation Plan has been developed in consultation with the Plymouth College of Art Students’ Union.
The Plan sets out how we, as a provider of higher education, will improve equality of opportunity, encouraging students from all backgrounds into higher education. The Plan also outlines how we support all students to achieve their very best whilst they are studying here.
We have a history of supporting access, participation and success by students from under-represented groups and are proud of their success during their time with us.
Our published fees remain at £9,250 for all home undergraduates starting in academic year 2021/22 whether into BA Year 1 or into Extended BA entry year. Please see our relevant fees and funding webpage.
Please read our Access and Participation Plan 2020-25 here, and click here for our Impact Report setting out progress made against our 2019-20 Access and Participation Plan commitments and objectives. For more information please visit the Office for Students website.
The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 requires Higher Education (HE) providers to maintain a Student Protection Plan (SPP) to protect higher education students’ interests in the case of material change. These events may be triggered by situations such as (but not limited to):
- a decision to close the College;
a strategic decision by the College to close/discontinue or suspend a programme;
loss or restriction of degree awarding status (subject to being awarded taught degree awarding powers);
major changes in year to programme content;
removal of the Tier 4 Sponsor Licence (the Home Office issued licence which allows a provider to teach international students);
disruption of College activity (e.g. temporary disruption within term-time not covered by any of the above);
industrial action by College staff or third parties;
the unanticipated departure of key members of College staff
The approved SPP linked below along with supporting policies and procedures provides assurance to current and future students, and to the OfS, that we have in place appropriate arrangements to protect the quality and continuation of study for our students.
Please click the links below to find out more:
Plymouth College of Art applies fees and charges to subcontracted training delivery supported with funds supplied by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) which are outlined in the policy document below.
In May 2019 the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment published a Statement of Intent proposing that every higher education provider across England produce and publish a Degree Outcomes Statement analysing their degree classification profile and articulating the results of an internal review in the context of their arrangements for teaching, learning and assessment of students, academic regulations, and academic governance.
Draft versions of Plymouth College of Art's Statement and supporting evidence were considered by the college's Academic Board, prior to approval by our Board of Governors.
