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14 October 2005 HEFCE logo
To  Heads of HEFCE-funded higher education institutions
Heads of universities in Northern Ireland
Direct Line 0117 931 7300
Direct Fax 0117 931 7203

Circular letter number 27/2005

For further information contact Louisa Baker, tel 0117 931 7106, e-mail l.baker@hefce.ac.uk

Dear Vice-Chancellor or Principal

National Student Survey 2006

1.    I am writing to confirm the arrangements for the 2006 National Student Survey (NSS).

2.    The 2005 NSS gave an overwhelmingly positive endorsement to higher education, and any organisation in the public or private sector would clearly be delighted with an overall satisfaction rating of 80 per cent. The high response rate was also very encouraging, and has ensured that the results are robust. I would like to thank all those who helped to make the 2005 NSS a success.

3.    The results were published on the Teaching Quality Information (TQI) web-site on 22 September, and more detailed results will be disseminated to institutions by Ipsos UK, to support them in identifying good practice and areas for improvement. Ipsos UK has invited its NSS contacts within institutions to a series of events in November and December 2005, to discuss how the information can be used for this purpose.

4.    The NSS will be repeated in 2006 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, in collaboration with the National Union of Students. This will establish a two-year dataset that can be used to identify changes in student opinion, and to report on smaller areas of provision by combining the data over the two years. Following the 2006 NSS, the frequency of the survey will be reviewed, to decide whether it should be repeated annually, biennially, or at some other frequency.

5.    The key action for institutions is to provide student contact details to Ipsos UK, by 30 November 2005. Contact data that are as complete and accurate as possible are crucial in enabling an institution to achieve a high response rate. Ipsos UK will be in touch with its NSS contacts shortly, to make the necessary arrangements.

6.    The 2006 NSS will have a similar format and timetable to the 2005 survey. Annex A describes the changes we have made for 2006, and includes the timetable.

If you have any further queries about the NSS please contact Louisa Baker (tel 0117 931 7106 or e-mail l.baker@hefce.ac.uk).

Yours sincerely

Howard Newby
Chief Executive

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Annex A
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