External review of the RCVS by ENQA

The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) is an umbrella organisation which represents quality assurance organisations from the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) member states. ENQA is a membership organisation which: 

• Promotes European co-operation in the field of quality assurance in higher education and disseminates information and expertise among its members and other stakeholders in order to develop and share good practice.
• Acts as the voice of the European quality assurance agencies, representing its members on the European level by influencing the outcomes of the European policy debates that will impact the work of quality assurance agencies
• Provides support to its members in understanding and responding to developments in Europe and the challenges they pose.
  We underwent our first ENQA review in 2018, and the successful review meant we could apply for and be granted membership of ENQA.  This process is repeated every 5 years which means the second review took place in June 2023. 

Membership of ENQA has allowed us to demonstrate that the RCVS’s accreditation processes meet a European standard and are fit for purpose. It has also enhanced our profile in Europe and builds on our wish to remain outward-looking and engaged with relevant international forums. Since becoming members, we have attended the annual ENQA members forums and General assemblies; have presented a poster at the members forum in 2022; two members of staff have successfully completed the ENQA leadership programme; we have taken an active role in the ENQA working group on Academic Integrity; and have a trained ENQA review panel member.

As you can see, membership has not been about ‘ticking boxes’ or getting a ‘badge’ but about a genuine desire to be an organisation who can contribute to European quality assurance matters, and whose processes stand up to external scrutiny as well as continuous improvement.