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Reflections on moving from HE to Access: Graeme Naylor, CAVA Director of Quality and Development

I joined CAVA in October 2024, after spending nearly twenty years working in a variety of more traditional and post-1992 public higher education institutions in England, as well as a private college. All of my working life until now has been spent in higher education. I have often worked alongside colleagues in further education institutions, mainly through longstanding partnerships, so I have long been aware of the sector, its positives and the challenges it faces. I also have experience of providing quality assurance advice, guidance and regulatory support to colleagues and students involved in Level 3 provision in universities. This last point in particular makes the move into Access to HE an interesting challenge. 


I was attracted to the role at CAVA as I feel very much aligned to CAVA's values, aims and mission. The themes of continuous improvement, integrity, transparency, inclusivity and acting as critical friends to colleagues in the sector all cut across the work I have done to date in education as a quality assurance professional. I am delighted to be a part of the team. The CAVA team has been so welcoming and supportive and it is clear to see why they are so well-regarded and have such an impressive reputation.


I have had a very full and very enjoyable couple of months understanding the range and scope of my new role - overseeing CAVA's suite of quality assurance policies and procedures and working closely with our recently appointed CEO, Emily Ross, on all regulatory matters. CAVA runs a range of events throughout the year, such as briefings and workshops for our External Moderators, standardisation and promoting Pre-Access and part of my role will be to oversee these.I am leading a new initiative - Student Advisory Forums - to bring the student voice closer to CAVA's work. I will also be reviewing some key aspects of CAVA policy and will be reaching out to colleagues for comments and feedback as I proceed. 


For me, the reason why Access to HE Diplomas matter and are an important part of the education landscape became clear when I attended and helped support the recent CAVA Annual Conference. Hearing from a range of providers and guest speakers was both interesting and enjoyable, but most importantly of all, hearing first hand from the students being celebrated in our CAVA Awards was inspiring. The opportunities Access provides was clear to see and something I am delighted to be a part of. I can't wait to see where my new role takes me and I am keen to play my part in further enhancing CAVA's excellent reputation in the sector.


I have been inspired by the range and scope of provision CAVA oversees and I am enthusiastic about future developments and areas for growth. I am also learning about the potential of Pre-Access qualifications at Level 2 as a gateway into education and further education for a range of students from different backgrounds. I am looking forward to working with the team to see what we can do to help this aspect of our work grow.


I am also keen to hear from you as I settle into my new role. If you have any questions for me about my role or would like an informal conversation about any aspect of quality assurance or CAVA's work, please do contact me on g.naylor@cava.ac.uk. 

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Location: Cambridge, UK

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