Beyond Standards
Assessing and transforming learning performance
Beyond Standards
Assessing and transforming learning performance
Beyond Standards directors David Sherlock CBE and Nicky Perry have a lifetime of experience in further, higher and vocational education and training. As chief inspector/CEO and director of inspection, they ran the national Adult Learning Inspectorate until 2007. With that organisation they achieved a national and international reputation for quality improvement and award – winning business practice.
Beyond Standards is the culmination of their work for the public, private and third sectors, applying the expertise of David, Nicky and 80 fully-trained senior associates to the resolution of practical problems at international, national and organisational levels.
How We Work
Every project is different. Our employment of specialist associates and associated companies, directed by a small core team, keeps costs down and quality up. Using the best people is often cheaper, as well as much more rewarding, than working with the second best.
Our products are evaluations of current policies and practices; new strategies and directions; facilitation to harness the knowledge and experience which often lays dormant within organisations; and new ideas to achieve success in a world of tumultuous change.
We specialise in encouraging aspiration to be the best, assessment of how far each organisation has to travel to reach that goal, support for the journey and using modern communication methods to accumulate and relay the lessons learned.
Our Services
Beyond Standards provides consultancy to governments, state agencies, learning providers of all kinds and companies. Our work is focused on the achievement of continuous improvement in learning. We work across the UK and internationally. We offer advice at the strategic level, practical analysis and proposals for change.
Our Clients
Beyond Standards is a young organisation but we already have an impressive client list. Here is a sample:
The British Council
Presentations and advice in nine countries in the past year as well as the organisation of quality improvement seminars for delegates from another 17 countries and the World Bank.Government of Northern Ireland
Analysis of the effectiveness of government policy in achieving a world-class technical education system and proposals to improve the efficiency and interaction of ministries and state agencies.LSDA –Northern Ireland
Management courses for colleges and private providers and evaluation of quality assurance for Welfare to Work programmes.Lifelong Learning UK
Support for the Catalyst programme, bringing together education and employment.UfI – learndirect
Building skills in self-assessment and continuous quality improvement in an 800 centre national e-learning network.Department for Innovation Universities and Skills
Developing a strategy for skills development in the ‘third sector’.Ministry of Defence
Advice and information to senior military staff on the national training context.QAA – HEFCE
Leading evaluation of the national higher education quality agency against the European ENQA standards.National Skills Academies
Building capability for provider accreditation for the nuclear industry and leading a bid to establish a new national academy in social care.The Benefits
In a globalised economy doing the same as everybody else is the road to failure. Standard strategies, standard processes, standard quality are for followers, not leaders.
Our aim is to take our clients beyond standards – to help them be unique; to help them be the best. Our wealth of experience has demonstrated the power of aspiration to excel. Winning becomes a habit in beyond standards organisations. Staff embrace opportunities to change and always to do better, creating a world-class quality culture.
