UHI Inverness survey campaign achieves high satisfaction rating and raises charity donation

UHI Inverness has achieved an impressive 96% overall satisfaction rating in its first-term student survey for the second year in a row.

The Early Student Experience Survey (ESES) also achieved an impressive 61% response rate which resulted in a £1,000 donation for family-run charity James Support Group.

The suicide prevention and mental health support charity was chosen by the students to benefit from a donation linked to the response rate. The donation acts as an incentive to encourage students to complete the survey, which gauges how they feel about their first few weeks of study and helps to inform change and further improvements.

HND Beauty Therapy student Dorothy Mullery, Principal Chris O’Neil, Patrick Mullery of James Support Group and Painting and Decorating Apprentice Aaron Fyfe. Dorothy and Aaron attend UHI Inverness and are both involved in James Support Group.

The survey highlighted many positives including the supportive and friendly staff, the interesting course content, the style of teaching and the campus environment.

It is the second time the students have voted for James Support Group to be a survey charity partner. The first was in March 2023 when the student survey response rate rose by 20% to 53%. The partnership also helped raise awareness of the charity’s work amongst students and won a Marketing and Communications Award at the CDN College Awards 2023. 

Since then, Patrick Mullery, who runs the charity, has become a regular visitor to the campus, providing mental health support and information to students and staff.

The group was established by the Mullery family after their son James, a 28-year-old father-of-three, took his own life in October 2017. Since then, it has established a 24-hour helpline and a network of support groups across the Highlands for people bereaved by suicide and those experiencing suicidal thoughts. 

A special event was held on campus on Wednesday, 20 November to present this year’s donation to Patrick.

Patrick said: “We value the relationship we have built with UHI Inverness, which has allowed us to have meaningful conversations with many students about mental health. I’m delighted that we have been chosen again to receive a donation linked to the survey and that it has encouraged a large number of students to share their opinions about their learning experience, which I hope will have a positive impact on them and the college as a whole.”  

Dr Lindsay Snodgrass, Vice Principal at UHI Inverness, said: “To achieve a 96% overall satisfaction rating is a great achievement, and reflective of the high-quality learning and support we offer to our students. I’m delighted that our positive connection with James Support Group has continued to support our students, and they have repaid that by choosing the charity to benefit from a donation. The feedback we received will prove to be vital in driving continuous improvement here at UHI Inverness.”

The survey campaign was led by the Quality Team. Its manager Liz Cook said: “The survey has provided us with a wealth of information and given us a revealing insight into the experiences of our students across both campuses. We have collated, analysed and distributed the survey responses and have already taken initial steps to act on some of the points raised. Our partnership with James Support Group continues to be a really rewarding positive motivator for students. Not only does it encourage them to engage in our survey but enables them to talk openly about mental health and to seek support.”