FB: No, not necessarily. As you rightly state, we were the pioneers of foundation programmes for international students under the Stafford House brand, which has since changed to become CATS College [high school brand], while Stafford House focuses on English language provision.

We launched FoundationCampus in 2008 and we have focused our energy on delivering high quality student support and outcomes; building a strong welfare and support system and importantly, ensuring our students progress to their intended university. In fact, this strategy has seen us growing faster than any of our competitors.

The PIE: Do you see the university foundation sector as continuing to grow very rapidly?

FB:  Absolutely. We have plans for it – in terms of more partnerships and perhaps more importantly putting more students through the existing partnerships.

The PIE: What percentage of your foundation pathway students progress onto mainstream courses?
FB: The number varies enormously between different courses and different nationalities. But overall our progression rates are as high as 80%, which, we believe overall, is sector leading.

The PIE: To what extent do you think the market demands onwards progression and is that healthy? Are students being funnelled onto degree programmes before they’re ready to make their decision?
FB: That’s a very good point you make. Our students receive individual counselling from either a member of our qualified team or their trained education agent, which normally identifies their academic strengths and desired career outcomes. We then recommend the most appropriate pathway according to their goals, which then opens up a range of degrees they can progress to. They are fully supported all the way.

The PIE: Do you have a different client profile between your foundation and high school (CATS) brands?

FB: Not that different. There is a huge overlap in student profile, but selling our high school brands is slightly more complicated – because what we’re also selling is the opportunity to get to the very best universities in the UK or USA. If a student aspires to the best universities, it’s very simple – they have to come into an A- level or an IB programme really [at a high school], to be able to get through, because institutions won’t accept them otherwise.

“That is a huge part of what we are actually selling – it’s an outcome as opposed to qualifications”

So we set our CATS colleges brand up to be absolutely premium-end in terms of getting students into the best possible course at the best possible university for them – that is a huge part of what we are actually selling – it’s an outcome as opposed to qualifications.

The PIE: Are you selective about intake?
FB: We are actually non-selective and proudly so. Of course we get students into Oxford and Cambridge [universities] and some of them do spectacularly well there. Almost as satisfying is the kid who hasn’t got that chance when we get hold of them but they get two Bs and a C [at A-level] and get into a really well-ranked university. In fact, we have a reputation for helping students to achieve two grades higher than they were originally predicted.

The PIE: Is the demographic quite different per sector in terms of nationalities?

FB: Good question. I’d say the demographic is slightly but not hugely different. In our colleges at the end of the last academic year, we had about 56 countries represented. In all our foundation programmes, more like 40-something. [more>>]