Fine art rewrite

A review of fine art at Glasgow School of Art has been dramatically rewritten in Scotland's first reassessment of any discipline's teaching quality. The school's fine art teaching has now risen from a "satisfactory" rating to "highly satisfactory".

The original Scottish Higher Education Funding Council assessment, strongly challenged by the school, complained about serious overcrowding, dilapidated property, and cramped and poorly-lit conditions.

It said the assessors were concerned about health and safety matters, including "unguarded machinery, dust-laden air and communicating areas without illumiated exit signs".

The new report says the school's teaching and learning environment was well planned and maintained to a high standard, and that appropriate attention was given to health and safety issues. One building in particular "offered superb painting studios of the highest design quality".

The art school won its bid for a reassessment after campaigning for almost a year. SHEFC said the original assessors had not been given sufficient guidelines.