Physiotherapy is celebrating an excellent set of National Student Survey (NSS) results this year, alongside a strong response rate that reflects the programme’s commitment to listening to and acting upon student feedback.

The Physiotherapy programme is celebrating an exceptional set of National Student Survey (NSS) results for 2026, achieving an outstanding 98% response rate, with 52 of 53 eligible students completing the survey. This ensured that almost every graduating student’s voice was represented, providing a reliable picture of the student experience.

The results demonstrate significant improvements across almost every area of the NSS, achieving a 96% overall positivity score. Particularly notable gains were seen in Assessment and Feedback, which increased from 72.4% to 94.2%, Student Voice, which rose from 81.3% to 96.2%, and Learning Opportunities, which improved from 89.4% to 97.3%. Several individual questions achieved outstanding scores, including 100% agreement that teaching staff explain things clearly and 100% agreement that the course has developed the knowledge and skills needed for students’ futures. Students also reported very high levels of satisfaction with opportunities to provide feedback, feeling that their opinions are valued by staff, and the support they receive throughout their studies.

Embedding student partnership

To achieve this, rather than viewing the NSS as a single annual exercise, the Physiotherapy team has embedded student partnership through a commitment to listening, acting on and sharing responses to feedback to close the loop throughout the programme. Students are engaged as active contributors to programme development through student-staff liaison committees, module evaluation, informal conversations and student-led projects; all of which contributed to a successful internal and external curriculum review process in 2025.

Recent examples of these initiatives include working collaboratively with student representatives to review and revise the distribution of assessments, helping to create a more balanced and manageable assessment experience and implementing the Assessment Load Framework (ALF). By ensuring students can see the impact of their feedback, the team has fostered a culture of trust, partnership and continuous improvement, where students can see how much they play a central role in shaping the future of the programme.

A collective effort

“We are incredibly proud of these results, but even more proud of what they represent,” said Lindsay O’Connor, Programme Lead for Physiotherapy (pictured below).

“What makes these results particularly meaningful is that they reflect the voices of almost our entire graduating cohort. We are especially proud of the improvements in areas such as assessment and feedback and student voice, which have been key areas of focus.

“A testament to the collective efforts of colleagues in academic and professional services, as well as our placement partners, all of whom are committed to providing an outstanding experience for our students.

“What makes these results particularly meaningful is that they reflect the voices of almost our entire graduating cohort. We are especially proud of the improvements in areas such as assessment and feedback and student voice, which have been key areas of focus. A testament to the collective efforts of colleagues in academic and professional services, as well as our placement partners, all of whom are committed to providing an outstanding experience for our students.

“Most importantly, these results showcase the willingness of our students to share their experiences and demonstrate what can be achieved when staff and students work together in partnership.”

The Physiotherapy team would like to thank all students who took the time to complete the survey, as well as the many colleagues and placement partners whose commitment and support have contributed to these excellent outcomes.