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Office for Students

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Office for Students
Agency overview
Formed1 January 2018
Preceding agencies
TypeNon-departmental public body
JurisdictionEngland
Minister responsible
Agency executives
  • David Behan, Interim Chair
  • Susan Lapworth, Chief Executive
Parent departmentDepartment for Education
Websitewww.officeforstudents.org.uk Edit this at Wikidata

The Office for Students (OfS) is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Education of the United Kingdom Government. It acts as the regulator and competition authority for the higher education sector in England.[1]

History

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The regulator was established by the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, coming into existence on 1 January 2018.[2] It merged the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Office for Fair Access, and formally inherited their responsibilities, while 'working in the interests of students and prospective students'[3] and having 'a wider remit ... taking charge of the granting of degree awarding powers and university title.'[4] The OfS inherited HEFCE's funding responsibilities (aside from those for research which passed to United Kingdom Research and Innovation), and OFFA's responsibility for promoting fair access to higher education.

Responsibilities

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The OfS website lists its main areas of work as:

  1. Helping students to get into and succeed in higher education.
  2. Helping students stay informed.
  3. Making sure that students get a high-quality education that prepares them for the future.
  4. Protecting students’ interests.

It notes that it is not responsible for tuition fees, students loans or other aspects of individual student funding, and that it cannot usually get involved in individual complaints about universities and colleges.[5]

The OfS's other functions include the administration of the Teaching Excellence Framework[6] and the Register of higher education providers.[7] It is responsible both for administering the prevent duty and for ensuring that universities allow freedom of speech for controversial guest speakers.[8]

Accountable officer

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Registered higher education providers must nominate an accountable officer to the OfS. This is normally the chief executive of the provider, but may be the senior officer responsible for higher education in a provider that also carries out other activities not related to higher education. The accountable officer reports on the provider's behalf to the OfS, the designated data body and the designated quality body. They are personally responsible for funding received from the OfS and Research England and for the loans received from the Student Loans Company on behalf of the provider's students for payment of tuition fees. They can be required to appear before the Public Accounts Committee alongside the head of the OfS to answer questions about the registration and funding of the provider.[9]

Leadership

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The OfS is governed by a board consisting of the chair, the Chief Executive, the Director for Fair Access and Participation, and at least seven and not more than twelve other members. All members of the board are appointed by the Secretary of State for Education.[10] The OfS chair from 2021 to 2024 was Conservative peer James Wharton, who resigned following the 2024 General Election,[11] and the chief executive is Susan Lapworth.[12]

The board is advised by a Student Panel, which exists to help the OfS to understand students' views and perspectives.[13]

Controversies

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The appointment of Toby Young to the board, announced on 1 January 2018, generated controversy over his suitability for the post.[14] As at 8 January 2018, over 200,000 people had signed an online petition protesting his appointment. In response to questioning, the Prime Minister declared herself comfortable with his appointment, while the Universities minister defended him in the House of Commons. After criticism from leading Tory MPs, Young resigned on that day, claiming he had been turned into a caricature.[15][16]

In February 2021, James Wharton, Baron Wharton of Yarm, a Conservative peer, was made the chair and his appointment was endorsed by the Education Select Committee. Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green questioned his experience and suitability for the role, calling his appointment "cronyism".[17] Although it is customary for chairs of independent bodies to resign political affiliations during their period of office, Wharton chose not to resign from the Conservative whip.[18]

2023 House of Lords Committee Inquiry

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In March 2023, the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee opened an inquiry into the work of the OfS. The purpose of the inquiry is to scrutinise its performance, its independence from and relationship with the Government, and whether it has the necessary expertise and resources to carry out its functions. The inquiry is also examining the OfS’ work in relation to the financial sustainability of the higher education sector, and how the associated risks are managed.[19]

When giving oral evidence to the inquiry, former Student Panel members told the Committee that they felt they were threatened with a reassessment of the future of the panel if they were to continue to express views on inclusive curricula that did not conform to those of OfS staff. They also reported a lack of impact on OfS policy, unpublished minutes of meetings, and that the student voice as expressed by panel members was "actively suppressed" when trying to counter aims and policies that appeared to be political in nature. In their role as a member of the OfS board, the former chair of the student panel reported that they experienced "small amounts of hostility" when expressing student views.[20][21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Office for Students Framework Document" (PDF). Office for Students. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018. The OfS is a non-Departmental public body of the Department, established by the Act to fulfil a role as the main regulator of higher education in England.
  2. ^ Leach, Mark; Kernohan, David; Buckley-Irvine, Nona. "OfS establishment being brought forward". Wonkhe.com. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  3. ^ "What the OfS does for students". Office for Students. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Higher education bill seeks powerful Office for Students". Times Higher Education. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  5. ^ "What we do". Office for Students. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  6. ^ "What is the TEF?". Office for Students. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  7. ^ "The Register". Office for Students. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  8. ^ Thomson, Alice; Sylvester, Rachel; Woolcock, Nicola (19 October 2017). "Universities told to guarantee free speech". The Times. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  9. ^ "Regulatory advice 10: Accountable officers. Guidance for providers on the responsibilities of accountable officers". OfS. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  10. ^ "Higher Education and Research Act 2017: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 27 April 2017, 2017 c. 0 (sch. 1), retrieved 20 April 2023
  11. ^ Tom Williams (9 July 2024). "Lord Wharton resigns as Office for Students chair". Times Higher Education.
  12. ^ "Who we are". Office for Students. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Our student panel". Office for Students. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  14. ^ "Doubts cast on DfE claims of Toby Young's qualifications for watchdog job". The Guardian. 3 January 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  15. ^ "Toby Young resigns from the Office for Students after backlash". The Guardian. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  16. ^ "Toby Young: how barrage of nudges made OfS position untenable". The Guardian. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  17. ^ "'Cronyism' warning over Tory peer as student watchdog". BBC News. 2021-02-10. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  18. ^ Kernoham, David (10 May 2023). "Lapworth and Wharton face the committee". Wonkhe. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  19. ^ Industry and Regulators Committee (20 April 2023). "The work of the Office for Students - Committees - UK Parliament". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  20. ^ Industry and Regulators Committee (20 April 2023). "Committee to hear evidence from student representatives on the Office for Students - UK Parliament". UK Parliament. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  21. ^ Kernohan, David (18 April 2023). "OfS tried to silence us, say student panel members". Wonkhe. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
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Official website Edit this at Wikidata

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