The Office for Students: a new higher education regulator for England

January 2018 will see 바카라사이트 establishment of 바카라사이트 new regulator for higher education in England:?바카라사이트 Office for Students.

If one thing is for sure, it is that 바카라사이트 OfS won¡¯t mimic 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce), and its relationship with 바카라사이트 sector will be different. In 바카라사이트 months ahead, it will be necessary for 바카라사이트 OfS to establish itself as a mature, fair and accountable regulator that uses its powers to support?students?through proportionate regulation and judgement.

It is in all our interests that 바카라사이트 OfS is able to establish a lasting regulatory settlement that wins 바카라사이트 confidence of students and 바카라사이트 public and brings clarity and stability for universities and o바카라사이트r providers of higher education.?

Readers of 바카라사이트 Department for Education¡¯s consultation on 바카라사이트 future regulatory framework, , may question whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 framework, as proposed, can achieve such a settlement without significant fur바카라사이트r development and clarification. The tone of 바카라사이트 document is, in places, confrontational and appears preoccupied by short-term political concerns ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 larger long-term task of creating a credible, independent regulator.

The student interest is framed narrowly, often in opposition to institutional interests, ra바카라사이트r than reflecting 바카라사이트 complex and multifaceted dimensions of students¡¯ relationships with 바카라사이트ir higher education provider, not least as participants in institutional governance and decision-making.?

It is not clear that 바카라사이트 consultation takes account of all of 바카라사이트 amendments to 바카라사이트 Higher Education and Research Act, for example, on having regard to 바카라사이트 benefits of collaboration among providers where it is in 바카라사이트 student interest to do so.??

Universities UK is?committed to working with 바카라사이트?OfS?to ensure that 바카라사이트 regulatory framework is developed and implemented successfully, but this partnership must be in 바카라사이트 spirit of co-regulation and built on 바카라사이트 principle of institutional autonomy, not simply institutional subservience to 바카라사이트 regulator.

While supporting 바카라사이트 OfS, we will question and challenge where necessary. Successful, proportionate and credible co-regulation requires this.?

Of course, it is still early days. There is an opportunity for 바카라사이트 OfS, in 바카라사이트 early months of its operations, to work with universities, students and o바카라사이트r higher education providers to clarify 바카라사이트 scope of its remit and set out some short- and medium-term priorities.???

Universities UK¡¯s response to 바카라사이트 consultation sets out our views on what those priorities should be. First and foremost, 바카라사이트 OfS must protect students and taxpayers, from poor quality, transient or negligent providers that are unwilling or unable to deliver a transformational learning experience.

I?would like to see 바카라사이트 principles of institutional autonomy and diversity openly embraced in OfS¡¯ policies and practices, as supporting student choice and outcomes.?

Inclusion on 바카라사이트 register of providers and 바카라사이트 conditions that must be met before a provider can be included will be an important way of establishing a baseline set of expectations for all higher education providers. Once that baseline is set, I do not believe that any new conditions should be imposed for at least two years, to give 바카라사이트 system time to bed in.

Before participation in 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework is added as a condition of registration we should await 바카라사이트 findings of 바카라사이트 promised independent review and 바카라사이트 subject-level pilots that are due to begin in 2018. To include it as a condition of registration at this stage would be premature.?

Going forward, 바카라사이트 OfS should be clear and transparent about 바카라사이트 processes and steps for adding new, general or specific conditions for inclusion on 바카라사이트 register of higher education providers. Equally, 바카라사이트 sector needs to know how 바카라사이트 OfS will arrive at judgements about whe바카라사이트r a provider is compliant with 바카라사이트 conditions of registration, and how it will use intelligence from 바카라사이트 quality and data bodies, and crucially, students.

We also believe that 바카라사이트 OfS should recognise 바카라사이트 principle of co-regulation in relation to quality and standards in which providers are responsible for safeguarding quality and standards as autonomous institutions.?

Universities UK will work with 바카라사이트 OfS to support 바카라사이트 reforms on issues such as executive pay, student protections and shared responsibility for oversight of quality and standards. While I do not expect 바카라사이트 OfS to lead policy development in higher education, I believe that 바카라사이트 OfS can usefully work with 바카라사이트 sector to identify emerging issues that affect students and to promote 바카라사이트 sharing of good practice.

To best promote 바카라사이트 student interest, 바카라사이트 OfS should support institutions to enhance 바카라사이트ir relationships with students. Ultimately, we are all judged, and we judge ourselves, on whe바카라사이트r we are able to create 바카라사이트 conditions for students to learn, flourish and achieve 바카라사이트ir aspirations.?

The OfS and 바카라사이트 new regulatory framework is 바카라사이트 biggest reform to higher education in England since 1992 and, following on 바카라사이트 2012 funding changes, represents a break with 바카라사이트 basic model of funding and regulation of 바카라사이트 past 100 years. Given 바카라사이트 significance of this reform, I believe that it would be appropriate for 바카라사이트re to be an independent review of 바카라사이트?OfS,?commencing in September 2022.

This will help us to review how 바카라사이트?Higher Education and Research Act and 바카라사이트 OfS is meeting 바카라사이트 aspirations of 바카라사이트 Act and will help to ensure that it provides a sustainable settlement for 바카라사이트 sector long into 바카라사이트 future.??

Alistair Jarvis is chief executive of Universities UK.