Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government which eight universities are under investigation by the Office for Students because of reported shortcomings in their Business and Management Studies provision; and what assessment they have made of the timing of the investigations, given that applicants for such courses for the next academic year will need to make their decisions soon.

The department is clear that driving up quality in higher education (HE) in England remains one of our highest priorities. This includes tackling the unacceptable pockets of poor-quality provision and taking regulatory action where appropriate.

The department has encouraged the Office for Students (OfS) to implement a visible and effective inspections regime where the OfS has concerns about the quality of provision. This will involve on-site inspections. The OfS announced its first wave of onsite inspections on 26 May, which will look specifically at business and management courses provided by eight higher education providers (HEPs). These will also examine whether poor-quality online learning has replaced face-to-face teaching to the detriment of students’ academic experience.

Through section 33 of the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022, the government has amended the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 to make express provision for the OfS to publish notices, decisions or reports given or made in the performance of its functions, including whether a HEP is under investigation. This new legislation sets out the factors that the OfS must consider when deciding whether to publish. The OfS recently consulted the sector on this and is now considering responses before it makes use of these provisions.

As the independent regulator of HE in England, responsibility for initiating investigations and deciding whether, and when, it announces them, or the names of the providers being investigated, is a matter for the OfS. The OfS is required to consider the implications for students planning their higher education this autumn.