Sixth Form Colleges: Overseas Students

(asked on 14th October 2021) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to issue guidance to ensure that independent sixth-form colleges that lose their Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies accreditation are re-inspected without delay.


Answered by
Baroness Williams of Trafford Portrait
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
This question was answered on 29th October 2021

The requirement for Student sponsors, including independent sixth-form colleges which hold a sponsor license, to maintain Educational Oversight (EO) is a core principle of the sponsorship system for the Student and Child Student routes. This requirement ensures the quality of education offered to international students is of sufficiently high standard.

Institutions which do not meet the required rating following an inspection by the relevant Educational Oversight body will lose the ability to assign Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) to prospective students.

To facilitate sponsors regaining the ability to sponsor new students as soon as they have rectified the issues which led to them losing EO, a sponsor can regain EO following a partial reinspection, or monitoring review, which confirms those issues have been resolved satisfactorily rather than having to wait for a full reinspection. Sponsors which regain Educational Oversight will have the ability to assign CAS reinstated.

The Home Office does not set inspection schedules for independent EO bodies, beyond requiring those for private providers must take place at least once every 4 years.

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