Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to strengthen mutual trust and respect between the Office for Students and those it regulates.

The government recognises the importance of the relationship between the independent regulator for higher education, the Office for Students (OfS), and those providers it regulates. We are confident in the OfS’s ability to engage and communicate with providers appropriately, and we are pleased to see the OfS’s sustained willingness to strive to make improvements in these areas wherever possible.

Independent research published in October 2024 found that perceptions of the OfS’s engagement and communications with the sector have improved. Positive feedback included direct engagement with Vice Chancellors and principals through regular mailings and briefings.

The OfS are acting on insights from this research to make further improvements. They have introduced more interactive formats for many of their events and have made changes to tailor their engagement work. This includes over 40 different engagement events since January 2024 and 44 provider visits since the start of the 2024/25 academic year.