2nd Report - Must do better: the Office for Students and the looming crisis facing higher education
- HC No.
- —
- Published
- 13 Sep 2023
- Items
- 0
- Response
- Response document linked Read government response ↗
Select Committee · Industry and Regulators Committee
The work of the Office for Students
Status: Closed
Opened: 3 Mar 2023
Closed: 21 May 2024
1 report
Inquiry scope
The inquiry will scrutinise whether the statutory duties of the OfS are clear and examine its performance against those duties since its establishment. The inquiry will look at how the OfS’ regulatory framework has developed since its inception, its independence from and relationship with the Government, and whether it has the necessary expertise and resources to carry out its functions. The inquiry will also examine the OfS’ work in relation to the financial sustainability of the higher education sector. This will include consideration of the extent of systemic financial risks in the sector, such as the reliance of some universities on overseas students, how the OfS considers and manages these risks, and the potential consequences of and processes for the failure of providers. Read the key points in our enhanced report summary Report published 13 September 2023, Government Response published 28 November 2023 and report debated 21 May 2024.Reports
Oral evidence sessions
On smaller screens, scroll horizontally to read every column. Keyboard users can focus the table region and use the arrow keys.
| Date | Session and witnesses | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 16 May 2023 | Anne Spinali · Department for Education, Robert Halfon MP · Department for Education | View ↗ |
| 9 May 2023 | Susan Lapworth · Office for Students, The Lord Wharton of Yarm · Office for Students | View ↗ |
| 2 May 2023 | Erica Conway · University of Birmingham, Mack Marshall · Newcastle University Students’ Union, Nicola Owen · Lancaster University, Rania Regaieg · University of the West of England | View ↗ |
| 25 Apr 2023 | Anthony McClaran · GuildHE, Professor Simon Gaskell · Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), Vicki Stott · Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) | View ↗ |
| 18 Apr 2023 | Chloe Field · NUS, Francesco Masala · OfS Student Panel, Martha Longdon · OfS Student Panel | View ↗ |
| 28 Mar 2023 | Alex Proudfoot · Independent Higher Education, Rachel Hewitt · MillionPlus - The Association for Modern Universities, Vanessa Wilson · University Alliance, Vivienne Stern MBE · Universities UK | View ↗ |
| 21 Mar 2023 | Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell · Industrial Strategy Council, Professor Neal Juster · The University of Lincoln, Professor Susan Lea · The University of Hull, Sir David Eastwood · University of Birmingham | View ↗ |
| 14 Mar 2023 | The Rt Hon Charles Clarke · Department for Education, The Rt Hon Lord Jo Johnson · Universities, Science, Research and Innovation | View ↗ |
| 7 Mar 2023 | Dame Nicola Dandridge DBE · Office for Students, Sir Michael Barber · Office for Students | View ↗ |
Who gave evidence
On smaller screens, scroll horizontally to read every column. Keyboard users can focus the table region and use the arrow keys.
| Witness | Organisation | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Proudfoot · Chief Executive | Independent Higher Education | 1 |
| Anne Spinali · Director for Higher Education Reform and Funding | Department for Education | 1 |
| Anthony McClaran · Chair | GuildHE | 1 |
| Chloe Field · Vice President for Higher Education | NUS | 1 |
| Dame Nicola Dandridge DBE · Former Chief Executive | Office for Students | 1 |
| Erica Conway · Chief Financial Officer | University of Birmingham | 1 |
| Francesco Masala · Former member | OfS Student Panel | 1 |
| Mack Marshall · Education Officer | Newcastle University Students’ Union | 1 |
| Martha Longdon · Former Chair | OfS Student Panel | 1 |
| Nicola Owen · Deputy Chief Executive (Operations) | Lancaster University | 1 |
| Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell · Member | Industrial Strategy Council | 1 |
| Professor Neal Juster · Vice-Chancellor | The University of Lincoln | 1 |
| Professor Simon Gaskell · Chair | Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) | 1 |
| Professor Susan Lea · Former Vice-Chancellor | The University of Hull | 1 |
| Rachel Hewitt · Chief Executive | MillionPlus - The Association for Modern Universities | 1 |
| Rania Regaieg · Chair of the Board of Trustees, Director and President of the Students’ Union | University of the West of England | 1 |
| Robert Halfon MP · Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships, and Higher Education | Department for Education | 1 |
| Sir David Eastwood · Former Vice-Chancellor | University of Birmingham | 1 |
| Sir Michael Barber · Chair | Office for Students | 1 |
| Susan Lapworth · Chief Executive | Office for Students | 1 |
| The Lord Wharton of Yarm · Chair | Office for Students | 1 |
| The Rt Hon Charles Clarke · Former Education Secretary | Department for Education | 1 |
| The Rt Hon Lord Jo Johnson · Former Minister of State | Universities, Science, Research and Innovation | 1 |
| Vanessa Wilson · Chief Executive | University Alliance | 1 |
| Vicki Stott · Chief Executive | Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) | 1 |
| Vivienne Stern MBE · Chief Executive | Universities UK | 1 |
Correspondence
On smaller screens, scroll horizontally to read every column. Keyboard users can focus the table region and use the arrow keys.
Meetings & visits
On smaller screens, scroll horizontally to read every column. Keyboard users can focus the table region and use the arrow keys.
| Date | Type | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Sep 2023 | Formal meeting (private meeting) | — · Room 1, Palace of Westminster | |
| 11 Jul 2023 | Formal meeting (private meeting) | Formal meeting (private meeting) · Room 3A, Palace of Westminster |