Heather Fry Centre for Educational Development Imperial College London [email protected]
Development Conference 2014, Impact of working in an unregulated market, Heather Fry
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Transcript of Development Conference 2014, Impact of working in an unregulated market, Heather Fry
The Evolving Regulatory Landscape
Heather Fry
AUA Development Conference: Leading Through Changing Landscapes
The Regulatory Landscape
Requirements
Accountability
SNCs
Appeals
Compliance
GatewaysFrameworks
Assurance
Risk PSRBsAccess Agreements
Complaints
Proportionate
Autonomy Risk based
Low burdenMonitoring
DataMarket
Partnerships
Alternative
Competition
Quality Assessment
Diversity of HE providers in England
339 providers who get government grants for higher
education
103 providers with official UK university status
207 further education colleges
97 providers which have specific courses in 2014-15
that are eligible under student support regulations
213 providers accredited for initial teacher
training
131 providers that can award UK degrees
(Source: HEFCE Register of HE Providers. October 2014)
Diversity of HE students in England
44% are male56% are female
7% classify themselves as black 15% classify themselves as Asian
78% are UG18% are PGT 4% are PGR
71% are full time29% are part time
12% are international5% are EU
6.7% of HEFCE funded students are taught at FECs
2 million + students (Source: HESA 2012-13)
‘A clear message from the consultation [on the White Paper ‘Students at the Heart of the System’ and the technical consultation on higher education in England] was that as we do not know the full effect of the funding changes we have introduced now would not be the time to introduce changes to primary legislation. We will, therefore, continue to move our reform agenda forward primarily through administrative means.’
Letter from the Secretary of State and Minister of State 13 June 2012
Background to the current regulatory landscape
Register of HE providers• Lists higher education (HE) providers, which have particular
relationships to Government (or bodies related to Government) in England.
• Sets out the powers providers have and the regulatory controls which apply to them.
• Launched in September 2014 alongside the revised operating framework for HE which describes the framework of regulation
Register of HE providersThe register includes all HE providers which are regulated in England because they: • have the right to award one or more types of UK degree.• are higher education institutions (HEIs) (i.e. have University title,
are a Higher Education Corporation or have been designated as eligible for HEFCE funding)
• receive direct public grants for HE• have courses which have been specifically designated by
Government as eligible for the purposes of English student support funding
The register does not list all providers of HE in England. It currently includes providers which meet one or more of these specific features.
Future of the RegisterThe register will develop to reflect changes in the regulatory landscapeAreas under consideration:
• Scope – Can the register cover the other elements identified in the operating framework e.g. access agreements, providers that solely operate within partnership arrangements (such as franchise)? How can the register develop to meet the needs of users?
• Functionality (e.g. search) User review in early 2015 to inform future development
•Register: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/whatwedo/reg/register/•Operating Framework: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/whatwedo/reg/of/
The higher education funding bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are to seek views on future approaches to the assessment of quality in higher education. Based on the feedback we receive, we will then invite tenders under a joint procurement exercise. This will ensure transparency and demonstrate value for money.
(7 October 2014 press release)
Quality assessment in the future
Student ProtectionWHY? • Students often lack redress, for example: satisfactory ‘teach out’
not offered; tier 4 licence revoked; provider suffers disorderly failure/closure without provision for students
WHAT?• Continuity of study and financial refund.
WHAT IS HEFCE DOING?• Holding roundtables to discuss issues and possible solutions,
either now or post legislation
Student Protection
Specific Course designation – what is it?• The Secretary of State designates courses at alternative providers
to receive student support – this happens at a course rather than provider level
• BIS sets three hurdles:• Quality assurance – providers must have a recent, successful
QAA review• Course eligibility – providers must have appropriate approvals
for courses applied for• Financial sustainability, management and governance –
providers must submit three years independently audited accounts and details of key personnel to provide assurance on financial sustainability and the appropriateness of management and governance arrangements
SCD: HEFCE role and the numbers involved
• HEFCE ‘s role is processing applications and providing analysis in relation to course eligibility and FSMG
• BIS decides on designation and de-designation.• HEFCE processed 178 applications from 162 providers between
June 2013 and May 2014• To date BIS have approved applications for 2,903 courses
Why is legislation necessary?• Existing regulatory framework needs to evolve•Importance of institutional autonomy•Legislation is necessary to ensure:
– Stakeholder confidence is maintained– Student protection is extended– Providers are treated equitably – Anomalies are addressed– Regulatory arrangements are appropriate for a more diverse HE
landscape
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