Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many UK universities that are registered with the Office for Students publish the (a) quantity and (b) type of contact hours for courses advertised to prospective students.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Office for Students (OfS) does not routinely collect or publish data on the number of registered higher education providers that disclose the quantity and type of contact hours for courses advertised to prospective students.
However, all registered providers are expected to comply with consumer protection law, including providing clear and accurate information to students about their courses. The Competition and Markets Authority has issued guidance to support providers in meeting these obligations, which includes transparency around contact hours and modes of delivery. The OfS expects providers to have due regard to this guidance as part of their registration conditions.
Where students believe that information provided has been misleading or insufficient, they are encouraged to raise concerns through their provider’s complaints process and can escalate complaints to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education if necessary. Additionally, any students, staff or members of the public who feel a university is not meeting the OfS’ registration requirements may submit a notification to the OfS.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take with the Office for Students to ensure that universities provide prospective students with transparent data (a) in general and (b) on what proportion of courses are delivered online.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Higher education providers must be transparent in how they advertise and deliver their courses. The Competition and Market Authority has published advice for providers on complying with consumer law, including informing students about the quantity and type of contact hours. All registered providers must pay due regard to this guidance as part of their registration conditions with the Office for Students (OfS).
Online learning offers significant benefits to students, but it must support the quality of a student's learning experience. The OfS’s Blended Learning Review urges providers to clearly communicate course expectations and assess students’ blended learning experiences. Students dissatisfied with their university’s service should use their provider’s complaints process. If a provider is not meeting the OfS’s registration requirements, this can be raised to the OfS by submitting a notification.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much was provided to the Council of the Isles of Scilly for post-16 education for students in each of the last five years for which records are available; and how much was (a) unspent and (b) returned.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) allocates a boarding and accommodation allowance to the Isles of Scilly. This is a contribution of funding towards boarding, accommodation and travel costs for students who are permanent residents on the Isles of Scilly and who are eligible for 16 to 19 education. This is a special arrangement to support students with their full-time education on the mainland of England.
The funding values and unspent/returns funds are shown in the table below:
Isles of Scilly Council (UKPRN 10001710) | ||
Academic Year | Funding Allocation | Funding Unspent (a) and Returned (b) |
2024/25 | £318,250 | New Year |
2023/24 | £305,520 | Information due September 2024 |
2022/23 | £217,208 | £77,134 |
2021/22 | £222,924 | £36,109 |
2020/21 | £194,344 | £22,109 |
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that post 16 year old pupils who live on the Isles of Scilly have equality of affordable opportunity to state sector study as their mainland counterparts.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to providing high quality education to all young people, regardless of their background or where they live. The department understands the unique challenges students and families from the Isles of Scilly face in accessing study programmes on the mainland due to there being no post-16 education available on the Isles.
The department will provide funding to the Council to cover their predicted number of post-16 students in 2024/25 to meet the students’ travel and accommodation needs.
The government will keep all of its student financial support programmes under review, including considering what more can be done to support post-16 students from the Isles of Scilly, as part of the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students are required by geographic circumstances to board at night to receive post-16 education by local authority area.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Information on the reason pupils board overnight at school is not held centrally by the department.
Information on the number of pupils who board is published in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.