Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his policy is on the future of the Open University; and what recent assessment he has made of its effect on levels of adult education.

The Open University (OU) is the largest provider of part-time higher education in England, which is enabling individuals to gain new skills and advance their careers, and supporting the wider economy. In the 2016/17 academic year, it accounted for 27 per cent of all entrants to part-time undergraduate higher education courses in England.

All higher education providers, including the OU, are autonomous bodies and, as such, their business models and financial plans are a matter for the governing body of that institution. Part-time study and distance learning are clearly central to the OU’s business model.

The government is taking steps to support people who want to study part-time and the work of the review of post-18 education and funding will look at how we can further encourage learning that is more flexible while complementing our ongoing work to support people to study at different times in their lives.