Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what changes the Office for Students has made to the regulatory framework to (a) ensure value for money and (b) good outcomes for students since January 2024.

There has been one significant change to the Office for Students (OfS) regulatory framework, which was announced last year. This introduced the registration condition on harassment and sexual misconduct. The main condition will not come into force until 1 August 2025, however the provisions relating to the banning of non-disclosure agreements apply from 1 September 2024. This condition is important in ensuring higher education students are free from harassment and sexual misconduct that would otherwise adversely affect their ability to benefit from their studies.

The OfS has been actively regulating within the current framework, ensuring positive outcomes for students, including through undertaking targeted quality assessments for existing registered providers. Additionally, the OfS has conducted assessments against new initial quality conditions for providers joining the register.

The OfS is currently consulting on a five year strategy which sets out its plan to implement and focus on the recommendations of Sir David Behan’s independent review of the OfS, and the interrelated priorities which will support better quality, student interest, financial sustainability and protecting public money.

This consultation, which opened on 12 December 2024 and closes on 20 February 2025, is available on the OfS website here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/ofs-strategy-for-2025-to-2030/consultation-on-ofs-strategy-for-2025-to-2030/foreword/.