After two weeks off on holiday I was back at work. I had worked a few days of my leave over the last two weeks, so took time this week to catch up on that.

The new Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson was on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme to launch Skills England, however she also answered questions on HE funding, reaffirming there’s no more money coming from govt at the moment.  As part of her interview she indicated that that the DfE will make an announcement in parliament about reform of the Office for Students (OfS).

I have in many meetings over the last year or so discussed the possibility that a new Labour government could abolish the OfS. The OfS was a Conservative government creation and with the recent focus on freedom of speech and other issues; could a new government replace the OfS with something new.

In the end, we still have the OfS and the announcement was about the review of the OfS:

The review found that the case for bold regulation of higher education is clear but that the OfS should more sharply focus on key priorities, which include monitoring financial sustainability, ensuring quality, protecting public money and regulating in the interests of students.

Wonkhe noted:

The review does not make substantial recommendations for OfS to be given new powers on financial sustainability but suggests that the desirability of market exit as a natural outcome of the market-based system should be reviewed, and OfS should work with government to build an infrastructure to offer advice and support for institutions experiencing financial sustainability challenges – including updating and strengthening student protection plans.

It was reported that Brunel University London to join University of London federation

Brunel University London will join the University of London federation from 1 October 2024, in a move that will strengthen the federation and open up new opportunities for collaboration between universities in London.   

This is indicative of what we might see in the future across the sector on collaboration and merger as the continuing challenges impact on the sector.