It’s a story that sounds familiar to anyone who’s been following the fate of franchising in higher education in England ever since then universities minister Jo Johnson said that the state of HE subcontracting was “akin to Byron Burger having to ask permission of McDonald’s to open up a new restaurant” back in 2015. Now, following a National Audit Office investigation and action from the Office for Students (OfS), we learn of “widespread academic misconduct”, inadequate contracts, TikTok ads that say “the government will pay the student to study”, and universities “prioritising the financial benefits of these arrangements over the quality of courses”. With universities increasingly cash-strapped, these arrangements are proliferating along with the risks. click here to access the link

BTECs are an important entry route to higher education, and one that has been under threat. During a welcome pause to plans, Alice Wilby asks how universities can better support students who hold them. Rightly, many institutions and mission groups have been vocal in their support of the campaign to save BTEC qualifications. However, even though the immediate changes are paused, with a commitment from Bridget Phillipson to “review the diversity of options at level 3”, there is more that the sector needs to do. To access the article click here

Assessment reports
This page lists the reports of assessments the OfS has completed relating to whether a provider is delivering successful continuation, completion or progression outcomes for its students. In 2024 we concluded a number of assessments for providers selected as part of the 2022-23 B3 assessment cycle. These providers had performance that was below our numerical thresholds for students’ outcomes. We assessed whether contextual factors at each provider could justify that performance. To read the article click here

Wonkhe and Solutionpath have worked with seven partner institutions, all seeking to develop their academic support system, to explore the changing landscape for academic support. This white paper represents the culmination of our research to capture the views of the sector, explores how to build systems that act as a vehicle for student success and outlines the importance of institutions having the capability to describe, evaluate and enhance their academic support system. Note in this link you have to sign in to receive the White Paper click here to access the link