QSN 21/22 Webinar Series: OfS Consultation on Quality and Standards Conditions

Proposal 1: impose three general ongoing conditions of registration relating to the quality of a provider’s courses

Proposal 2: impose one general ongoing condition of registration relating to the standards of a provider’s courses

Proposal 3: impose two initial conditions of registration, one relating to the quality of, and one relating to the standards applied to, a provider’s course.

Proposal 4a: commission the designated quality body to provide evidence about compliance with the initial conditions for a provider seeking registration

Proposal 4b: operate a flexible risk-based approach to evidence gathering and investigation for registered providers

Proposal 4c: take account of a provider’s compliance history in relation to the quality and standards conditions for the purpose of determining eligibility for other benefits of OfS registration

Proposal 5: the OfS will use its role as the body responsible for External Quality Assurance for integrated higher and degree apprenticeships to inform its judgements about condition B4.

Condition B1: Academic experience – a high quality academic experience includes but is not limited to ensuring all of the following:

1. each higher education course is up-to-date
2. each higher education course provides educational challenge;
3. each higher education course is coherent;
4. each higher education course is effectively delivered; and
5. each higher education course, as appropriate to the subject matter of the course, requires students to develop relevant skills.

Condition B2: Resources, support and student engagement – the provider must ensure:

a. each cohort of students registered on each higher education course receives resources and support to ensure:

i. a high quality academic experience for those students; and

ii. those students succeeding in and beyond higher education; and

b. effective engagement with each cohort of students to ensure:

i. a high quality academic experience for those students; and

ii. those students succeeding in and beyond higher

Condition B4: Assessment and awards – the provider must ensure that:

1. students are assessed effectively;
2. Each assessment is valid and reliable;
3. academic regulations are designed to ensure that relevant awards are credible; and
4. relevant awards granted to students are credible at the point of being granted and when compared to those granted previously.

Condition B5: Sector-recognised standards – the provider must ensure that, in respect of any relevant awards granted to students who complete a higher education course provided by, or on behalf of, the provider (whether or not the provider is the awarding body):

1. any standards set are consistent with any applicable sector-recognised standards; and
2. awards are only granted to students whose knowledge and skills are consistent with any applicable sector-recognised standards.

Condition B7: Initial condition relating to quality – the provider must:

1. have credible plans that would enable the provider, if registered, to comply with conditions B1, B2 and B4 from the date of registration; and
2. have the capacity and resources necessary to deliver, in practice, those