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<p>The department is clear that driving up quality in higher education (HE) in England
remains one of our highest priorities. This includes tackling the unacceptable pockets
of poor-quality provision and taking regulatory action where appropriate.</p><p> </p><p>The
department has encouraged the Office for Students (OfS) to implement a visible and
effective inspections regime where the OfS has concerns about the quality of provision.
This will involve on-site inspections. The OfS announced its first wave of onsite
inspections on 26 May, which will look specifically at business and management courses
provided by eight higher education providers (HEPs). These will also examine whether
poor-quality online learning has replaced face-to-face teaching to the detriment of
students’ academic experience.</p><p> </p><p>Through section 33 of the Skills and
Post-16 Education Act 2022, the government has amended the Higher Education and Research
Act 2017 to make express provision for the OfS to publish notices, decisions or reports
given or made in the performance of its functions, including whether a HEP is under
investigation. This new legislation sets out the factors that the OfS must consider
when deciding whether to publish. The OfS recently consulted the sector on this and
is now considering responses before it makes use of these provisions.</p><p> </p><p>As
the independent regulator of HE in England, responsibility for initiating investigations
and deciding whether, and when, it announces them, or the names of the providers being
investigated, is a matter for the OfS. The OfS is required to consider the implications
for students planning their higher education this autumn.</p>
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