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  1. University Alliance responds to the Department for Education’s release on Higher Education reform

    July 17, 2023

    Today (Monday 17 July) the Department of Education have released their response to a consultation on Higher Education reform, alongside comments from the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Education. Responding to the release, Vanessa Wilson, CEO of University Alliance, said: “The UK’s university system is one of the best and most successful in the world. We have the lowest dropout rates in the whole of the OECD, and graduates report consi…

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  2. University Alliance responds to OfS consultation on sexual harassment and misconduct

    May 4, 2023

    University Alliance responds to the OfS consultation on sexual harassment and misconduct, stating that while they strongly agree that all higher education students should be protected from sexual harassment and misconduct, a new registration condition is not the best way of achieving this. Their preferred response would be for the OfS to monitor compliance with a renewed Statement of Expectations for Preventing and Addressing Harassment and Sexua…

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  3. University Alliance responds to OfS announcement on degree apprenticeships development fund

    March 30, 2023

    University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson responded to today’s announcement on the guidance received by the Office for Students from Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan, to include a £40m degree apprenticeships development fund as part of the 2023-24 Higher Education Strategic Priorities Grant. Wilson said: “Degree apprenticeships are increasingly one of the most popular and competitive higher education options, and rightly so. They offe…

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  4. HE mission groups call for inquiry into the Office for Students

    January 16, 2023

    Signed by four key mission groups within higher education, including University Alliance, the Russell Group has sent a letter to the Chair of the Education Committee Robin Walker MP, to call for a review of the Office for Students. On the fifth year since its establishment, the mission groups strongly recommend an investigation into the OfS, to ensure that it is fulfilling its role and responsibilities within the sector as a fully independent reg…

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  5. University Alliance responds to OfS consultations on TEF, student outcomes and the construction of indicators

    March 16, 2022

    Government proposals on quality in higher education could ‘wreak havoc on the levelling up agenda’: University Alliance responds to Office for Students consultations University Alliance [UA] has today [Wednesday 16 March 2022] responded to three consultations launched by the Office for Students [OfS] on 20 January 2022. The consultations sought views on a range of proposals relating to the way quality in university teaching is measured and regula…

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  6. University Alliance responds to government announcements on PQA and LLE reforms

    February 24, 2022

    Responding to the announcements today from the Department for Education around Post-Qualification Admissions and the Lifelong Loan Entitlement proposals, University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson said: “We are pleased to see that our concerns were heeded concerning the proposed Post-Qualification Admissions reform. Moving to this model would have been disruptive and costly, forcing students to make potentially life-changing decisions in a short spac…

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  7. University Alliance responds to government announcement on post-18 education reforms

    February 24, 2022

    In response to the announcement today (24/02/22) from the Department for Education on their response to the Augar review, University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson said: “If our ambition as a nation is to be a highly skilled, productive economy competing on the global stage, then we will need more people living in every part of the UK to be educated to degree level or higher. It is time for policy-makers and politicians to take a rounded view of hig…

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  8. University Alliance responds to OfS Quality and Standards conditions consultation

    September 29, 2021

    Alliance universities are deeply committed to providing a high-quality academic experience for students, and we are broadly supportive of the principles-based and risk-led approach to regulation outlined in the consultation document. Indeed, we are largely in agreement with both the revised and new conditions for quality and standards. However, as a mission group of universities we are unable to lend our support to the proposals without additiona…

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  9. UA comment on OFS funding reforms

    July 20, 2021

    Responding to the Office For Students (OFS) announcement on funding reforms for 2021-22, University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson said “It is disappointing to see OFS progressing with the decision to cut funding for high-cost creative subjects, despite collective concern and opposition from across the sector. We were clear in our submission that cuts to funding for these courses would be a strategic mis-step. The Government themselves have identifi…

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  10. University Alliance responds to government reform of post-16 qualifications

    July 14, 2021

    University Alliance have joined a coalition of 12 education bodies representing staff and students in schools, colleges and universities in writing to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson urging him not to scrap the vast majority of applied general qualifications such as BTECs. University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson said: “As the voice of professional and technical universities, we are concerned by proposals to limit the range and availability of…

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