The Office for Students has revealed the first college to be refused from its register of higher education providers.
Waltham Forest College has been refused access owing to quality - which, according to the OfS, means that the “college has failed to demonstrate that it delivers successful outcomes for all of its higher education students, which are recognised and valued by employers and/or enable further study for all of its higher education students.”
Tes understands that other colleges have been sent minded to refuse letters - which means that as things stand, they fall short of the OfS requirements. These colleges have 28 days to make changes and representations before a final decision is made.
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Being registered by the OfS is crucial for colleges wanting to be able to provide HE provision, affecting whether they can access public grant and student support funding, apply to recruit international students, and determines the fee levels they can charge.
In May, the OfS said that 19 colleges had applied for registration. Currently, 378 HE providers are registered.
Dr Joy Kettyle, principal of the college, said: “The London Borough of Waltham Forest is very diverse ethnically and socially and amongst the top 10 per cent most deprived in the country, the OfS have failed to fully appreciate the challenges some of our students face and their personal journey to overcome them,” she said.
‘Heavy-handed decisions’
Deputy chief executive at the Association of Colleges Kirsti Lord said that the decision it was disappointing and frustrating. “The lengthy process meant that many providers have been waiting months for a decision, based on data that was several years old. It is understandable that with any new regulatory body, the transition into new a system will take time to perfect.
“We agree that regulation of the higher education sector is right but OfS needs to ensure they are considerate of the different contexts of colleges compared with universities. If it continues to use the same framework to judge all post-16 education providers then colleges will naturally remain at a disadvantage. As will some of the most marginalised students in the country attempting to pursue the next stage in their careers or turn their lives around,” she said.
Lord said that the OfS needed to recognise the students who will be affected by such “heavy-handed decisions”.
