06 February 2019 
Karel Thomas, Executive Director
The OfS has an obligations under the 2017 Higher Education and Research Act to “to promote value for money in the provision of higher education by English higher education providers”. We all know that one of the four primary regulatory objectives enshrined in the Office for Students’ regulatory framework is to ensure that “All students, from all backgrounds, and with the ability and desire to undertake higher education receive value for money.”
Higher Education providers have been told in various forums that the OfS will not mandate how universities should demonstrate how they are delivering value for money to students, but the OfS will examine what universities publish in order to satisfy themselves that providers are indeed delivering VfM. That means no standard format for a “VfM report” or wording for a "boiler-plate" statement that states the obvious, and the choice of words, music and pictures in the hands of the university. In an environment where a regulator has teeth which it is prepared to use, such choice and latitude is not always welcome, and some would prefer the certainty of being told what is required. Amongst others, Jim Dickinson suggested in a recent Wonkhe article, “Universities should take back control of the VfM agenda” that perhaps institutions should “look out at students instead of to regulators, and to do the right thing before government and its regulator if forced to require you to do things that they say are right.”
Rather than seizing this opportunity, some institutions have been waiting to see what others do before they put too much effort into their own communications whilst others have been waiting for organisations such as UUK and consultancies to offer a ready-made solution. If you fall into either of those camps, help from UUK is coming as they will be offering a series of workshops to members that will inform the development of guidance to be published early in the summer. Further information on dates will be available shortly.
