What changes in regulatory culture might follow from the University of Sussex’s High Court victory over OfS?
The recent High Court ruling on free speech has larger implications for how the sector in England is regulated.
OfS announces revised Teaching Excellence Framework to drive up education quality for students and reward excellence
Following a consultation, the Office for Students is introducing a new quality assessment system to provide students with a clear view of the quality of teaching and learning delivered by every registered university and college.
OfS research finds over eight in ten students are satisfied with their accommodation
Independent research published by the OfS finds that undergraduate students in their first year of university or college are largely positive about their accommodation. It suggests that accommodation costs were a significant factor in deciding where to study for most students,...
OfS green-lights three-year student caps for TEF poor performers
Regulator scraps overall ratings after consultation on revamped exercise but commits to plans to limit growth at bronze providers.
First round of consultation on future TEF sees movement on the implications of a Bronze award
The Office for Students has published the outcomes of the first round of consultation on the future Teaching Excellence Framework. Debbie McVitty sets out what's new – and what's still to be decided.
Low expectations aren’t the same as high satisfaction in student housing
With OfS leading on headline satisfaction scores, Jim Dickinson reads an underlying research report on student housing – and finds a regulator that has mistaken tolerance for quality.
Mobile phones to be banned in schools across Edinburgh
Mobile phone use in schools across Edinburgh will be banned from bell to bell from August.
Martyn Oliver's speech at the National Day Nurseries Association
Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, spoke at the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) Conference 2026 in Liverpool.
Government to review screen time in schools
Consultation will result in guidance on children’s screen time in and out of school, and the government is also planning safety certification for AI products for schools.
No silver bullet: A social media ban alone will not be not enough
School leaders are not opposed to the government expanding age restrictions on children’s social media use, but doing so must be part of a much broader effort to boost safety.
Ofsted to 'crackdown' on notifications by early years settings
Ofsted's chief inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, has said the inspectorate is to ‘crackdown’ on notifications, looking at patterns of no or lots of notifications by early years settings.
New value for money rules ‘disproportionate’, say universities
Proposed regulatory conditions are ‘too broad’, lack clear guidance and will increase burden on institutions, say sector groups.
Rushed social media ban for under-16s in UK could ‘unravel’, charity warns
A rushed under-16s social media ban in the UK could unravel and families would be left to count the cost, a leading child safety charity has warned.
Starmer ‘set to announce under-16s social media ban’
Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly poised to announce a ban on social media for under-16s within the next 10 days as the children’s tsar called for an extension to cover teenagers up to 18 years old.
Is it time for a Graduate Excellence Framework?
Graduate outcomes have become one of the defining measures of success in higher education.
Built for stability: quality assurance in an age of uncertainty
There is a particular clarity that comes from distance. After 25 years inside UK higher education’s quality architecture, reviewing institutions for the QAA; serving on the subject benchmark panels; directing undergraduate programmes through to professional doctorate...
15,000 sign petition demanding review into A-Level exam over claims it was harder than previous papers
England’s exams regulator, Ofqual, is "closely monitoring" the marking of an A-level maths paper after a petition demanding a review garnered over 15,000 signatures in less than 24 hours.
Managed moves could be ‘consigned to the history books’
Managed moves could be “consigned to the history books” by new government guidance preventing oversubscribed schools from prioritising them in admissions.
High dropout rates to trigger sponsor license action, UK unis warned
The UK government has reiterated that universities risk having their sponsor license revoked if they do not keep within new compliance requirements.
Universities face international student ban if visa abuse is suspected
Universities will be stripped of the right to recruit international students if too many drop out from their courses over fears they are being exploited for visa abuse.