OfS approach to disruption caused by industrial action in colleges and universities
In November 2019 @officestudents published details of our approach to the protection of students’ interests in the event of industrial action at universities and colleges. We are now republishing that note in advance of further expected action. This does not impose additional requirements beyond what is already in our regulatory framework but sets out areas where conditions of registration may apply, and where failures may amount to breaches of conditions.
We will be coordinating with organisations such as the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) to identify providers where significant numbers of student complaints are upheld, as well as monitoring reported events and notifications from third parties.
Student representative bodies that have concerns that their providers are systematically failing to follow their own procedures or protect certain groups of students are able to report these to us, and should use this briefing note as a guide. We are unable to respond to complaints from individual students, but we have published guidance on what students should do if they have concerns that their studies have been disrupted.
Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of the OfS, said:
‘It is not for the OfS to take sides in industrial disputes. But we would urge universities and colleges to do all they can to avoid disruption for students, and to minimise the impact of industrial action on their studies.
‘We will be monitoring the situation closely and will take action where we find that registered providers have failed to comply with the requirements of the regulatory framework to protect the interests of students.’
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