Improving our engagement with the sector

In January 2023 the OfS published an independent report to understand the experiences of the institutions we regulate of our approach to communication and engagement. As a result, we made some changes. We introduced a programme of visits to institutions, new quarterly updates for senior leaders, and a new approach to consultations and improvements to our website.

Today, I’m pleased to announce that we’ve published a follow-up report that explores how these changes have landed with institutions and provides further insight about our approach.

Overall, it shows we’re improving and on the right track. That’s good to hear. I’m pleased that the majority of those interviewed reported an improvement in the quality of our engagement with them. That’s testament to the hard work of many of my colleagues.

Our willingness to engage more has been welcomed. Our regular email update to accountable officers is seen as a trusted source of regulatory information. And our visits are adding value to institutions – and to OfS colleagues.

I was particularly struck by how much more positively the OfS is viewed when institutions have an opportunity to engage with us in a more personal, direct way – my colleagues are smart, insightful and helpful and I’m glad the sector is seeing more of that. We’ll aim to find ways to increase opportunities for this way of doing business.

What we need to do next

But there’s still more to do and areas where we can continue to improve.

We’re working with colleagues on the tone of our written communications, and to increase the clarity and accessibility of our more technical documents. We plan to segment our communications to ensure information is relevant for different types of institutions. We’ll create opportunities for two-way dialogue and free-flowing discussion. And we’ll continue to increase our visibility across the sector.

Over the last eighteen months I’ve said many times that robust two-way dialogue is critical to effective regulation. We’re creating an environment to deliver that in practice. That’s essential as we take up the challenge laid out in our recent Public Bodies Review to be clearer and sharper in our regulatory focus as the sector responds to significant change in its operating environment.

Of course, a universally popular regulator isn’t likely to be effective. But if we’re to make positive changes to continue to improve higher education for the benefit of students and the country, we need to do it together. Today’s report shows us making good progress on our part of the bargain.

We’ll commission follow-up stakeholder surveys to test the effectiveness of the further steps we’ll take. In the meantime, you can read the full report on our website.

And I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the research. I’m keen to continue hearing your thoughts on all of this while I’m out and about. Or you can get in touch with my colleagues at engagement@officeforstudents.org.uk.