Enhanced monitoring at RTC, condition of registration at Greater Manchester
David Kernohan is Deputy Editor of Wonkhe
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Back in May 2022, the OfS began to inspect the way provision at RTC Education ltd (Regent College London) complied with conditions B1, B2, and B4.
The actual investigation took place between November 2022 and May 2023, resulting in the publication of an investigation report in October 2024.
On 2 February 2026 the Office for Students published a regulatory case report – outlining its decision to find that RTC was in breach of B1, B2 and B4.
Because RTC does not itself have degree awarding powers (though it is, to be clear, registered with OfS) it also made findings that two providers that it acted as a delivery provider for. Buckinghamshire New University (which had responsibility for the BA Business Management course) was in breach B2 and B4, while the University of Greater Manchester (known at the start of the investigation as the University of Bolton – it had responsibility for the BSc Business Management course) was found to be in breach of conditions B1, B2, and B4.
As a result RTC will be placed under OfS’ enhanced monitoring process – we are not told for how long – and while it is within this process it is not permitted to apply for New Degree Awarding Powers (NDAPs).
Buckinghamshire New University terminated its contract with RTC in May 2025 – no new students will be recruited to the BA Business Management course at RTC. It will not face any further regulatory interventions or sanctions.
The University of Greater Manchester, however, continues to work with RTC. It will be subject to specific ongoing condition of registration BB (relating to standard ongoing registration conditions B1, B2, and B4), which means it needs to develop and implement plans to offer it effective oversight of a number of matters at RTC by 14 January 2027 (at which point there will be another assessment). These matters refer to the findings of the investigation, and include:
- The balance between directed and independent study when it comes to assessment support, and an appropriate level of assessment support overall.
- Delivery methods that support students in developing their course-related knowledge and understanding.
- Promoting continuity of learning when changing module tutors
- Support academic staff in delivering assessments credibly
- Justify marks awarded with evidence of student performance, and with appropriate oversight mechanisms.
This will all start with the submission of details of proposed actions by 14 July 2026.
Of note to the interested reader is the fact that Greater Manchester is already subject to enhanced monitoring on registration condition B2 for its own business provision, and is seen to be at increased risk of breaching registration conditions B1 and B4 for partnership provision. OfS does not note that the university is also still subject to another specific ongoing condition (B3A) for condition B3. The financial issues under investigation by Greater Manchester Police are perhaps less relevant to this case, but are worth reminding ourselves of.
Clearly the establishment of another specific condition was considered the best way to escalate existing concerns around Greater Manchester in the light of new evidence. It does all feel rather last chance saloon.
It’s also worth remarking on the enormous amount of time that has elapsed since concerns around provision at RTC were first brought to the attention of OfS – I assume some time before May 2022. That we have regulatory action three and three-quarter years after the start of the investigation is hardly helpful to full-time students who have faced the issues described in the investigation report – and there may not be a remedy in place that even satisfies registration conditions until 2027 at the earliest.
While OfS is clearly keen to get these processes right, the timescales aren’t really conducive to responsive action that benefits students.
When the OfS assessment team’s boots hit the ground in 22/23 Regent College had 4000 students on business courses. In their financial statements published in December, Greater Manchester said they had 10000 students in partnership with Regent. They have more subject areas now, but this is still quite a growth.
Given part of the rationale for the name change from Bolton to Greater Manchester was, essentially, increased international student recruitment and recognition of where the various bits of the University were located, it is tempting to think that this partnership was very much an effort to generate additional income to dig the institution out of the hole it may be in. I am told it is easier to recruit international students to London than other locations in the UK.
Given the increase in student numbers at Regent College, it would be very interesting to discover whether the University had had any increase in staff resource to manage the partnership or accompanying administrative burden that those numbers would bring, especially in relation to casework. The report into Bolton’s business provision (as it was) was critical of the inadequate staff resource and the University had promised to recruit more. Perhaps they have. I would be concerned if those staff are also being asked to deal with these additional numbers though.
If you search for “Univeristy of Greater Manchester map”, the first hit is a campus map which shows very clearly that their campus occupies a small area of Bolton town centre and seemingly nothing in the wider Greater Manchester region. It remains baffling that the OfS waved away all objections to this clearly misleading and problematic name change.
So special measures will begin almost 4 years after the original concerns.
There is much scope for confusion and guilt by mistaken association. Regent College London is not Regent’s University, London, but ask Google ‘Is Regent College London a university?’ and it tells you about Regent’s University, London. Greater Manchester is not Manchester, but it’s unreasonable to expect international students to know the difference (as many people told the OfS before they approved Bolton’s new name). And Buckinghamshire New is not the University of Buckingham, but at least they terminated their agreement last year.