Part 1: Proposals for new initial condition C5 - Treating students fairly

Annex E: Proposed template text for publication on provider website following successful registration

[Provider name]’s student protection plan

The documents and policies set out below, taken together, constitute our student protection plan. These were considered by the Office for Students (OfS) in [month / year] when [provider name] was granted registration. Any subsequent changes to the documents published on this page will not have been reviewed by the OfS but we are expected to ensure that we maintain the level of protection for students set out in these documents on an ongoing basis.

The following documents set out important protections for students:

• Student contract: This sets out the terms and conditions for the provision of higher education, including additional costs that apply.
• [Other contracts]: These set out the terms and conditions for the following other services we offer to students:
  • …..
  • …..
• Policy relating to changes we may make during your course: This includes how we may make changes to the content of your course; how, when and where the course is delivered; the qualification you will receive; circumstances in which we may close a course. It explains how we will protect your interests if we make any of these changes.
• Complaints process: This explains how you can make a complaint about your higher education experience and how we will handle your complaint.
• Refund and compensation policy: This explains the approach we will take to refunds and compensation.

If you think we have not followed our policies or processes, or you are unhappy with how we have done so, you can make a formal complaint using our complaints process in the first instance (as above).

If we do not resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, you can make a complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator. This is an independent body set up to review complaints from individual students about higher education providers in England and Wales. You can find further information at https://www.oiahe.org.uk/students/.

The OfS is the independent regulator for higher education in England. It does not handle complaints for individual students but, if you think we may not be meeting its regulatory requirements, you can notify the OfS about your concerns.

• You can find information about the OfS’s regulatory requirements at https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-providers/registering-with-the-ofs/registration-with-the-ofs-a-guide/conditions-of-registration/.
• You can find information about the OfS’s notification process at https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-students/ofs-and-students/notifications/.

The OfS monitors [provider name’s] financial position and, if it thinks the institution is at material risk of closure, it can require us to take specific actions to protect our students. This might include a requirement to produce (and comply with) a ‘market exit plan’. This is a detailed document setting out plans and arrangements for any or all of the following:

• plans which would allow us to keep teaching you until you have completed your course
• arrangements for you to transfer to another university or college to complete your course
• arrangements for you to receive evidence of your studies to date (for example, certificates or academic transcripts setting out the modules you have studied and the grades you have achieved)
• information advice and guidance
• complaints
• refunds and compensation
• archiving of our academic records so students have access to the information they may need in future.

If the OfS thinks [provider name] is at material risk of closure it will work with us to consider very carefully the information students need to know and when.