Applied Business Academy: investigation finds serious concerns

ABA was a higher education provider with courses delivered from two campuses, in East London and Luton. The OfS’s investigation focused on ABA’s delivery of the Diploma in Education and Teaching course. This course awarded qualifications to students wanting to teach in the further education sector.  

During the investigation ABA ceased offering higher education courses and is no longer registered with the OfS. This meant the investigation could not be concluded, but the OfS is publishing its analysis to help other institutions with similar courses ensure student placements are run effectively and deliver the intended benefits for students. The regulator is also calling for universities and colleges to ensure effective oversight of course quality and value for money for students and taxpayers.

ABA’s Diploma in Education and Teaching course required students to undertake placement activities that included 100 hours of teaching. Analysis of evidence collected by the OfS during its investigation found that many students could not have credibly completed this requirement in their placement. The investigation found placements documented at:

• organisations that had been listed as having ceased to operate, were dissolved, listed as inactive at the time of the placement, or where no details or insufficient details could be found for the organisation
• organisations with no clear link to education. The OfS found examples of small cafes, childcare providers, clothes shops, freight firms, and building firms among others
• organisations where multiple students had listed the same placement location, yet the size of the organisation appeared too small for that number of placements to have taken place.

The OfS was not able to verify whether ABA staff, mentors and observers had the qualifications and experience they needed to assess student teachers. None of the students who had completed their studies, or were still studying on this course  when ABA ceased offering higher education, have received certification from City and Guilds, the awarding body for this qualification.

The investigation also found a range of governance weaknesses, with few controls or evidence of oversight or effective management and governance. Had ABA continued to operate, it is likely the OfS would have made formal findings of breaches of its conditions of registration, and would have considered imposing significant sanctions, including fines and deregistration.

In addition to the investigation at ABA, the OfS has concerns about the delivery of  the Diploma in Education and Training course by several other providers. The OfS continues to examine these matters.

Philippa Pickford, Director of Regulation at the OfS, said:

'Students signed up to these courses to become further education teachers, yet found themselves on wholly unsuitable placements with little or no oversight. If ABA had not entered liquidation and we had found breaches of our requirements for quality, standards and governance, we would have likely imposed significant penalties.

'All institutions running similar courses need to ensure they are effectively run, are of high quality and that students are supported to gain teaching experience through their placements. Where courses are run as part of franchised provision, lead universities must also ensure the quality of courses remains high. We will continue to prioritise our work on franchised courses to ensure students can be confident that they will study on a high quality course that leads to positive outcomes.'

Notes

1. The Office for Students is the independent regulator for higher education in England. We are currently consulting on a new strategy for 2025-2030 which seeks to ensure that students from all backgrounds benefit from high quality higher education, delivered by a diverse, sustainable sector that continues to improve.
2. Before its de-registration, ABA provided the DET course with City and Guilds and OTHM Qualifications.
3. Further information for former students of ABA can be found on the OfS website: Information for students on closure of courses at Applied Business Academy.