OfS publishes first quality and standards assessment reports for registration of two higher education providers

The Office for Students (OfS) has published assessment reports into the quality and standards of courses at two providers that applied for registration with the OfS.

The reports set out the advice of independent academic experts who carried out quality and standards assessments for the OfS. They are the first reports to be published since the OfS began to undertake all quality assessment activity for providers seeking OfS registration. These reports contain important evidence that has informed the OfS’s decisions to register these two providers.

Today’s reports set out the assessment team’s judgment about whether each provider meets the requirements in the OfS’s initial conditions of registration B7 (quality) and B8 (standards).

Assessment teams observed teaching, viewed learning resources, and met with students and staff during their visits to the providers. In addition, the experts also reviewed evidence and quality plans submitted by the providers. The reports concluded that each provider has credible plans to deliver a high quality academic experience for students, provide students with the resources and support they need, and to award qualifications that meet sector-recognised standards.

The assessment reports published today are for:

• Collective Acting Studio, which launched a Bachelor of Arts degree in Acting in January 2024 at its London campus.
• Jews’ College, which is based in North London. It currently delivers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jewish Education and a Master of Arts degree in Jewish Education.

Jean Arnold, Deputy Director of Quality at the OfS, said:

‘Today’s reports mark a major step in our mission to ensure all students receive a high quality education and qualifications that meet sector standards – wherever they study.

‘These assessment reports are the first the OfS has completed after taking on the delivery of all quality assessment activity for providers seeking registration. The reports set out expert academics’ views and advice on the quality of teaching and support that students will receive. They have played an important role in our decisions to register these two providers.

‘Offering courses in the dramatic arts and in Jewish education, these newly registered providers underline the rich diversity of England’s higher education sector.

‘We encourage providers seeking to register with the OfS, and others interested in quality, to consider these reports as they develop their approaches to providing high quality experiences for students.’

Assessment teams continue to review the quality and standards of courses for providers seeking OfS registration and we will publish further reports in due course.

Notes

1. The Office for Students is the independent regulator for higher education in England. Our aim is to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers.
2. An assessment report contains the judgements and advice of an assessment team. The OfS considers the advice in each report and decides whether it raises any concerns about the provider’s compliance with initial conditions of registration.
3. Condition B7 (quality) requires a provider to have, and be able to deliver, credible plans to comply, once registered, with the OfS’s requirements for quality. That means students will receive a high quality academic experience, the resources and support they need to succeed, and appropriate assessment and awards.
4. Condition B8 (standards) requires a provider to demonstrate that the qualifications students will be awarded meet sector-recognised standards.
5. Collective Acting Studio was registered with the OfS in June 2024.
6. Jews’ College, which also trades under the name London School of Jewish Studies, was registered with the OfS in August 2024.