OfS to conduct enhanced monitoring of the University of Bolton

The decision follows a quality assessment of some of the university’s courses in business and management. This was carried out by academic experts on behalf of the OfS, who found four areas of concern in relation to those courses from October 2022 to January 2023. The OfS carefully considered the findings of the assessment before deciding to conduct enhanced monitoring.

The OfS has found that:

• The university breached condition B2 relating to resources and support for students. Specifically, the university had not ensured sufficient levels or effective deployment of staff resources to deliver a high quality academic experience. Below-target staffing levels affected the delivery and support of personal academic tutoring for students and lengthened marking times for some students’ assessments.
• There were inconsistencies in the implementation of the processes outlined in the university’s academic misconduct policy, which meant that Level 4 students were not sufficiently guided to avoid academic misconduct.
• Access to formative feedback was inconsistent, meaning that students often had to seek out feedback and, if they did not, some did not receive this support.
• The University of Bolton was not ensuring that students on BSc (Hons) Business Management with Foundation courses were receiving sufficient academic support to ensure their future success.

Since the quality assessment, the university has worked closely with the OfS to construct an action plan designed to address these concerns. The OfS’s enhanced monitoring also requires the university to periodically report to the OfS about the changes it is implementing. The OfS will lift the enhanced monitoring once it is satisfied that the remaining risks have been resolved or may consider further action if the risks continue or increase.

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

‘Our requirements for quality are an essential part of ensuring students have all the tools they need to succeed, including access to sufficient resources and support, as well as consistent, effective assessment.

‘Having found concerns relating to condition B2 on the quality of some business and management courses at the University of Bolton, we engaged with the university to ensure that it was taking appropriate action to deal with those issues. We are now satisfied that the university has a strong plan in place, and our monitoring will ensure that this is followed through and initiatives are implemented successfully.

‘The university had already recognised some of these issues before our assessment began, and we welcome its ongoing cooperation as we monitor compliance and work together to protect the interests of students.’

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 that seeks to ensure that students from all backgrounds benefit from high quality higher education, delivered by a diverse, sustainable sector that continues to improve. You can respond to the consultation online.
2. The Office for Students has approved a change of name for the University of Bolton to the University of Greater Manchester. The OfS's regulatory judgements of the University of Bolton’s compliance with our quality conditions following the quality assessment will continue to apply to the university should it change its name on the OfS Register. This includes our enhanced monitoring of condition B2.