Students should expect good quality higher education, effective
support for mental health and wellbeing, and clear information
from their universities, the Office for Students (OfS) has said.
Explaining the regulator’s role and commenting on the situation
facing students returning to campus, Nicola Dandridge, chief
executive of the OfS, said:
‘This is a really difficult situation for students, particularly
those embarking on their studies away from home for the first
time. It is particularly difficult for students facing severe
restrictions to their day-to-day lives because of campus
lockdowns. Their safety and that of the whole community is,
however, crucial.
‘Universities have worked hard to make campuses safe, and have
developed programmes that mix face-to-face and online learning.
However, our guidance says that is essential that they provide
students with as much clarity as possible on what they can
expect. Where the situation changes universities should provide
regular information updates. It is also more important than ever
that students can access good mental health support to help them
settle in, particularly where they are being asked to
self-isolate. The OfS is funding the Student Space service to
support student mental health and wellbeing during the
coronavirus pandemic.
‘Where students need to go into insolation, universities have to
be clear about how courses will continue to operate in these
circumstances and what welfare, resources and support are
available. Universities should provide information about how
testing can be accessed where it is expected by the health
authorities and ensure that such students can access food and
other essential provisions. We will be following up with
individual universities and colleges where we have concerns about
the arrangements they are making for teaching and academic
support.
‘Students have a right to good quality higher education – whether
that is taught online, in-person or a mixture of the two. Where
they feel this is not happening they can raise concerns with
their university, escalating complaints to the Office of the
Independent Adjudicator where a resolution cannot be found. They
can also inform the OfS, and we can and will investigate if we
believe that universities have not taken all reasonable steps to
protect standards or where quality is slipping for groups of
students. And, of course, students make a significant investment
in their higher education and have rights as consumers. In
considering whether to make partial tuition fee refunds, we would
expect a university to consider the circumstances for each
student rather than to adopt a blanket policy that refunds are
not available.’
