The Office for Students (OfS) has responded to the judgment
in the judicial review between the OfS and the
University of Sussex.
Josh Fleming, interim chief executive of the OfS,
said:
‘We are disappointed, of course, by this ruling. We will
carefully consider the consequences of the judgement before
deciding on next steps. We will reflect on the Judge's findings
and use them to help inform our future approach.
‘Our focus remains on students and the sector, and we
are pleased that following our investigation a dozen
institutions, including the University of Sussex, have amended
policies which restricted freedom of speech. As a result,
students and academics should feel greater confidence in their
ability to engage in the free and frank exploration of thought
that characterises English higher education.
‘It's important to stress that this case – and
the OfS's investigation – is not about the substance of
ongoing debates around sex and gender. Freedom of speech extends
to all sides of this and other subjects; we work to protect
lawful speech irrespective of its content.
‘Ensuring free and robust debate is fundamental to the continuing
success of higher education in England, and
the OfS's new complaints scheme will help make sure we
can take swift action where free speech rights are
restricted.'
