On 19 February 2018, the Prime Minister, , announced in a speech that
there would be a “wide-ranging review into post-18 education”
led by Philip Augar. The review is to look at how future
students will contribute to the cost of their studies,
including “the level, terms and duration of their
contribution.” The Prime Minister discounted the idea of moving
back to a fully taxpayer funded system. It is expected that the
review will report in early 2019.
On 19 February 2018, the Prime Minister, , announced in a speech that
there would be a “wide-ranging review into post-18 education”
led by Philip Augar.
The Prime Minister went on to explain that universities are
better funded now “than they have been for a generation”. She
also argued that recent reforms have fairly shared the cost of
higher education between the taxpayer and students, and enabled
the Government to lift the cap on the number of places
available. However the Prime Minister expressed disappointment
at the lack of a competitive higher education market, with no
variable tuition fees according to cost, quality and length of
courses.
The review is to look at how future students will contribute to
the cost of their studies, including “the level, terms and
duration of their contribution.” The Prime Minister discounted
the idea of moving back to a fully taxpayer funded
system. It is expected that the review will report
in early 2019.
This page will be updated as the review progresses and
includes links to related briefing papers.
The terms of reference for
the review were published on 19 February 2018. These
are set out below:
The review will focus on the following issues:
Choice and competition across a joined-up post-18
education and training sector:
- How we can help young people make effective choices between
academic, technical and vocational routes after 18, including
information on earnings outcomes and the quality of the
teaching they receive.
- How we can support a more dynamic market in provision,
taking into account reforms already underway, whilst
maintaining the financial sustainability of a world-class
higher education and research sector.
- How we can encourage learning that is more flexible (for
example, part-time, distance learning and commuter study
options) and complements ongoing Government work to support
people to study at different times in their lives.
- How to ensure the market provides choice with higher-level
degree apprenticeships and shorter and more flexible courses,
in particular accelerated degree programmes, and supporting
innovative new institutions that can drive competition.
- How we can ensure that there is world-class provision of
technical education across the country including through the
new Institutes of Technology.
-
A system that is accessible to all:
- How we can ensure that people from disadvantaged
backgrounds have equal opportunities to progress to and succeed
in all forms of post-18 education and training.
- How disadvantaged students and learners receive maintenance
support, both from Government and from universities and
colleges.
-
Delivering the skills our country needs:
- How we can best support education outcomes that deliver our
Industrial Strategy ambitions, by contributing to a strong
economy and delivering the skills our country needs.
-
Value for money for graduates and taxpayers:
- How students and graduates contribute to the cost of their
studies including the level, terms and duration of their
contribution, while maintaining the link that those who benefit
from post18 education contribute to its costs.
- Ensuring that funding arrangements across post-18 education
and training are transparent and do not act as barriers to
choice or provision, considering how best to promote
institutional efficiency and value for money for students and
taxpayers.
- How the Government and institutions communicate with
students and graduates around student finance, ensuring this
communication is as clear as possible (consistent with the
relevant legal requirements) about the nature and terms of
student support.
The recommendations of the review will be guided by the
need to:
- Maintain the principle that students should contribute to
the cost of their studies while ensuring that payments are
progressive and income contingent;
- Continue with the reforms in train to build a strong
technical and further education sector that encourages the
skills that we need as a country;
- Place no cap on the number of students who can benefit from
post-18 education; and
- Support the role of universities and colleges in delivering
the Government's objectives for science, R&D and the
Industrial Strategy.
The review will not make recommendations related to the terms
of pre-2012 loans or to taxation, and its recommendations must
be consistent with the Government's fiscal policies to reduce
the deficit and have debt falling as a percentage of GDP.
