Who we are

The Office for Students (OfS) is an independent public body. We are not part of central Government, but we report to Parliament through the Department for Education (DfE).

We were established by the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, which also sets out our powers and general duties.

Our people

Our chair is James Wharton and our chief executive is Susan Lapworth. Meet the senior team.

We are governed by a board which sets our strategy and is advised by a student panel.

Our values

Our values drive our behaviours and decision-making - how we operate and engage with students and the higher education sector, as well as within our organisation. In summary, our values should guide everything we do.

    Ambition
We are purposeful, clear and decisive
We challenge ourselves and are open to challenge
We conduct our activities rigorously, building on success and learning from failure
We are confident about making difficult decisions in the student interest
We are forward-thinking and aim to be at the cutting edge.

Openness

We are transparent about what we do and why we do it
We share wherever and whenever we can
We are clear, plain-speaking and consistent in all communication
We welcome scrutiny and being held to account
We listen and engage.

Last updated 02 September 2022 + show all updates

02 September 2022: Page updated to reflect the appointment of Susan Lapworth as chief executive.
01 May 2022: Updated chief executive.
01 April 2021: Updated to reflect change of chair

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