The Office for Students (OfS) has commissioned Savanta, an independent research agency specialising in public sector research, to run a new stakeholder survey open to senior leaders at all registered institutions.
The survey will provide the OfS with further insights into how it is perceived by universities and colleges and will help the OfS to improve how it engages and communicates with the sector.
The new survey will be open to accountable officers at every institution on the OfS Register, building on previous OfS research gathered through selected interviews.
The OfS will publish the findings and is planning to run the survey over multiple years to measure how perceptions are changing over time.
OfS chief executive Susan Lapworth said:
‘In our new strategy, we said we want to work more collaboratively with the universities and colleges we regulate. Developing relationships based on mutual respect, confidence and trust will help us to regulate in the interests of students more effectively.
‘Our previous research found that perceptions of the OfS’s communications and engagement had improved, and it gave us suggestions about how we can continue to strengthen these relationships.
‘We’ve been working hard to act on this feedback – and we’d like to know how universities and colleges think we’re doing. For the first time, we’re asking each registered institution about its experience of being regulated by the OfS. We plan to track how perceptions change over time and will report on these findings.
‘We encourage the head of every institution to take part in the survey. Your feedback will help us to continually improve and will have a direct impact on the way we engage with institutions for years to come.’
Notes
- The Office for Students is the independent regulator for higher education in England. We are striving to deliver exemplary regulation in the interests of students. Find out more about our new strategy.
- Read our 2024 report on sector perceptions of OfS engagement and communications.
- Accountable officers are the people responsible for reporting to the OfS on behalf on an institution, and would normally be the head, vice-chancellor, principal, chief executive or equivalent.