The call comes as new polling suggests only 21 per cent of lecturers were ‘very confident’ they could design and deliver digital teaching during the pandemic – 59 per cent said they were fairly confident, and 18 per cent said they were not confident. By comparison, 49 per cent of students said they were ‘very confident’ that they had the skills to benefit from online learning with 42 per cent somewhat confident.

@OfficeStudents responds to @UKHESA statistics 

The guide – released as part of the @OfficeStudents wider student engagement strategy – has been designed to facilitate and encourage students and their representatives to highlight concerns which fall within the scope of the regulator’s powers and to ensure the notifications system is straightforward to understand and use.  

In a letter sent to universities and colleges in England, the OfS (@officestudents) has detailed its actions in response to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular the latest lockdown restrictions. An increasing number of universities are putting in place arrangements to support students not able to access their accommodation due to lockdown restrictions, with many considering the appropriate action to take. The OfS has also encouraged universities to consider how they might support students by engaging with private accommodation providers.

The Education Secretary @GavinWilliamson has named Lord Wharton of Yarm as his preferred candidate to be the next Chair of the @OfficeStudents, following approval by the Prime Minister.