Augar Reviewed: Why post-18 education in England is still broken, and how to fix it

Table of Contents

• About the authors 2
• Acknowledgements 3
• About EDSK 5
• Contents 6
• Executive summary 7
• Funding for institutions 7
• Regulation and quality assurance 9
• Student finance and widening access 9
• Regional factors 10
• The role of employers 12
• Conclusion 12
• Recommendations 13
• A new foundation for tertiary education in England 13
• A better deal for students 14
• A fairer funding settlement for tertiary education 14
• A localised model for delivering tertiary education 15
• Rethinking the quality and regulation landscape 16
• Building a tertiary qualification system 17
• 1. Introduction 18
• 2. Funding for institutions 23
• The disjointed approach to higher-level study 23
• The complexity of lower-level provision 25
• Inconsistencies in calculating the cost of courses 26
• Distortions caused by funding incentives 28
• The lack of long-term thinking on funding 29
• 3. Regulation and quality assurance 31
• Overlapping roles and responsibilities 31
• The work of the Office for Students 32
• Significant overlap for Level 4 and 5 qualifications 34
• Confused approach to quality assurance 35
• Regulatory and data collection burdens 36
• 4. Student finance and widening access 38
• Concerns over loan repayments 38
• Insufficient levels of maintenance support 40
• Questions over improving access to higher-level study 42
• 5. Regional factors 44
• Duplication of tertiary provision 44
• Dealing with cold spots 47
• 6. The role of employers 50
• The impact of the apprenticeship levy 50
• Yet another new funding pot 52
• Absence of wider coordination with employers 53
• 7. Recommendations 56
• A new foundation for tertiary education in England 58
• RECOMMENDATION 1 58
• RECOMMENDATION 2 59
• A better deal for students 61
• RECOMMENDATION 3 61
• RECOMMENDATION 4 62
• RECOMMENDATION 5 63
• A fairer funding settlement for tertiary education 63
• RECOMMENDATION 6 63
• RECOMMENDATION 7 64
• RECOMMENDATION 8 65
• RECOMMENDATION 9 66
• A localised model for delivering tertiary education 68
• RECOMMENDATION 10 68
• RECOMMENDATION 11 70
• CLASSROOM-BASED PROVISION 70
• Teaching Support Fund 70
• 2. Student Support Fund 70
• Local Skills Fund Capital Funding 70
• WORKPLACE-BASED PROVISION 70
• National Skills Fund 70
• National Apprenticeship Fund 70
• RECOMMENDATION 12 71
• RECOMMENDATION 13 72
• Rethinking the quality and regulation landscape 73
• RECOMMENDATION 14 73
• RECOMMENDATION 15 75
• RECOMMENDATION 16 76
• Building a tertiary qualification system 78
• RECOMMENDATION 17 78
• RECOMMENDATION 18 79
• 8. Areas for further consideration 81
• Provision for 16 to 18-year-olds 81
• Private versus public sector bodies 81
• International students 82
• Research funding 82
• Franchising and subcontracting 83
• Online provision 83
• A new approach to data 84
• Conclusion 85
• References 87