OfS to review teacher training diploma funded by student loans

The Office for Students (OfS) has launched a review into a now-defunct teacher training diploma after large numbers of students failed to complete the course despite taking out student loans. 

The English higher education regulator will examine the Diploma in Education and Training (DET) course, a qualification equivalent to the second year of a degree aimed at those teaching in the further education and the skills sector.

Although the government replaced the course in 2024 with an updated diploma, concerns have come to light over the past year about its delivery. 

The regulator identified that large cohorts of students who studied the course at two institutions it investigated had not obtained their certificate, despite taking out student loans. 

There were also concerns about the 100 hours of teaching activity students were required to undertake as part of the course.

In April 2025, the OfS found one provider, Applied Business Academy (ABA), had logged student placements as taking place in organisations that had ceased to operate, as well as ones with no clear link to education, such as small cafes, childcare providers, clothing shops and building firms.

The institution, which was a franchise partner of several universities, closed down before the regulator’s investigation was complete, following the government’s decision to suspend student loan payments to the college. 

The regulator then published a report into Brit College in November 2025, which also offered the diploma. The investigation highlighted similar issues around “the suitability of student placements and their assessments, concerns around staff qualifications and limited oversight by Brit College of DET course delivery”.

The OfS will now review outcomes for students who enrolled in the course between 2021 and 2024 and the associated amount of student loan tuition fee monies paid to institutions delivering the diploma. 

The news follows longstanding concerns about abuse of the student loan system after it emerged that students at some franchise providers were taking out government-backed loans without attending or completing their courses. 

The regulator will publish a report setting out its findings, including the amount of student loan funding institutions received for the delivery of the course and student completion rates. 

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com