Representatives from five English universities, as well as several further education colleges and business schools, will sit on a new provider panel set up by the Office for Students (OfS), it has been announced.
The English higher education regulator said the new panel will act as a “critical friend”, offering advice and “constructive challenge” on current and future regulation, as the OfS attempts to work more closely with the institutions that fall under its remit.
The 11 board members include the vice-chancellors of Durham, Liverpool John Moores, Loughborough and Birmingham City universities, as well as the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Other higher education providers represented include Corndel College London and Hult International Business School, while further education providers on the board include Hull and Brighton colleges.
Verity Hancock, former principal of Leicester College, will chair the panel.
The government has signalled that it wants the OfS to take more responsibility for further education providers, as well as the higher education institutions it already oversees.
The regulator’s latest strategy, launched in November 2025, emphasises collaboration, pledging to “cultivate relationships based on mutual respect, confidence and trust”.
It follows a review of the OfS that accused it of having “adversarial” relationships with institutions and included criticisms of its lack of communication.
The report, written by senior civil servant David Behan and published in 2024, recommended that the OfS develop a comprehensive stakeholder strategy.
“With representatives from large universities, specialist institutions, and further education colleges, the panel’s expert members will help the OfS to understand the views of the diverse institutions it regulates, as well as alerting it to emerging risks across the higher education sector,” the OfS said in a statement.
Edward Peck, chair of the OfS, said the chosen members are a “true reflection of the rich diversity of the English higher education sector”.
“Their views will help us to develop future policies and understand how our regulation impacts institutions of all types and sizes,” he said.
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