Mike Ratcliffe
@mike_rat
Followers
2K
Following
18K
Media
9K
Statuses
24K
Student and University Administrator. Mostly HE stuff, no weather reports or sports commentary.
Headington/Oxford & Bristol
Joined May 2011
The Universities of Greenwich and Kent are planning to merge; the group will be called London and South East University Group. The regulator is consulting on this - I have issues. This includes analogies with railway companies. https://t.co/oh291WC8vh
moremeansbetter.wordpress.com
The OfS is consulting on the change of name for the University of Greenwich which will become the name of the ‘group’ under which Greenwich and Kent will operate. I have some thoughts w…
1
0
0
Once, the degree awarding powers criteria included student numbers: a proxy for resilience. This summer a college with DAPs but only 500 students went bust. Multiple enquires were received as to whether those DAPs were for sale. https://t.co/SBY9kQlN4D
moremeansbetter.wordpress.com
There’s a market for UK degree awarding powers. Someone made Buckingham an offer they could refuse and when Spurgeon’s College went bust people made them offers. What’s going on?
0
0
0
OfS Register News: one less provider. Spurgeon’s College was the first HEI with degree awarding powers to close outright. It went into administration on 1 August and yesterday it voluntarily deregistered.
0
0
0
How ‘successful’ can UK #forprofit #HigherEd be? In the last 6 financial years lead providers have paid LSC a total of £331m to teach their students. The combined profit after tax has been £118m. The dividends paid to the shareholders is £101m. https://t.co/BF2nSalV5l
moremeansbetter.wordpress.com
A summary of six years of financial accounts of one of England’s more successful delivery partners (as judged by the profits made and dividends paid).
0
0
1
OfS Register News: one less provider. SMB Group merged with Loughborough College on 1 August. SMB had Stephenson (in Coalville) and Brooksby and Melton campuses (in Melton Mowbray).
1
0
1
You have until 23.59 to complete the OfS consultation on subcontractual partnerships - by which it is mostly concerned with franchising. Here’s what I think. https://t.co/JU7ht1khti
moremeansbetter.wordpress.com
My personal response to the OfS consultation on sub contractual partnerships – ie franchises. I’m in favour.
0
0
0
Also against the planning permission for Beech House: overflowing bins stored on the disabled car parking space. In March @Unite_Student emailed to say this was temporary (no replies now)
1
0
3
Serendipity brought us to @eva_Limerick, especially to Eoghan Ryan’s Carceral Jigs - an extraordinary piece about Irish nationalism. You think you’ll just dip in, but remain transfixed for the whole thing.
0
1
2
Your reminder, apropos of nothing, that in the UK HE system it’s easier to count the providers that haven’t had some form of merger than those that have… https://t.co/Orq9tgtxsg
moremeansbetter.wordpress.com
Most English universities have had some form of merger at some point. I’d done a piece of work for a session on the Higher Education world since 1992 looking at the changes in institutions. …
0
0
1
One complaint about the OfS is it’s hard to tell what it’s doing. That’s particularly the case with the register - which is clunky and they invite you to browse it to see what’s changed. Here I mourn the end of the monthly bulletin of regulatory activity. https://t.co/yxoU94IYhC
moremeansbetter.wordpress.com
The heart o the OfS regulatory framework is the register, but it’s glitchy and we don’t get told when things change.
1
0
0
Here’s a breach of planning permission in plain sight. Beech House was given permission with a condition about landscaping. This was to ensure a high quality landscape. @Unite_Student had never fully followed through, but has just dug it all up and laid gravel.
1
2
4
OfS Register News: one new provider. Education for Industry Group, which trades as Fashion Retail Academy, is ‘Approved’ with a basic fee level. It runs accelerated degrees under franchise from Falmouth.
1
0
0
OfS Register News: there are new conditions that new HE providers must meet if they want to join the register when applications reopen on 28 August. https://t.co/xhNF6hF0is
wonkhe.com
Registration rules are changing - but what does registration actually mean for providers, students, and government. Mike Ratcliffe asks the difficult questions
0
0
0
OfS register news: one fewer provider. Strode College has merged, joining UCS Group (University Centre Somerset). The spreadsheet says it was removed from the register on 15 August, but the counter hasn’t shifted down to 428 yet.
1
0
0
Again the X32 - another former park and ride bus - fails. This time the 06.45 - ten minutes late leaving the JR and can’t make it further than Milton Park.
0
0
0
Whether higher education is affordable is actually raised on @BBCNews - the post 16 review will look at this, but looks there’s no prospect of shifting from income contingent loans. #UCAS
A brief mention of today’s announcement on skills, but the rest of the interview is on small boats. Nothing on the big issues of higher education, including student support, which is in the minister’s actual portfolio.
0
0
1
A brief mention of today’s announcement on skills, but the rest of the interview is on small boats. Nothing on the big issues of higher education, including student support, which is in the minister’s actual portfolio.
New Post: What today’s report on living costs means for students, universities and parents – and policymakers https://t.co/pjXBXKlwKV
0
1
3
Here the OfS explain they’ll correct the drafting error that Dr Neil Dickson spotted which meant they gave DAPs to LTE Group Ltd - a small company unrelated to LTE Group which includes UCEN Manchester.
.@officestudents erroneously granted degree awarding powers to a retail company owned by a former rugby league player instead of an education provider, reports @Helen_Packer
https://t.co/goQtT41lSt
0
0
0
This week the OfS announced it had granted degree awarding powers to LTE Group, but two weeks ago it had been emailed to point out that the DAPs order was for LTE Group Ltd - an unconnected company. https://t.co/88KmFFJNYR
moremeansbetter.wordpress.com
It appears that OfS has made an order conferring degree awarding powers on the wrong corporate entity. A minor administrative error, but a worry.
1
0
2
Initially refused OfS registration because of concerns about its financial viability, Spurgeon’s College is closing its courses and going into liquidation. https://t.co/kkH6lAGZEq
0
0
1