Jo Johnson speech

21 July 2017

Commenting on reports that the Office for Students is set to consult on the introduction of contracts between universities and students, Russell Group head of policy Sarah Stevens said:

"Students are right to expect their university to provide a high quality learning experience and our members take their responsibilities in this area very seriously indeed. Many Russell Group universities have developed charters in partnership with student unions which outline the roles, responsibilities and expectations for student of their university and vice versa.

"We need a system that protects students but also is fair to universities. Higher education courses are challenging by design. They are intended to stretch students and take them out of their comfort zones. No one would want to see standards undermined by the risk of legal action. This is only a consultation at this stage but care would have to be taken to ensure any new requirements on universities do not have unintended consequences."