The Department for Education (DfE) opened a short consultation in February 2023 seeking views on the de-designation of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) as the designated quality body (DQB) in England.
QAA announced in July 2022 that it would no longer consent to act as DQB from 1 April 2023. The Secretary of State for Education is required by law to consult before removing the designation of a body as DQB, even in the case of a voluntary demission of this status. This consultation therefore fulfilled DfE's statutory duty by asking just one question: whether or not the respondent agrees with the removal of designation.
Our response
Although the consultation document requested a simple yes or no answer, and made clear that it was not seeking views on future arrangements for the assessment of quality and standards in English higher education, we took the opportunity to put on record the concerns of our members in relation to this development.
Read our full response using the download link below.