Medr opened a consultation in May 2025 seeking views on elements of the new regulatory system for tertiary education and training providers in Wales, which will be implemented in 2026.
The consultation sought views on Medr's proposed:
- Regulatory Approach
- Regulatory Framework
- Quality Framework
Further consultation will take place later in 2025 ahead of applications for registration opening in spring 2026, followed by the launch of the register in August 2026.
The consultation ran from 15 May 2025 to 18 July 2025.
Our response
In our response we welcome Medr's regulatory intentions and support their proposal to retain a clear role in overseeing the quality of tertiary education provision delivered in Wales. Ensuring proportionate implementation that recognises sector diversity and supports student choice will require a concerted and ongoing effort. We urge Medr to consider the regulatory value of each aspect of the framework for different types of delivery.
We welcome Medr’s commitment to a quality assurance system that supports both high standards and continuous improvement. We propose an approach that builds on the robust and effective external quality assessment mechanisms that already exist in Wales to avoid unnecessary duplication and ensure providers are not subject to overlapping or conflicting requirements.
Our response highlights how the creation of two distinct registration categories is an essential part of capturing the sector's diversity. We call on Medr to ensure that monitoring approaches are appropriately tailored to each category, with lighter-touch approaches for providers with different funding arrangements and operational models.
We encourage Medr to explore how to strengthen risk mitigation for ineffective governance systems and to introduce more robust approaches to ensuring fit and proper person assessments for all governance and senior management roles.
We strongly support the comprehensive and multi-pillar design of Medr's Quality Framework, citing its flexibility and recognition of sector diversity as key strengths. We commend Medr for their efforts in enabling a culture of continuous improvement without imposing unnecessary burden.
We look forward to working with Medr to further develop the framework in future consultations, supporting collaboration and shared responsibility especially in partnership contexts. The framework forms the foundation to promote excellence, equity, and innovation across the Welsh tertiary education system and for those working collaboratively in the other UK nations with Welsh providers.
Other points we raised in our response include:
- Recommending the creation of supplementary guidance in the form of case studies to aid provider interpretation of how the framework has been applied and to support consistent application of regulatory principles. The insights and provider examples offered through case studies will help foster a culture of continuous improvement and mutual learning regardless of a providers' level of development and maturity.
- The need to consider differences in data availability across providers when regulatory intervention is necessary, and where it is possible to request data from other sources.
- Implementing additional monitoring options to encourage growth and innovation, especially in cases where smaller providers anticipate growth through non-traditional growth models.
Read our full response using the download link below.