Leeds Trinity University fined £115,000 for 'inadequate oversight' of risks associated with franchised courses

The higher education regulator for England, Office for Students, imposed the hefty financial penalty after an investigation found that Leeds Trinity University (LTU) “did not have the effective arrangements in place to respond to rapid growth in its sub-contractual provision”, the regulator said in an official statement.

The investigation focused on the period from October 2022 to February 2024 and focused on the arrangements with subcontractual partners, also known as franchised providers.

This came followed a period of significant and rapid growth in the total number of students taught in this way – from 3,600 students in 2020-21 to 9,400 students in 2022-23 - which “further increased risks”.

The university accepted the breach and paid a reduced penalty while also agreeing to a range of measures which include restrictions on its future partnership activity.

The investigation found that the university’s ability to respond to and monitor academic assessment from the delivery partners were “insufficient”, which meant that key risks such as misconduct “were not escalated appropriately to the university’s governing body”.

One of the findings of the report was that the university did not properly consider the impact of lowering the English language requirement for students applying to study at some of its subcontractual partners.

The investigation did not extend to assessing the partners, the regulator said.

Philippa Pickford, director of regulation at the OfS, said: “Subcontractual arrangements need to be carefully managed to ensure students receive a high quality education and can finish their studies with a credible qualification.

“In this case, inadequate oversight of Leeds Trinity University’s partnership arrangements increased the likelihood that the university would not be able to effectively manage any risks relating to quality, academic misconduct and student support.”

She said that the settlement “reflects the seriousness of these issues” and urged all universities offering courses through delivery partners to “look carefully at our actions in this case”.

Responding to the outcome, the university’s vice chancellor Professor Charles Egbu said that LTU was “unwavering in our long-held commitment to widening participation and increasing access to higher education”.

He said: “This has been a key driver in the establishment of subcontractual partnerships, and we believe they continue to be an integral element to ensuring that personal circumstances are never a barrier to potential.”

Prof Egbu said that the university “fully accept” the conclusions and said that the rapid growth of subcontractual partnerships “created pressures that our systems and oversight processes were not fully equipped to manage”

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He said: “We fell short of the high standards our students and staff expect and deserve.”

Proactive steps have been taken to “strengthen our oversight, quality assurance, and risk management frameworks around our subcontractual partnerships”, he said.

Prof Egbu said: “We welcome the OfS’s acknowledgment of the significant progress that Leeds Trinity has made. This was a key factor in their decision to lower the financial penalty, and the improvements we have made should give partners and students confidence about the high quality of all our courses.

“Our focus now is on the future: ensuring our improvement plans are rigorously and fully implemented and monitored, embedding the lessons learned, and ensuring we meet the highest standards in all aspects of our provision.”