Fao Buenichico And Jimf

[piggynose]

Should all colleges be Ofsted assessed/ approved?
I ask because i just asked an online college is they'd been approved by ofsted and they said they dont need to be because theyre online. Is this true or rubbish?

[woofgang]

Anybody can call themselves a school or a college, its not a protected title. In the Uk they do have to be an officially recognised establishment to award degrees.
https://www.gov.uk/check-a-university-is-officially-recognised

For non degree qualifications, the school or college should be linked to an appropriate professional body who will validate the qualifications offered.

[Buenchico]

As Woofgang says, anyone can set up a school or college. It's only those providing education, for more than 18 hours per week, to pupils of compulsory school age that have to be registered with Ofsted.

So, for example, those schools of drama or music which provide after-school education for children aren't required to register. (The only exception would be if children under 8 years of age were to be included; that might trigger a registration requirement under the 'childcare' rules).

Similarly, many single-faith schools deliberately choose to provide education for just under 18 hour per week, in order to avoid the need for registration. (Their pupils are officially seen as being home-schooled, with parents choosing to use the services of such schools in order to assist with their education).

Colleges within the (formal) Further Education sector do fall within the remit of Ofsted but others don't.

[piggynose]

Interesting chris, cuz the college i was talking about were asked about access courses. This is when they said being solely an online college who specialise in higher education they dont need ofsted approval.

[Mamyalynne]

Distance Learning Centre?

[Buenchico]

Higher education institutions that provide apprenticeship courses (which are really part of 'further education', rather than 'higher education'), such as the University of Wolverhampton, do fall within the remit of Ofsted (but only in respect of such apprenticeship courses, not for their degree courses).

Higher education institutions providing degree level courses (and access courses leading to their own degree courses) come under OfS:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-universities-regulator-comes-into-force

However other course providers within the adult education sector aren't covered by either Ofsted or OfS.

[piggynose]

Yes Lynne.