Consultation Hub

This site hosts consultations run by the Department for Education. Public participation is important to the development of our policies and guidance so please have your say.

 

Open Consultations

Closed Consultations

We Asked, You Said, We Did

Here are some of the issues we have consulted on and their outcomes. See all outcomes

We asked

If you agreed that the designation of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) as the designated quality body for higher education in England should be removed.

You said

The majority of responses (31) disagreed with the de-designation of QAA, while 15 agreed and one did not answer the question.

We did

Whilst we recognise that many respondents reflected positively on QAA’s work as the DQB, QAA itself has asked to step down. In light of this, and whilst we acknowledge the views expressed, it was not appropriate for QAA to remain designated.

We asked

We asked for views on our proposals to make changes to fees for children’s social care providers and to set a minimum inspection frequency for the secure children’s homes element of secure 16-19 academies.

You said

Close to half of respondents (44%) told us that the proposed fee increase would have no or a minor impact. Whereas 39% told us that it would have a moderate impact and 18% told us it would have a major impact.

The majority of respondents (63%) agreed with our proposal that secure 16-19 academies should be subject to the same number of minimum inspections as secure children’s homes.

We did

The results of the consultation have been set out in a report on the gov.uk website. Based on these results, the department has decided to implement a 10% increase in fees for children’s social care providers not paying the full cost rate and set a requirement that the secure children’s home element of all secure 16-19 academies is subject to a minimum of two Ofsted inspections a year.

We asked

We asked for views on proposed quality standards, administrative requirements and accompanying guidance ahead of regulations being laid to introduce quality standards and registration and inspection requirements for providers of supported accommodation that accommodate looked after children and care leavers aged 16 and 17.

You said

Many respondents agreed that the proposed standards, requirements and guidance covered the right areas. The main themes identified for further consideration covered: qualifications and experience requirements of managers and staff, restraint, the security of young people’s personal space and the use of non-permanent settings. Respondents also suggested some small changes and additions to the guidance to help provide additional clarity.     

We did

We will proceed with laying the regulations before parliament in early April 2023, which will implement the new national standards and Ofsted regime. Ofsted will begin registering providers of supported accommodation from 28 April 2023. Registration will become mandatory from 28 October 2023.