Lawyer warns against political interference in OfS grey areas

RP Live: Expert queries enforcement on issues where there is no agreed definition

Universities are working in a climate where ministers “feel they can intervene” in the work of regulator the Office for Students, including on uncertain areas like grade inflation, an education lawyer has warned.

Smita Jamdar (pictured), partner and head of education at law firm Shakespeare Martineau, questioned whether universities were “entering an era where ministers feel they can intervene quite regularly in the work of the OfS”. She raised concerns that the OfS had been asked to use its full powers on the issue of grade inflation, even though there is “a lack of understanding about what we mean by grade inflation”.