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BPP University is a
private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grant (money ...
in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.


History


Name

The university takes its name from the founders Alan Brierley, Richard Price and Charles Prior, who in 1975 set up Brierley Price Prior to train accountancy students.


University status

BPP was first granted degree-awarding powers in 2007, and degree-awarding powers for an indefinite time period in 2020. On 8 August 2013, BPP University College of Professional Studies was granted the title of university and rebranded as BPP University. That November, BPP was awarded the EducationInvestor magazine's "Higher/Professional Education Provider of the Year 2013" title. The August 2013 granting of university status to BPP was criticised by the University and College Union in an open letter. During the previous March, the union had written to then UK Business Secretary Vince Cable, urging him to suspend BPP's application for university title, pending an investigation into its relationship with its parent companies, saying, "At risk are both the interests of BPP students and the international credibility of the UK university title."


Development

In September 2017, ''
Times Higher Education ''Times Higher Education'' (''THE''), formerly ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'' (''The Thes''), is a British magazine reporting specifically on news and issues related to higher education. Ownership TPG Capital acquired TSL Education ...
'' reported that BPP had shut down its degree programme in dental and oral sciences with immediate effect after it failed to meet
General Dental Council The General Dental Council (GDC) is an organisation which regulates dental professionals in the United Kingdom. It keeps an up-to-date register of all qualified dentists and other dental care professionals such as: dental hygienists, dental ther ...
standards just a year after launching the course in 2016, leaving new students unable to start and existing
undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...
students facing an uncertain future. In June 2017, BPP was ranked "Bronze" in the
Teaching Excellence Framework The Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) is a controversial government assessment of the quality of undergraduate teaching in universities and other higher education providers in England, which may be used from 2020 to determine ...
, a government-backed initiative to make teaching standards more transparent for students, with the categories for education institutions being "Gold", "Silver" and "Bronze". BPP's undergraduate Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) programme, which was first set up in 2009, was suspended in May 2018 pending a review of the law school's entire programme portfolio. Enrollment in the LL.B. had fallen from 665 undergraduates in 2014 to 105 students by 2017. In July 2018, as a result of the LL.B. suspension, Legal Cheek revealed that BPP had made several staff redundant at its Waterloo campus. In November 2018, BPP's apprenticeship provision was given an 'Insufficient' rating by
Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...
. In February 2019,
Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for child protection, child services, education (compulsory, further and higher education), apprenticeships and wider skills in England. A Department ...
banned BPP from recruiting new apprentices citing ‘insufficient progress’. In April 2019, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) launched an investigation after a seating plan error resulted in a number of Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) students at BPP University sitting an exam in what some students likened to a “canteen”. In May 2019, The Lawyer revealed that BPP University in London was the most expensive BPTC course provider in the country for students in 2019–20, with fees nearly £3,000 higher than the national average. In July 2019, the university's law school had to issue an apology after several students on its Legal Practice Course (LPC) received their advocacy assessment materials 48 hours later than promised, with their face-to-face assessments due the following weekend. BPP University Law School was partnered and appointed as the provider of training for Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) to the City Consortium in December 2019. In 2020, BPP and Grant Thornton LLP launched a coaching professional apprenticeship and in March 2021, launched two data apprenticeship programmes (Digital Accountant/ Internal Training) for Grant Thornton and Mazars. In May 2020, BPP was accused of "threatening to withhold" January exam results from students whose fees were overdue. Over 700 BPP students were said to have been affected. In August 2020, citing ‘unreasonable bias’, a formal complaint was submitted by BPP students alleging the law school prioritised students with training contracts at the City Consortium law firms, while acting as the provider of training for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), to which BPP had been appointed in December 2019. during the COVID-19 pandemic and sent them hard copies of study materials before the summer examination, an offer that was not extended to candidates without a training contract lined up. BPP denied the claims and allegations of favouritism. On 15 December 2020, the student presidents of the four Inns of Court
Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...
,
Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...
,
Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...
and
Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...
– wrote a joint letter to BPP University Law School about what they described as “systemic deficiencies” with the university's teaching. The student presidents expressed their “unwavering solidarity” with students “negatively impacted” by the quality of teaching on BPP's Bar Professional Training Course and
Graduate Diploma in Law The Graduate Diploma in Law/Postgraduate Diploma in Law/Common Professional Examination (GDL/PGDL/CPE) is a postgraduate law course in England and Wales that is taken by non-law graduates (graduates who have a degree in a discipline that is not la ...
programmes. BPP launched a small talk initiative to its law students in chitchat and networking in 2021. Previously BPP started wellbeing initiative to teach students how to meditate and provided "specially commissioned audio meditations" to them. In 2021, BPP launched pro bono clinic to help provide welfare rights advice. In January 2022 a reverse mentoring scheme was launched by BPP where law students review law firms on diversity and inclusion. BPP Professional Education Ltd awarded
Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...
‘Good’ grade in 2022. BPP University won Best Contribution by a Law School Award in 2022. BPP was partnered with the O Shaped Lawyer for the SQE preparation courses. In May 2021, official data from education watchdog Office for Students found the university to be the lowest ranked institution in the country for student employability. Reporting on the findings, ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' stated, "Over a year after graduating, 69.2% of students from BPP University - which specialises in law and accountancy courses - have not managed to secure graduate employment or further study."


2020 unfair faculty dismissal and Wikipedia

BPP University was accused of "disruptive editing" on Wikipedia in regards to a successful case for unfair dismissal brought against the school by its former lecturer Elizabeth Aylott. From June to July 2020, it was reported that former employee Employment Law lecturer Elizabeth Aylott has successfully brought a constructive unfair dismissal claim at an employment tribunal after BPP University failed to reduce her workload despite her mental health struggles. Her concerns, later diagnosed as Autism Spectrum Disorder, were repeatedly raised issues in reference to her workload, including a period of working over 55 hours per week and having to cancel annual leave in order to meet work demands. The tribunal found that Aylott had been constructively unfairly dismissed on the basis that BPP University's conduct had undermined trust and confidence. It was also held that an occupational health referral for Aylott was not arranged in a timely manner, and there had been a rush to secure her departure from the university as a result of stigma arising from her mental health. Following the hearing at the London Central Employment Tribunal, the judgment of the Employment Tribunal was that BPP University (the Respondent) did: (a) Constructively unfairly dismiss Mrs Elizabeth Aylott (the Claimant) pursuant to sections 95 and section 98(4) Employment Rights Act 1996; and (b) Unfavourably treat the Claimant because of something arising from disability pursuant to section 15 of the Equality Act 2010 (“EqA”). However, the tribunal also dismissed claims of (a) Direct disability discrimination under section 13 of the Equality Act 2010; (c) Harassment relating to her disability under section 26 of EqA; (b) Indirect disability discrimination under section 19 of the EqA 2010; and (c) Failure to make reasonable adjustment under section 20 – 21 of EqA.


COVID-19 pandemic

On 20 March 2020, BPP University was criticised for having ‘not clearly communicated’ information to students after a student at its Waterloo campus had tested positive for
Coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the com ...
. Also during August 2020, BPP University's Leeds campus BPTC student Sophie Lamb told journalists that ‘she was forced to urinate in a bucket while sat in front of her laptop in her kitchen during the test’ while taking the online bar exams remotely, after students were told they could fail the exam ‘if they left their seats or did not maintain screen eye contact.’ On 2 October 2020, BPP Law School students expressed their frustration at exams being scheduled during the December 2020 winter vacation scheme season. Students said BPP University's timetabling decision would prevent them from participating in the winter vacation schemes run by law firms, which traditionally acts a gateway to a
training contract A training contract is a compulsory period of practical training in a law firm for law graduates before they can qualify as a solicitor in the United Kingdom (UK), the Republic of Ireland, Australia or Hong Kong, or as an advocate and solicitor ...
for students. In response to the complaints regarding students being denied 2020 winter scheme work opportunities, a BPP spokesperson said, “Whilst it is unfortunate that BPP PGDL examinations do fall across the winter scheme dates, students do have the opportunity to attend a 2021 scheme.” In July 2020, BPP was on the receiving end of criticism from its students during the
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
pandemic for not delivering physical copies of “permitted materials” and textbooks to its Legal Practice Course students. In an open letter to BPP's vice chancellor, students on the Legal Practice Course revealed that the law school's class sizes had more than quadrupled in the wake of COVID-19, with 15-person classes now containing up to 70 students. In the letter, BPP students claimed “BPP University’s response to lockdown and Coronavirus has only served to create an environment of mistrust and anxiety for students, severely degrade the quality of teaching and assessment, and push as many costs of adjusting to lockdown onto students.” On 22 July 2020, The Lawyer reported that many BPP students were locked out of exams due to IT failures and had demanded a partial refund of their fees “based on the period of time students were unable to use BPP facilities.” On 12 August 2020, the Junior Lawyers Division of the Law Society of England and Wales, which represents LPC students across England and Wales, questioned the university's decision to charge students registered at its London campuses higher fees than regional counterparts despite the switch to online education, and urged BPP to “take the time to talk with the group” and handle student concerns moving forward. On 23 November 2020, BPP students said they intend to report the university to the Competition and Markets Authority after the institution refused for a second time to refund tuition fees for alleged lockdown failures.


Locations

The head office is at BPP House, Aldine Place, 142-144 Uxbridge Road, London, W12 8AA. It has had study centres in Abingdon,
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
,
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
,
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
,
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
,
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
,
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. The business school is in the City of London and the law school in Holborn. In June 2018, BPP shut down its Liverpool campus and told all of its students in Liverpool to continue their studies at the Manchester campus instead. As of October 2022 the locations listed by
UCAS The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS ) is a UK-based organisation whose main role is to operate the application process for British universities. It operates as an independent charity, funded by fees charged to applicants an ...
are in London Shepherd's Bush, BPP House at Uxbridge Road, Holborn and Waterloo. Outside of London there are Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Cambridge, Southampton and Bristol, as well as the Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Trust.


Organisation and administration

On 30 July 2009, American private education company
Apollo Group Apollo Education Group, Inc. is an American corporation based in the South Phoenix area of Phoenix, Arizona, with an additional corporate office in Chicago, Illinois. The company owns and operates several higher-learning institutions, including ...
-run Apollo Global acquired BPP in a deal worth approximately $607 million, funded by an intercompany loan of approximately $104 million from Apollo Group to Apollo Global, $375 million in capital contributions from Apollo Group and $55 million in capital contributions from Apollo Global's minority shareholder, the Carlyle Group. In June 2019, ''Times Higher Education'' reported that BPP owners, the Apollo Education Group, were looking to sell the university just two years after ownership changed hands in 2017, but in December 2019, '' The Lawyer'' reported that "BPP Law School has been taken off the market following six months in which no potential buyer willing to pay the asking price was found." In March 2021, BPP was acquired by private equity house
TDR Capital TDR Capital is a British private equity firm headquartered in London, England. History TDR Capital was co-founded in 2002 by Manjit Dale, Stephen Robertson, and Tudor Capital.
.


Academic profile

Courses listed by
UCAS The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS ) is a UK-based organisation whose main role is to operate the application process for British universities. It operates as an independent charity, funded by fees charged to applicants an ...
in 2022 are: * BSc Accounting and Finance, at Shepherds Bush * MSc Accounting and Finance, at Birmingham, Manchester and Waterloo * Advanced Diploma Accounting and Finance, at Birmingham, Manchester and Waterloo * Barrister Training Course, at Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Holborn


See also

* Armorial of UK universities *
List of universities in the United Kingdom This is a list of universities in the United Kingdom (alphabetical by substantive name). Below that are lists of university colleges and other recognised bodies (institutions with degree awarding powers), followed by a list of defunct institution ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:BPP University Distance education institutions based in the United Kingdom For-profit universities and colleges in Europe Private universities in the United Kingdom Educational institutions established in 1992 1992 establishments in the United Kingdom Universities in Greater Manchester Apollo Education Group Universities in London