The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) was a

non-departmental public body In the United Kingdom, non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to public sector organisations that have a role in the process of n ...

in the United Kingdom, which was responsible for the distribution of funding for higher education to universities and

further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is education in addition to that received at secondary school, that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. I ...

colleges in England since 1992. It ceased to exist as of 1 April 2018, when its duties were divided between the newly created

Office for Students The Office for Students (OfS) is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Education, acting as the regulator and competition authority for the higher education sector in England. In February 2021, James Wharton, Baron Wharton of Yarm ...

and

Research England Research England is a part of United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) that oversees the functions of UKRI in relation to university research and knowledge transfer in England. This includes: * providing funding to English universities for res ...

(operating within

United Kingdom Research and Innovation UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is a non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom that directs research and innovation funding, funded through the science budget of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Str ...

). Most universities are charities and HEFCE (rather than the

Charity Commission for England and Wales , type = Non-ministerial government department , seal = , seal_caption = , logo = Charity Commission for England and Wales logo.svg , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , d ...

) was their principal regulator. HEFCE therefore had the duty to promote compliance with charity law by the universities for which it was responsible.

History

HEFCE was created by the

Further and Higher Education Act 1992 The Further and Higher Education Act 1992 made changes in the funding and administration of further education and higher education within England and Wales, with consequential effects on associated matters in Scotland which had previously been ...

(which also created the

Further Education Funding Council for England The Further Education Funding Council for England (FEFC) was a non-departmental public body of the Department for Education and Skills which distributed funding to Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges in England between 1992 and 2001. It wa ...

(FEFC), replaced in 2001 by the

Learning and Skills Council The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) was a non-departmental public body jointly sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in England. It closed on 31 Marc ...

). On 1 June 2010 HEFCE became the principal regulator of those higher education institutions in England that are 'exempt charities'. This followed the

Charities Act 2006 The Charities Act 2006 (c 50) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to alter the regulatory framework in which charities operate, partly by amending the Charities Act 1993. The Act was mostly superseded by the Charities Act ...

, according to which all charities should be subject to regulation. The

Higher Education and Research Act 2017 The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 (c. 29) was enacted into law in the United Kingdom by the Houses of Parliament on 27 April 2017. It is intended to create a new regulatory framework for higher education, increase competition and student ...

directed that HEFCE should be replaced by a new body, the

, also incorporating the

Office for Fair Access The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) was an independent public body in England that supported the Director of Fair Access to Higher Education in his or her work that was intended to safeguard and promote fair access to higher education. It approve ...

(OFFA), but with HEFCE's research funding functions reassigned to UK Research and Innovation.

Chief Executives

* Prof

Madeleine Atkins Dame Madeleine Julia Atkins, (born 2 July 1952) is a British academic administrator, scholar of education, and former teacher. Since 2018, she has served as the 9th President of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. She was formerly vice-chancello ...

(2014–2018) * Sir

Alan Langlands Sir Robert Alan Langlands FRSE FRCP (Hon.) FRCGP (Hon.) FRCS (Edin.) (Hon.) FRCPSG (Hon.) FFPH FCGI FIA is a former vice-chancellor of the University of Leeds. He is notable for past service as the fourth chief executive of the National ...

(2009–2013) * Prof

David Eastwood Sir David Stephen Eastwood, (born 5 January 1959), is a British academic and long serving university leader who was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham between 13 April 2009 and December 2021. Early life Eastwood was born on 5 Jan ...

(2006–2009) * Sir

Howard Newby Sir Howard Joseph Newby (born 10 December 1947) is a British sociologist. He was appointed vice-chancellor of the University of Liverpool in 2008 and retired in December 2014. He was vice-chancellor of the University of Southampton from 1994 to ...

(2001–2006) * Sir

Brian Fender Sir Brian Edward Frederick Fender, (born 15 September 1934) is an English academic executive. Career Fender was Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England from 1995 to 2001. Prior to that he was Vice-Chancellor of Keele ...

(1995–2001) * Sir

Graeme Davies Sir Graeme John Davies (7 April 1937 – 30 August 2022) was a New Zealand engineer, academic and administrator. During his career, he was Vice-Chancellor of three universities: the University of Liverpool, the University of Glasgow and the ...

(1992–1995)

Structure

HEFCE staff worked within six directorates. Leadership for these key strategic areas was shared between the Chief Executive and directors.

Management

The chief executive of HEFCE was Professor Madeleine Atkins (since 1 January 2014), previously Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Coventry , mottoeng = By Art and Industry , established = , type = Public , endowment = £28 million (2015) , budget = £787.5 million , chancellor = Margaret Casely-Hayford , vice_chancellor = John Latham , students = () , undergr ...

. Her predecessor, Sir

is now the

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

of the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

Function

In 2017-18 HEFCE allocated £3.5 billion in public funds from the UK Government to universities and colleges in England to 'invest on behalf of students and the public to promote excellence and innovation in research, teaching and knowledge exchange'. It only funds the institutions and does not give grants or loans to individual students. It also helps develop and implement higher education policy, based on research and consultation.

Charity regulation

HEFCE was the legal 'principal regulator' for the many UK universities and colleges who are classed as

exempt charities An exempt charity is an institution established in England and Wales for charitable purposes which is exempt from registration with, and oversight by, the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Exempt charities are largely institutions of furt ...

. HEFCE described its role as 'to promote compliance by charity trustees with their legal obligations in exercising control and management of the administration of the charity' and has a memorandum of understanding with the Charity Commission that details how the two will work together.

Industry-academia links

In addition to distributing both teaching and research funding to higher education institutions HEFCE was also involved with:

widening participation Widening participation (WP) in higher education is a major component of government education policy in the United Kingdom and Europe. It consists of an attempt to increase not only the numbers of young people entering higher education, but also th ...

; developing links between higher education institutions and business and the community; and enhancing leadership, governance and management within the sector. It provided both a contribution to core funding, and ring-fenced funding for special initiatives, projects and strategic aims.

The Prevent duty

The Government delegated to HEFCE the responsibility for overseeing the Prevent duty, which obliged relevant higher education bodies to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. HEFCE monitored whether these bodies were carrying out the duty effectively, and reports findings back to providers and the Government on a regular basis.

Register of Higher Education Providers

HEFCE administered the Register of Higher Education Providers, a searchable tool that shows how the Government regulates higher education providers in England. This is primarily a regulatory tool, which lists each provider's names and addresses, its powers and the standards it is required to meet, among other information useful to other regulators and Government agencies.

Unistats

HEFCE also owned the Unistats website which includes the student satisfaction ratings for different universities and subjects. These satisfaction ratings are compiled from the National Student Survey, and the feedback from students is held within the Unistats website and allows students to compare subjects, universities and UCAS points, see satisfaction ratings from other students and see what the employment prospects are for graduate jobs by subject chosen.

Teaching initiatives

Higher Education Academy

The

Higher Education Academy Advance HE (formerly the Higher Education Academy) is a British charity and professional membership scheme promoting excellence in higher education. It advocates evidence-based teaching methods and awards fellowships as professional recogniti ...

(HEA), founded in May 2004, is funded by the UK HE Funding Councils (including HEFCE) and institutional subscriptions. It was established as the result of a merger of the

Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education The Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (ILT) was a UK organisation set up as "the professional body for higher education staff involved in teaching and the support of learning". It was founded in 2000 as a result of the report ...

(ILTHE), the

Learning and Teaching Support Network The Learning and Teaching Support Network (LTSN) was an initiative of the United Kingdom higher education bodies to promote high quality learning and teaching in all subject disciplines in higher education. It was intended to support the sharing o ...

(LTSN), and the TQEF National Co-ordination Team (NCT).

National Teaching Fellowship Scheme

HEFCE also funded a

National Teaching Fellowship The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) is an award for excellence in teaching in higher education for teaching fellows in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. The scheme was first administered by the Higher Education Academy, wh ...

(NTF) scheme for those working in England and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. The initiative is administered by the HEA and has two separate strands providing individual awards – recognising individual excellence in teaching within the Higher Education sector – and awards for large-scale projects typically undertaken by Higher Education institutions over periods of up to three years.

Discontinued initiatives

* The Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning initiative aimed to reward and invest in excellent teaching practice. It was HEFCE's largest ever single funding initiative in teaching and learning, providing £350 million to 74 centres over a five-year period. * The Higher Education Innovation Fund. * The Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning was established to stimulate good teaching and learning practice in Higher Education. Over 164 projects were given awards. * The Teaching and Learning Research Programme aimed to promote excellent educational research designed to enhance learning. * The Online Learning Task Force aimed to maintain and develop the position of UK higher education as a world leader in online learning.

Criticism

The journal ''Nanotechnology Perceptions'' expressed doubt about the ability of HEFCE to effectively regulate the universities for which it was responsible, suggesting that while it would have the power to impose financial penalties on universities engaging in dishonest practice, there was no indication that it was prepared to do so.Editorial, The corporate responsibility of universities. ''Nanotechnology Perceptions'' 8 (2012) 167–170.

Location

HEFCE was based in Stoke Gifford to the north of

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 ...

. OFFA was based on the same site.

References

External links

HEFCE website

HEFCE Careers

National Student Survey website

Video clips

HEFCE YouTube channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Higher Education Funding Council For England Higher education in England Non-departmental public bodies of the United Kingdom government Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Higher education organisations based in the United Kingdom Organisations based in Gloucestershire Organisations based in Bristol South Gloucestershire District Government agencies established in 1992 1992 establishments in England Funding bodies of England