Agenda item

Report of the Remembrancer.

The Board received a report of the Remembrancer advising Governors of the provisions of the Government’s Higher Education and Research Bill, recently introduced to Parliament.

The Remembrancer reported that clarification had been obtained from officials about the future of the current requirement to obtain Privy Council consent for amendments to governing documents. While the requirement would not be repealed by the Bill, it would in practice fall away once the designations of eligibility for HEFCE funding were revoked as a consequence of the new funding system. Therefore, the Court of Common Council would be able to amend the School’s governing documents without any formal need for external consent, subject to complying with the list of governance principles to be drawn up by the new Office for Students. The Remembrancer noted that the development of these principles would be closely followed. A Co-opted Governor observed that opposition was expected in the House of Lords concerning the governance of chartered universities, which could lead to a continued role for the Privy Council.

In response to a question from the Chairman, the Remembrancer stated that it was not yet clear when the new regime would be in place, although it was expected to be by 2018.

The Vice Principal and Director of Academic Affairs observed that, while the legislation was new, its practical requirements would to a large extent be met by activity already carried on in order to comply with the current system.

With regard to the introduction of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF2) in January 2017, the Vice Principal and Director of Academic Affairs reported that the School were already undertaking the necessary preparatory work. A Co-opted Governor observed that the Government was aware of the need for specialist institutions to be able to submit additional qualitative information in addition to the standard metrics used in the Framework.

A Co-opted Governor observed that the merger of research councils referred to in the report was not expected to have any immediate effect on funding levels, but could carry longer-term implications for the School’s field of work..

In response to a question regarding his views on the implications of the Bill for the Guildhall School, the Principal reported that he felt that the sector had the capacity to absorb these changes and that they gave no real cause for concern.

The Academic Registrar & Director of the Student Experience observed that the new Office for Students was expected to be more attentive to the ‘student voice’.

RECEIVED.