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Milestones in higher education

In July 1997 the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, chaired by Sir Ron Dearing, published its report. This was followed by the Government Green Paper on Lifelong Learning, a consultation paper designed to stimulate debate on lifelong learning. In 1998 the Teaching and Higher Education Act introduced measures to change the financial support of students. The Government's White Paper 'Learning to succeed' in 1999 proposed a new structure for post-16 education and training.

In 2002-03 the UK higher education funding bodies commissioned a review of research assessment in the UK. The report was issued for consultation, including recommendations for revising the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). The next RAE will take place in 2008. Details appear on the RAE 2008 web-site.

In 2004 the Higher Education Act was passed with the aim of widening access to higher education institutions and helping them remain competitive in the world economy. It takes forward the proposals in the White Paper 'The Future of Higher Education (Adobe PDF 611K)'. The legislation covers higher education in England and Wales, but some provisions will also affect higher education in other parts of the UK. Measures include the introduction of variable tuition fees, creation of an Office for Fair Access, the re-introduction of maintenance grants to help students from lower income households and the designation of an independent body to review student complaints not related to matters of academic judgement.

Last updated 14 May 2010