Changes to policy and curriculum

Changes to our office locations

Warning: the content within this page reflects what was communicated to students in the 2014/2015 academic year. As such, this information may no longer be factually accurate.

Over the past year we have been reviewing how we can best support students through our network of offices. We want to offer an enhanced level of service with faster response times and more out-of-hours support so we are proposing a new network of three larger support centres in England based in Milton Keynes, Nottingham and Manchester.

The proposal would mean that our centres in Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Gateshead, Leeds, London and Oxford would close. Our national centres in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh would remain unchanged.

What this means for students

• Support services would not change. Students are currently supported by a Student Support Team for the curriculum area they are studying in, rather than their nearest Open University office. The proposal would not alter these arrangements.
• Tutor support would not change. A student's tutor would continue to be their first point of contact for queries about a module.
• Students will not have to travel further for tutorials and exams. All local arrangements for tutorials and exams would remain in place. If a student's tutorials or exams are currently held in an Open University office, then alternative arrangements would be made in the local area.
• Support for disabled students would not change. We are not reducing any support currently provided. If a student is currently supported by a specific member of staff in a particular office we would make sure any specific arrangements made for them would continue.

Improved support and services

The reason for proposing these changes is so that we can provide more support at times when students need it. We are in a strong financial position and this proposal is not about reducing our services. Larger centres would allow us to improve the response time to student enquiries, provide more proactive support and have longer opening hours so that students can contact us outside of the working day.

Students will still have access to advice from a dedicated team of experts from their subject area and, because more of our staff would be working from the same location, we would be able to answer questions quickly rather than needing to refer questions to staff in multiple locations. This proposal would also help us increase the support and guidance we are able to offer students at key times, such as when choosing their next module.

What happens next

The final decision on this proposal will be made by the University’s Council, our governing body, on 24 November. We will provide another update to students after this. If approved, the new structure will not be in place until the February 2017 start of modules at the earliest, allowing us sufficient time to manage the transition carefully.

Please talk to your Student Support Team if you need any further information. You can find out how to contact them on Contact the OU.