The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) for Higher Education is the body responsible for handling student complaints in England and Wales and was set up under the Higher Education Act of 2004. The site contains details about the complaints process and the range of topics that they do and do not deal with. Summaries of cases dealt with are available on the site along with annual reports and good practice guidance.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial government department that reports directly to Parliament. It brings together four formerly separate inspectorates, including the Adult Learning Inspectorate and the Commission for Social Care Inspection. It inspects and regulates care for children and young people and education and training for learners of all ages. They provide a four yearly inspection of state funded schools in the UK, the reports of which are available online.
This website provides access to the online casebook designed to accompany The Law of Higher Education by Dennis Farringdon and David Palfreyman (Oxford University Press). The casebook is made freely available by the Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (OxCHEPS). The full text is given for the majority of cases cited in the Law of Higher Education along with commentary and analysis.
The Government Equalities Office has evolved from the Women and Work Commission and deals with the gender pay gap and other issues affecting employment. Its priorities include women and work, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality, women and violence, the National Equality Panel and representation in public life. There is also information on the Equality Act 2010.
This section of the UK Government website provides information for disabled people on the subjects of housing, employment, education, health, transport and equal rights under the Equality Act 2010.
The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) is a London-based charitable organisation, which conducts research and produces educational resources relating to racial equality in Britain and internationally. The journal Race and Class is available online by subscription. Briefing papers are made freely available in PDF and cover issues such as EU deportation policies, French parliamentary commission on the burqa or niqab and the Swiss referendum on minarets.. Information about using the IRR's library is available, along with references to projects (including many online reports) and news.
Website of the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA). This regulatory organisation, set up in 1994, provides advice on and support on what is taught in schools and colleges in Northern Ireland and how it is assessed. The CCEA website contains information about the work of the organisation covering assessment of pupils at Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 and accreditation and information on the exams offered including GCSE’s. A-level’s, BTECs and Key Skills.
Act Now is a company providing training courses in freedom of information and data protection issues. The site offers a selection of free resources including online articles on data protection, Freedom of information and on the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) which governs the way local authorities use CCTV.
The Data Protection Register is available on the Information Commissioner’s website. The register contains the name and address of organisations that process personal information along with a general description of the kind of processing they do. The register is searchable by organisation name, registration number, address or postcode.
Website of the independent Inspectorate for the Crown Prosecution Service (HMCPSI) whose purpose “is to enhance the quality of justice through independent inspection and assessment of prosecution services”. The site provides access to full text copies of inspections and other publications such as area reports, annual reports and policy documents.
