Sets out proposals to strengthen freedom of speech and academic freedom in higher education in England.

Published 16 February 2021
Last updated 17 February 2021 — see all updates

From:Department for Education

Documents

Higher education: free speech and academic freedom (web version)
Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-2418-3, CP 394PDF, 1.86MB, 42 pages
Order a copy

Higher education: free speech and academic freedom (print version)
Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-2418-3, CP 394PDF, 1.86MB, 44 pages
Order a copy

Letter from the Secretary of State for Education
PDF, 217KB, 2 pages

Details

This report details how the government proposes to strengthen freedom of speech and academic freedom in higher education in England by:

  • appointing a Free Speech and Academic Freedom Champion to the Office for Students board
  • requiring the Office for Students to introduce a new registration condition on free speech and academic freedom
  • strengthening existing legal duties on higher education providers to actively promote free speech
  • extending existing free speech duties to apply to students’ unions directly
  • enabling individuals to seek legal redress as a result of a breach of the duty
  • widening and enhancing academic freedom protections

It also sets out how we will work with higher education providers to:

  • set minimum standards for free speech codes of practice
  • ensure that free speech and academic freedom are upheld to a high standard