Part 1: The Office for Students Establishment of the Office for Students Section 2: General duties
Subsection (1) sets out matters to which the OfS must have regard when performing its functions. These include the need to protect the institutional autonomy of English higher education providers, the need to promote quality, and greater choice and opportunities for students in such providers’ higher education provision, the need to encourage competition between providers while having regard to the benefits of collaboration, the need to promote value for money, the need to promote equality of opportunity in connection with access and participation, the need for efficient, effective and economic use of the OfS’s own resources, and the principles of best regulatory practice where these are relevant.
	Subsection (2) provides that the reference to "choice" in subsection (1) includes choice amongst a diverse range of types of higher education provider, higher education courses and means by which such courses are delivered.
	Subsection (3) provides that, in performing its functions, the OfS must have regard to guidance given to it by the Secretary of State. In giving such guidance, subsection (4) provides that the Secretary of State must have regard to the need to protect the institutional autonomy of English higher education providers. Subsections (5) to (7) make further provision as to guidance given by the Secretary of State. Subsection (8) defines institutional autonomy for the purposes of Part 1 of this Act (the term is also used in sections 36, 74 and 77).
	This section forms part of the law of England and Wales.