Enhancing higher education in the UK and beyond

We believe higher education has the power to transform lives.

About John Fairhurst

Shaping strategy and quality in higher education

With more than 30 years’ experience in higher education, John Fairhurst brings extensive expertise in strategic leadership and management — helping institutions strengthen compliance, navigate complex change, and drive growth.

Our advisors

A team built for depth, expertise, and impact.

Under the leadership of John Fairhurst, we have assembled a team of experienced advisors who are recognised experts in their fields. Together, we bring decades of insight across all areas of higher education — from strategy and regulation/compliance, to operations and student experience.

Our flexible model means we can work across teams and functions, increasing impact and scaling to meet each client’s specific needs.

We also collaborate with a network of trusted partners, offering additional support in IT and AI implementation and governance, graphic design and content production, website and application development, and internal and external communications.

Ethos

Principled Collaborative Student-centred

Higher education has the power to transform lives — and we’re committed to ensuring it does. Students deserve the best possible education, support, and opportunities for development throughout their studies.

  • Principled

    We treat everyone — whatever their role — with respect and courtesy, and we take time to understand every provider we work with. No two are the same, and our clients deserve a truly bespoke service.

  • Collaborative

    We take a collaborative, open and inclusive approach to our work that builds capacity, capability and confidence.

    Whether public or private, UK or international, we work with like-minded higher education providers that share our dedication and passion for delivering exceptional teaching and learning experiences.

  • Student-centred

    We are methodical and conscientious, but we work fast to deliver results quickly — always focused on helping providers create the best possible experience and outcomes for their students.

How we can help

Expert support across higher education.

We work alongside higher education providers to tackle complex challenges, improve governance and compliance, and create stronger outcomes for students and staff alike.

  • Domestic and international student recruitment

    If you are not reaching your student recruitment targets, or you are planning to grow, we can work with you to develop and implement a strategic and operational plan that fully embraces regulatory and compliance requirements.

  • Strategic leadership and management; leading organisational change

    At a time of enormous challenge for the higher education sector within the UK and beyond, we have extensive leadership and management experience, including successfully implementing organisational change, and we can work with your leadership and management teams to navigate through current challenges and opportunities.  We also provide a mentoring service for senior staff.

  • Corporate and academic governance

    If you want to test the effectiveness of your corporate and academic governance framework, we can undertake an external review and provide a written report for your Governing Body.  We can also work with you to implement any recommendations.

  • Office for Students (OfS) regulatory compliance

    If you’re registered with the OfS, we can work with you to develop processes and procedures that enable your Accountable Officer and Governing Body to monitor compliance with the on-going conditions of registration, and to determine if an issue becomes a Reportable Event.  We can also undertake an audit and provide recommendations for ongoing compliance.

  • OfS registration

    If you’re planning to register with the OfS, we can undertake an audit to test your readiness, and work alongside your staff to develop your business plan, review your corporate and academic governance framework and organisational structure, and develop the application documents.  If you are simply looking for a suite of documents that you can submit to the OfS, without any engagement, then we are not for you.

  • Applications for Taught Degree Awarding Powers (TDAP)

    If you already have OfS registration and are now looking to move to the next stage by applying for Taught Degree Awarding Powers (TDAP), we can work with you to develop the application, supporting you through the academic regulatory framework and scrutiny stage and getting you fully set up to deliver your own degrees once TDAP is conferred.

  • Collaborative provision (franchised and validated)

    If you are looking to move from franchised to validated degree provision, we can work with you to make sure you’re ready for the increased opportunities and responsibilities, including programme development, student management systems, preparing a HESA return, and OfS and UKVI compliance.

  • UKVI regulatory compliance

    If you sponsor international students, or if you are seeking to apply for a UKVI licence to enable sponsorship, we can work with you to develop robust and effective processes and procedures: admissions, CAS issuing, visa decision, enrolment, monitoring academic engagement and completion; monitoring UKVI metrics for visa refusals, non-enrolments, and non-completions.

    We can also audit your current processes and procedures to ensure they are effective and that you remain compliant with the UKVI regulatory requirements.

  • Brand and communications

    If your brand, website and communications don’t accurately reflect your offer or you’re considering a re-brand, we can help positioning, messaging, and commissioning a new brand identity. We can also support with strategic communications planning and crisis preparedness and response.

  • AI readiness

    We can advise and support with managing the risks and opportunities of AI, defining responsible use guidelines and policies for both staff and students, and integrating these rapidly changing technologies into business processes, curricula and assessment.