HESA Return Support

For larger and more established providers

If you have a team handling your HESA return, the question is often not whether you can do it, but whether you’re doing it as well as you could, and whether you’re ready for what’s next.

I offer independent reviews of your current data governance, processes and quality assurance, with a specific focus on readiness for upcoming changes including in-year reporting and the LLE. This is about getting an experienced, objective view before you need it – not after something has gone wrong.

What this looks like in practice: a structured review of your current processes, clear written findings, and practical recommendations you can act on with your existing team.

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For small and specialist providers

HESA returns can feel disproportionately demanding when you don’t have a dedicated data team. If the person responsible for your submission also does three other jobs, the pressure around return windows is very real.

I can work alongside your team to support the return itself – reviewing data, identifying quality issues, and helping you understand what you’re submitting and why. The aim isn’t to do it for you indefinitely. It’s to build enough internal knowledge and confidence that the process becomes manageable on your own terms.

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For newly registered providers

If you’ve recently registered with the OfS, your first HESA return is coming. It may not be clear yet exactly what that means for your organisation, what data you need to collect, or how the whole thing fits together.

That’s completely normal. HESA returns have a learning curve, and most established providers have years of institutional memory to draw on. You’re starting from scratch.

I can help you understand how the return works, what obligations apply to your specific provision, what you need to have in place, and how to approach your options for completing it. The goal is that by the time you’ve done your first return, you understand it well enough to build on it.