SRA faces criticism over delayed data
The super-regulator’s interim boss has pressed the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to release training provider pass rates “as soon as possible”.
Richard Orpin’s comments come after the Legal Services Board (LSB) raised concerns back in April over the failure to publish the pass rates which in turn will help students make informed decisions about which provider to choose. It set a deadline of Autumn 2025 for the data to be released.
Orpin — who stepped into the role on an interim basis earlier this year, replacing Craig Westwood — voiced concern over the lack of progress, noting that the SRA had set itself a deadline of “late 2023” to publish SQE results by provider.
Speaking at this week’s Westminster Legal Policy Forum on legal education and training, Orpin said that while the SRA had “met most of its commitments to monitor and evaluate data” about the exam, “we are concerned about the continuing lack of publicly available pass rate data by provider.”
“We also have questions about the SQE’s affordability, design and quality and how the SRA is addressing this,” Orpin said in comments reported by Legal Futures. “We’re concerned that without pass rate data by provider, SQE candidates can’t make fully informed decisions about providers.”
The interim chief executive added that later this year the LSB will consult on regulator outcomes relating to training pathways and professional competencies, including requirements to publish data on costs and pass rates.
The SRA had initially aimed to publish pass rates by late 2023, but that deadline passed with the regulator citing a lack of “sufficient data”. Fast forward to February 2025 — and still no pass rates — the SRA this time attributed the delay to “unexpected problems” with data quality.
In the absence of official data, some law schools have begun publishing their own pass rate breakdowns, relying on students voluntarily disclosing their results. Others, however, have opted not to share any performance data at all.
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