A joint committee of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board has released two consultations on the future of the undergraduate law degree.

The first Joint Academic Stage Board (JASB) paper asks for views on whether students who have failed a single foundation subject within 5% of the pass mark should be able to continue their course. The consultation proposes stopping this practice, known as compensation or condonation, and requiring all students to pass all their foundation modules.

The second JASB paper examines arrangements for law degrees or conversion courses where a partner organisation collaborates with a UK higher education institution to deliver or assess a qualification. The paper considers overseas and distance learning arrangements and proposes the development of a new set of standards for the collaborative provision of legal education.

A spokesman for BPP Law School said: ‘We believe that future lawyers should have a solid understanding of the fundamental principles of English law and do not advocate compensation or condonation, particularly in foundation subjects. On this basis, BPP does not permit compensation or condonation on its law degrees.’

Philip Plowden, dean of Northumbria University’s school of law, said: ’Compensation or condonation is not inherently reprehensible. It recognises situations where an otherwise strong candidate has had a minor lapse in one element of assessment – and recognises that this is a candidate is likely to pass without difficulty upon re-sit. There is little detail at this stage as to the proposed content of any future policy on collaborative agreements. I hope that once the consultation is over, a draft policy is made available for consultation.’

JASB chair professor Gwyneth Pitt said: ‘We welcome comments from all those with an interest in maintaining high standards within legal education.’

The consultations, which close on 10 January 2011, are available on the Bar Standards Board website.