Court Stops Fine for University of Sussex

Apr 29, 2026, 12:43
UKPolitics

Introduction

A high court stopped a big fine for the University of Sussex. The university does not have to pay £585,000 now.

Main Body

The Office for Students (OfS) gave the university a fine. The OfS did not like the university's rules about transgender people. They thought these rules stopped people from speaking freely. The university said the rules were okay. They said the OfS did not follow the law. The university also changed the rules in 2022 and 2023 to help people speak more. A judge looked at the case. She said the OfS made a big mistake. She said the OfS was not fair and did not listen to the university.

Conclusion

The university does not pay the money. Now, people will check if the OfS is fair to all schools.

Learning

💡 The Power of "Did Not"

In this story, we see a pattern used to describe things that did not happen in the past. To move to A2, you need to stop using just "no" and start using did not + [action word].

Look at the patterns:

  • The university did not have to pay →\rightarrow (They were free from the cost).
  • The OfS did not like the rules →\rightarrow (They were unhappy).
  • The OfS did not follow the law →\rightarrow (They broke the rules).
  • The judge said the OfS did not listen →\rightarrow (They ignored the university).

Crucial Rule: When you use did not, the action word stays in its simple, present form.

❌ Incorrect: did not followed ✅ Correct: did not follow

Quick Summary for your A2 toolkit: Subject + did not + Simple Action = Something that didn't happen before.

Vocabulary Learning

court (n.)
place where legal cases are heard / a place where people make decisions in law法院
Example:The court will decide if the university must pay the fine.
stop (v.)
to finish or end something / to prevent something from happening停止
Example:The court stopped the fine.
fine (n.)
penalty or money that someone must pay for a mistake罰款
Example:The university was given a fine.
university (n.)
place where people study after school大學
Example:The University of Sussex is the main subject of the story.
pay (v.)
to give money for something you owe付錢
Example:The university does not have to pay the fine.
office (n.)
building or place where people work辦公室
Example:The Office for Students gave the university a fine.
students (n.)
people who study at a school or university學生
Example:The Office for Students is for students.
rules (n.)
guidelines that people must follow規則
Example:The university had rules about transgender people.
people (n.)
human beings in general人們
Example:The rules stopped people from speaking freely.
speaking (v.)
talking or expressing thoughts說話
Example:People were allowed to speak more after the rules changed.
okay (adj.)
acceptable or good enough好的
Example:The university said the rules were okay.
law (n.)
rules made by the government that everyone must follow法律
Example:The university said the OfS did not follow the law.
changed (v.)
made different or new改變
Example:The university changed the rules in 2022.
judge (n.)
person who decides cases in court法官
Example:A judge looked at the case.
case (n.)
situation or example of something案例
Example:The judge looked at the case.
mistake (n.)
error or something done wrong錯誤
Example:The judge said the OfS made a big mistake.
fair (adj.)
just and not biased公平
Example:The judge said the OfS was not fair.
listen (v.)
pay attention to sound or words聆聽
Example:The OfS did not listen to the university.
money (n.)
currency used to buy things錢
Example:The university does not pay the money.
check (v.)
look at something to see if it is correct檢查
Example:People will check if the OfS is fair.
schools (n.)
places where children learn學校
Example:The OfS should be fair to all schools.
big (adj.)
large in size or importance大
Example:The OfS made a big mistake.
high (adj.)
at a great height or level高
Example:A high court decided the case.
now (adv.)
at the present time現在
Example:The university does not have to pay now.