The beginning of May was always going to be busy for London Higher, what with the London local elections, the deadline for two DfE consultation responses and the publication of the REF 2021 results.

You can read our short digest of the London election results here. We have also contacted all newly (re-)elected borough mayors and council leaders to offer up our services during their term in office, highlighting our priorities for successful partnership working via this accompanying position paper.

 
We also received some good coverage of our DfE consultation responses, with the Times Higher Education covering our analysis of the likely London impacts and University World News reporting on our concerns for London. You can read a summary of our main arguments and ideas in both our HE Reform response and our LLE response (both containing links to our full submissions).

Alternatively, you can tune in to the latest EDSK podcast to hear me discussing the Government’s HE reform proposals alongside Universities UK CEO Alistair Jarvis CBE. Or you can listen to this edition of the wonkhe show where I also discuss the reform proposals along with the freedom of speech bill.

But I haven’t been alone in making the case for London. This week I was delighted to see an interview with Professor Andrew Jones of Brunel University London making the case for London, together with coverage of a speech given by the Rt. Hon. Chris Skidmore MP as part of an in-person roundtable we hosted with the Oxford International Group on 12 May, laying out our plans to develop an international education strategy for London.

Finally, it was excellent to see our members doing so well in the REF 2021 this week and we were delighted to see the excellence of the city’s higher education and research sector acknowledged, with London’s universities and colleges performing highly for impact across a broad range of disciplines. You can read our initial response here.

This month’s policy update has been written by Sally Burtonshaw, Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer at London Higher.

On Friday 06 May we submitted our consultation responses to the higher education reform proposals and the Lifelong Loan Entitlement. Thank you to everyone who submitted helpful feedback and we look forward to working with you on these topics and the policies develop.

This week has also marked the culmination of seven years of the REF cycle, with results landing with individual institutions on Monday, a wider overview emerging over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday, and the final public release on Thursday.


The picture across London is a hugely positive one and the London Higher team has been both crunching numbers and looking at case studies to understand the full, diverse and rich picture of research excellence and impact across the capital. Whilst this week marks the very beginning of digesting and understanding the REF results, I thought it would be remiss not to congratulate the membership on some wonderful highlights, just some of which are included below.

Occupying 11 of the top 25 performing overall ‘units of assessment’ by percentage of 4* submissions, London’s universities consistently score highly for both impact and output across a variety of disciplines, sending a clear signal to government that the city’s breath of research prowess is the driving force behind UK science.

We have seen particular strengths in the Arts and Humanities, where eight of the top 20 institutions are London Higher members, including Royal Holloway, Birkbeck and the University of Westminster. London institutions demonstrate the value and importance of the creative disciplines and the contributions they make not just nationally but internationally.

London’s small specialist providers have also demonstrated their world-leading credentials, with The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (CSSD) performing highly for Arts and Humanities research and The Institute for Cancer Research (ICR) receiving the highest score of any UK higher education institution for research in biological sciences.

We look forward to continuing to work across the membership over the coming weeks to highlight what the REF results mean for London HE. Within this in mind, we are hugely pleased to welcome David Sweeney, Executive Chair at Research England to the London Higher Research Excellence Network on 15 June to discuss the REF 2021 results with our members and look in further detail at the London lens.
 

This month’s networks update has been written by Darren de Souza, Policy and Projects Officer at London Higher.

As one door closes, in the shape of London Higher’s submission of its responses to the DfE consultations on HE Reform and the Lifelong Loan Entitlement, another opens – in this case, quite literally, at the behest of Black Rod at the opening of Parliament! The Queen’s Speech on 10 May 2022 referenced both the Higher Education Bill and Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, indicating that yet more challenges lie ahead for our sector and city.

 
It also highlighted the value of London Higher’s networks as shared spaces for discussion of these topics, with a commitment to securing the best possible outcomes for our members and ensuring that their voices are heard throughout the decision-making processes that most acutely affect them.
In this vein, the London Higher team has returned ready and refreshed after the Easter break and the bank holiday weekend, and Term 3 network meetings are well underway!

With Levelling Up in mind, the Civic Network heard from Jovan Lužajić, Acting Assistant Director, Policy at Universities UK, on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) at 28 April’s meeting. We are clear that fair access to such funding pots is vital for London’s universities to be able to flourish and continue delivering the civic agenda for the benefit of local communities; Levelling Up must not mean levelling down the capital. Jovan stressed that investment plans for UKSPF allocations have a real chance to showcase HE’s impact in their locality, something that London Higher fully endorses, as seen through our #LondonIsLocal campaign.

The role of London HE as a ‘positive change multiplier’ was also championed during 03 May’s meeting of the Sustainability Network, as we were delighted to hear from Ally Kingston, Planning Director at Futerra. Ally’s captivating presentation provoked much discussion on reframing the conversation around sustainability, building sustainable cultures and creating effective communications strategies. London’s role as a global hub for innovation and the role of London Higher members as world leaders in education, research and investment means that our network is well placed to drive sustainable progress forward across institutions and the city!

The May Day Bank Holiday weekend was followed by a visit to Loughborough University London’s campus on 05 May – rather fittingly, this is situated in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. As we mark ten years since the London Games, London Higher is excited to work closely with our members to ensure that HE can play a central part in London’s post-pandemic recovery and secure a better future for all Londoners.

We would like to thank our invited speakers for their time and insight, and we very much look forward to the next month’s Network meetings!

If you would like to discuss any of our networks, please contact Sally at sally.burtonshaw@londonhigher.ac.uk or find her on twitter @SallyBurtonshaw, or Darren at darren.desouza@londonhigher.ac.uk or find him on twitter @darren_desouza.

This month’s Chair’s blog comes from Dr Ian Pickup, Pro Vice Chancellor (Education & Experience) & Chief Operating Officer, University of East London and Co-Chair of the London Higher Operations Network

It is a real pleasure to share news of the work of London Higher’s Operations Network. Formed in 2019, this network provides opportunities for colleagues from member institutions working within operational functions to share best practice. Our network includes colleagues from estates teams, COOs, health and safety leads and those occupying a range of professional service roles that are key to the successful functioning of our learning environments.
 
 
The network came together for the first time during one of the most challenging times for the sector, and our early meetings were dominated by shared experiences of navigating uncharted waters.  As we wrestled with the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic it became clear that we had so much to gain by working together, taking the opportunity to ‘think out loud’ and benefiting from collective wisdom.  

Early discussions centred on practical measures to support the creation of ‘Covid-secure’ campuses, but quickly evolved to include a focus on the support of international students, our relationships with government departments and public health bodies, the importance of safe travel across the capital, and our practice in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our communities.  We produced the London Higher Covid Secure Charter as an outcome of this work, and have subsequently supported the development of operational plans to transition back to face-to-face delivery.

Without losing sight of the lessons learnt during the pandemic, we have more recently begun to explore wider issues of interest and best practice. For example, we have considered the impact of carefully designed campus environments on the student experience.  Dr Ghazwa Alwani-Starr, Chief Operations Officer at Queen Mary University of London, and Chair of the Higher Education Design Quality Forum (HEDQF), recently shared the work of the “Campus Spaces and Places: Impact on Student Outcomes” project.  This is a particular interest for my colleagues at the University of East London as we deliver transformation through the ‘connected campus’ project, creating inspiring and innovative spaces and places across our campuses that support students and staff to study, work and make the most of their time on campus.

Whilst we plan future agendas, the network’s activities have encouraged me to reflect more deeply on the interrelationships between academic and professional service teams. Perhaps many of my colleagues in professional services already consider themselves in the mould of what Celia Whitchurch characterises as ‘third-spacers’;  the Operations Network’s activity makes crystal clear the interdependencies between operations and academic endeavors, and in this regard I encourage us all to consider how we might most proactively occupy the same spaces –  physical and virtual spaces across our diverse institutions that are recognised as supporting  our students, staff and the wider communities we serve. 
 

This month’s AccessHE update comes from Emily Dixon, London Programmes and Communications Coordinator at AccessHE

AccessHE is in the middle of a very busy term for delivery with students, teachers and university staff. Our forums are mid-way through their third round of meetings for the year and we are looking forward to a panel and discussion event where our Student Ambassador and Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Forums will come together to discuss the future of using student voice in evaluation activities.

With students and teachers, we are looking forward to hosting pop-up hospitals in London schools to give students an insight into medical careers, and the next event in our Virtual Coffee Mornings series is fast approaching. In this event for teachers and careers leads, we will be joined by Samantha Sykes from UCAS to discuss the upcoming changes with the 2023 cycle.

The London Higher Summer Event, Wednesday 22 June 2022, Central London (venue TBC)

“Greening the future”: heads of institutions roundtable, 15:30-16:30 *Invite only*

London Higher Summer Reception, 16:30-18:30

The London Higher Summer Event this year will be held in the heart of Westminster, and will be focused on sustainability, following the recent announcement of five new climate knowledge partnerships with London Councils and the work of the London Higher Sustainability Network throughout this academic year.  At this Chatham House discussion for heads of institutions or their senior representatives, we will have the opportunity to hear from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and other speakers, to celebrate members’ current contribution to the climate change agenda and to agree a new climate pledge for London’s HE sector.

Following the discussion, participants will be warmly welcomed at the Summer Reception, for drinks and networking with other colleagues and key stakeholders.

 
Roundtable Discussion and Drinks Reception with John Blake, Director for Fair Access and Participation at the Office for Students, 30 June 2022, 14:00-17:30, Central London (venue TBC)

London Higher is pleased to present this opportunity for heads of member institutions or their senior representatives to hear directly from the new Director for Fair Access and Participation at the Office for Students (OfS), and his plans for the access and participation agenda in the upcoming year.  Given the innovative and effective work that takes place in London in this space, this will be an important discussion, allowing the chance to share views and experience from the distinct and unique London perspective. This high-level roundtable meeting from 14:00-16:00, to be chaired by the Chair of AccessHE and Vice Chancellor of Middlesex University London, Professor Nic Beech, will be followed by a drinks reception.
 
Global majority mentoring scheme celebration event, 04 July 2022, 16:00-18:00, London Metropolitan University

You are warmly invited to join this celebration, which follows the successful pilot of the London Higher pan-London positive action mentoring programme, run with London Metropolitan University, which has paired 56 mentees with mentors from across eight participating London Higher member institutions.  The event will give the opportunity to hear from those who have participated in the scheme, sharing lessons learned, as we look towards expanding the programme in the next academic year, and will include an address from Deputy Mayor of London Debbie Weekes-Barnard, and a drinks reception.

The London Higher AGM, Wednesday 06 July 2022, 09:15-10:00, via Microsoft Teams *Invite only*
This formal virtual meeting will give members the opportunity to review progress and achievement over this academic year and receive updates on London Higher’s proposed future plans and strategic priorities for 2022-2023.  The AGM is restricted to a maximum of two representatives from London Higher member institutions, which will normally be a head of institution as the voting member and/or one additional senior staff colleague, or two senior staff members one of whom would be the nominated voting proxy. We recommend that all London Higher members ensure they are represented at this meeting.  If you are nominating a proxy, please can you ensure that you send a confirmation email to this effect, as voting rights must be passed from the head of institution to their representative in writing.
 
To register to attend any of these events, please RSVP to Sarah Hurst at sarah.hurst@londonhigher.ac.uk, indicating any dietary or access requirements please.  Should you be unable to attend but wish to nominate a senior representative to attend in your place, please do forward their name and contact details to Sarah so that she can contact them directly with further information in due course.  Calendar invites with further information will be sent to all those who register to attend.  Please do direct any queries to Sarah in the first instance.