It’s been a strange month for me, being housebound following some recent foot surgery. However, I couldn’t have been prouder of the London Higher team during this time, who have been out and about speaking at various events and continuing to represent our members, including submitting evidence to the Lords’ inquiry into the Office for Students (OfS). You can read more about these activities in Mark’s ‘Policy Update’ below. 

I was also delighted to feature in the official UK Government press release for its new ‘Pioneer Prospectus’, which sets out detailed plans for UK science should the UK fail to associate to Horizon Europe. While we recognise that association should remain a priority for Government, we welcome this ambitious thinking and see an opportunity to work with the Secretary of State and her team to determine which initiatives are worthy of support to substitute or, indeed, complement Horizon association. We look forward to discussing these ideas with our Research Excellence Network later this term. 

The term ahead is set to be a busy one for London Higher, with various publications and events planned (detailed in the Events section below). For now though, all eyes are set on the Coronation of King Charles III on 06 May and we are grateful for the time over the additional Bank Holiday weekend to reflect on the connections that many of our members have to the Royal Family. I, for one, was certainly fortunate to see the King on his visit to the University of East London to mark its 125th anniversary in February. 

The Mayor of London is expecting London to be very busy during the Coronation weekend and has shared guidance by TfL to help us all enjoy the festivities. We are sure many of our members will be marking this historic occasion in different ways and we are pleased to see the Old Royal Naval College, home to the University of Greenwich and Trinity Laban, running a host of royal-themed activities for the public, available to sign up to here. 

Wishing you a happy Coronation weekend!  

Consultations have been a key feature of the past month in policy. We submitted a response to the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee inquiry into the OfS. We received submissions from a good number of members which enabled us to give a comprehensive response. Our key messages were calling for more clarity and for a better relationship with the sector, whilst concerns were raised about political influence and the strain on organisational resources, particularly considering its ever growing remit. 

The OfS has its own consultation on tackling harassment and sexual misconduct, which closes at the beginning of May. The wide-ranging proposals include mandatory training and the creation of a ‘relationship register'. Views were sought on whether there should be a ban on personal relationships between staff and students. As part of consulting with our membership, Darren and Emily ran a consultation workshop. I felt this worked well, so look out for more of these. There are clearly serious flaws in relation to the lack of clarity and the practicalities of implementing the proposals. Our response will be published soon.  

Finally, in terms of consultations, we have also been asked for views on the Local Skills Improvement Plans for London. We shared case studies from our Civic Map that showcase some of the excellent work that London’s higher education institutions undertake that support skills shortages and priority sectors. Although the LSIPs are primarily aimed at skills needs at Level 3 and below, we want to the make the point that our members can add value to the work of delivering the LSIP through working closely with employers to support priority sectors.

Last month, London Higher and the University of Westminster hosted a joint event - Challenging Antisemitism in Higher Education with Lord John Mann. The chair of London Higher’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Network, Professor Dibyesh Anand led the discussion. Lord Mann has been leading the work of Taskforce on Antisemitism in Universities, which reports to the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism and the Government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism will publish its findings this summer. Antisemitism remains in the discourse of everyday life across society, and universities are no exception. Lord Mann gave a frank and balanced overview of how antisemitism persists in UK higher education, as well being hopeful that through the sharing of best practice the experience of Jewish staff and student life on campus can be improved. Accordingly, the report will be accompanied by a 'Good Practice Guide' containing numerous examples of policies, initiatives, and case studies. 

With local and general elections on the horizon, I will be looking at how we can ensure the voice of higher education in London is heard through the upcoming political debates. Demonstrating our impact will be critical. From my recent visits to members, it is clear that there are many great examples of collaborations between London and the regions. I’m keen to develop our understanding of how we, collectively, support the growth across the UK through these collaborations, and how we communicate this to policy makers.  

The run-up to Easter was a busy one for the policy team! The networks were in full flow, and there are no signs of stopping – five more meetings are set to take place in the merry month of May.   

The EDI network met on 21 March to discuss how we can build a community of practitioners, sharing knowledge to increase equitable practice across the HE sector. To this end, the network will be holding an extended half-day workshop in person in June to cover key thematic areas such as: charter marks and accreditation; leadership and accountability; and governance structure and culture change.  

The following day saw a meeting of the Teaching and Learning network, who were delighted to welcome Prof. Susan Orr, Pro Vice-Chancellor Education at De Montfort University. Prof. Orr led the independent review into blended learning, commissioned by the OfS in 2021, and spoke to the group on its findings and implications for London HE. The group also considered the recent TEF submissions and possible improvements that could be made for future iterations.  

Thursday 23 March concluded a hat-trick of meetings, as the Centres network convened to discuss topics such as student accommodation, the Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE) Bill, OfS consultations and inquiries, and the new GLA initiative on Building a Fairer City.

A week later, the 30 March meeting of the Policy network was Mark’s first at the helm, and we were very pleased to be joined by guest speakers from the DfE to discuss the recent response to the LLE Consultation, who outlined the overarching message to create a unified student finance system for HE and FE, and delivering the LLE by 2025. The group considered the wider policy landscape, including the Equality of Opportunity Risk Register, Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, and growing focus on ChatGPT/generative AI. 

Finally, the Centres network met again on 20 April, this time very kindly hosted by the University of Sunderland in London, providing campus Directors the opportunity to catch up in person and share how the academic year is going at their institution. The next month is set to be just as busy, with several networks meeting for the last time this year (Planners, Operations, International). The networks continue to be at the very centre of what we do, and it is a privilege for the team to be able to convene colleagues and connect with important stakeholders on such a regular basis. 

We are also excited about the prospect of visiting more members over the coming term. Do get in touch with the Policy team if you would like to show us round your campus and catch up about your institution’s priorities for the rest of the academic year and beyond!  

AccessHE has been hard at work getting prepared for the summer term. We have a busy schedule of outreach events for young people and forum events for staff at our member institutions, which are getting started now for the rest of the academic year. Our third round of forum meetings has kicked off with our Research, Monitoring & Evaluation Forum meeting which discussed choosing between evaluation methods and the advantages of considering novel methodologies. The Disability Forum has had its first in-person meeting at the University of Law, thinking about support for students with ADHD and support for students who lack a formal diagnosis.  

Our Uni Connect team is delighted to be collaborating with Creative Futures again, planning a week of creativity for Looked-After Children in the summer holidays which will include spoken word, visual art, and graphic design. We are also in the process of planning for our July Extra Time programme with UEL and Havering Futures Week, which will help Year 10 students develop interview and assessment centre skills, and will explore a range of post-16 options including what’s on offer to them locally.  

AccessHE Cost of living discussion 

Monday 24 April, 2023, 14:00-15:00 online 

AccessHE’s session ‘The Cost of Living Crisis: Emerging Lessons’ invites staff from AccessHE member institutions to come together and consider what the most effective responses to the ongoing cost of living crisis from the London higher education sector has been. We are now a year into supporting students through the crisis, and this event is an opportunity for institutions to share what they have learned from supporting their students so far that they will be taking into the new academic year. We will be hearing data from Unite Students on the accommodation needs they have been addressing and UCL Students’ Union on demographic trends among their students. 

Lunch session with Minerva – a part of the Global Majority Mentoring Programme 

Wednesday 26 April 2023, 13:00-15:00, in person 

For the second year running, programme sponsors Minerva will lead a lunch and learn session on career development, CV advice, and the headhunting process for our mentors and mentees. This year’s session will take place in person in Central London, allowing our participants the opportunity to build their professional networks. It will include discussion on topics such as barriers to progression to senior/executive roles for global majority staff, and how staff can better market themselves. 

International student roundtable, held in partnership with Middlesex University London 

Date TBC

London Higher and Middlesex University London will be hosting a roundtable for international students on decision making in universities. We are still on the lookout for students to come and share their opinions, so we urge you to share the below copy with your student networks. 

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Want to talk about how international students can be more involved in decision making in universities? 

Come share your opinion and discuss with other international students!

We are looking for international student participants from a variety of countries, universities and degrees. Discussions from the event will be fed back in to the International Higher Education Commission via London Higher CEO, Dr Diana Beech, and Middlesex University London Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nic Beech (both IHEC Commissioners) and will be written up and shared with the wide HE community. 

Location: Middlesex University London 
Date and time to be confirmed
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Should you have a student who would be interested in sharing their views and discussing this with other London international students or if you have any questions, please contact Chief Operations Officer Jenny Wetherill on jenny.wetherill@londonhigher.ac.uk. 

Message from the Greater London Authority 

We Design for the Community 

The GLA has recently launched round 2 of the ‘We Design for the Community’ programme, which pairs design students with small local organisations. The programme is in partnership with University of Greenwich. 

Both students and organisations can apply through this bespoke website and the deadline is 15th May 2023: https://www.wedesignforthecommunity.org/  

Message from University of the Arts, London 

The AKO Storytelling Institute invites creatives, campaigners and researchers to apply for the 2023/24 UAL Storytelling fellowship to experiment in how storytelling can change the world 

The AKO Storytelling Institute is excited to announce the launch of the UAL Storytelling Fellowship. 

We are looking for ten talented professionals and practitioners from across industries and disciplines to be part of our first UAL Storytelling Fellowship. 

If you have a research idea and want to collaborate in a group to explore how storytelling can drive social impact, then apply to join us as part of a funded programme exploring the theme of Truth and Lies.  

Disinformation is everywhere. It is a global threat to freedom and democracy and corrodes trust. 

What you will receive 

As a Fellow, you will get bespoke mentorship, a workshop-based programme of applied learning, a total stipend of £7,500 and an open and supportive space to explore and learn with us.  

Read more and apply on our website  

Applications for the 2023/24 AKO Storytelling Fellowship are open until 15 May 2023.  

Message from British Council 

International students wanted for Study UK ad campaign - £200 gift voucher available.  

Study UK/the British Council are currently looking for international students from China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and the USA to take part in their 2023-24 ad campaign. 

The campaign aims to share real-life students sharing their stories in their own words, to encourage others to choose the UK as their top study destination. 

Selected applicants will be invited to film with Study UK’s award-winning media agency through mid-May/mid-June and will be rewarded with a £200 gift voucher. Students must be available for filming in mid-May to mid-June in the UK, with exact dates to be confirmed. 

In order to enter, please check out the ‘Study UK Casting call’ document for more info on what they are looking for. 

You’ll be asked in the application form to share a link of your video submission. 

Submissions are open until 23:59 Sunday 30 April.