

Reference:
- Mivšek, A.P., Hundley, V., van Teijlingen, E., Pahor, M., Hlebec, V. (2021) Slovenian midwifery professionalisation: Perception of midwives and related health professions, European Journal of Midwifery (forthcoming)
Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
Reference:
To commemorate Mass Graves Day in Iraq, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) presented the recently published Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Investigation and Protection to Iraqi authorities involved in efforts to account for missing persons.
In 2007, the Iraqi Council of Ministers designated 16 May as the National Day of Mass Graves to draw attention to the fate of individuals who were killed and disappeared during decades of conflict and human rights abuse and buried in mass graves. Iraqi authorities estimate that between 250.000 and 1 million persons have gone missing in the country.
To commemorate Mass Graves Day, ICMP presented to Iraqi stakeholders Arabic- and Kurdish-language copies of The Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Protection and Investigation, a joint product of Bournemotuh University research led by Dr Klinkner and the ICMP that defines legal and practical standards of the protection and investigation of mass graves. Recipients include the Mass Graves Directorate, the Ministry of Health’s Medico-Legal Directorate and the National Coordination Committee in Federal Iraq as well as the Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs in the Kurdistan Region.
“Properly protecting and investigating mass graves are key steps in Iraq’s work to find the high number of missing persons and secure the rights of their families,” said Alexander Hug, head of ICMP’s Iraq Program. “The Bournemouth Protocol is an important tool that benefits the various Iraqi institutions involved in the missing persons process.”
Several controversial new Bills with implications for the HE sector were introduced through the Queen’s Speech – which was very political this year (you’ll see what we mean). There’s a lot to say so it’s a longer update and we’ve focussed mainly on the parliamentary shenanigans this week.
Regular BU readers will know that we like to look to the horizon fairly regularly to see what else is heading our way. The stuff in the Queen’s Speech for HE, while interesting, is just getting us started on what this year will bring – the big stuff is all still to come. Here’s the latest version of the Policy team’s horizon scanning.
You can read the full Queen’s Speech here and peruse the Briefing Pack (which contains the background information. The Queen’s Speech announced over 25 Bills. Proposed new legislation that is of most interest to HE:
Below is the most relevant content from the speech or the accompanying briefing notes, with new or key content in blue. We’ve more to say on the free speech and skills/lifelong learning elements so these follow below. We’ve covered the research content in the research section below.
Professional Qualifications Bill
The purpose of the Bill is to:
The main benefits of the Bill would be:
The main elements of the Bill are:
BEIS’ post speech press release: The Professional Qualifications Bill will mean skilled professionals from around the world can seek recognition to practise in the UK in areas where their skills are in need. Supporting the UK’s key regulated professions to deliver the vital services on which we rely is a priority for the government. Regulators are the experts in their field and must have the autonomy to set the standard required to practise in the UK, ensuring quality and safety.
Turing Scheme
Boycotts, Divestments and Sanctions – another very political one
The purpose of the legislation is to deliver the manifesto commitment to stop public bodies from imposing their own approach or views about international relations, through preventing boycott, divestment or sanctions campaigns against foreign countries.
The main benefits of the legislation would be preventing divisive behaviour that undermines community cohesion by preventing public bodies from imposing their own approach or views about international relations via their own boycott, divestment or sanctions campaigns. There are concerns that such boycotts may legitimise antisemitism.
The main elements of the legislation are stopping public bodies from taking a different approach to UK Government sanctions and foreign relations. This will be in the form of preventing public institutions carrying out independent boycotts, divestments and sanctions against:
Draft Online Safety Bill
The purpose of the draft Bill is to:
The main benefits of the draft Bill would be:
The main elements of the draft Bill are:
Education Recovery Plan
As we build back from the pandemic, we are putting in place a package of measures to ensure no child is left behind as a result of the education and extracurricular activities they may have missed out on. We are working with the Education Recovery Commissioner – Sir Kevan Collins – to
Queen’s speech – this mostly not new, no legislation, just a little update on where we are
BEIS published a press release on the research focussed announcements made in the Queen’s Speech stating it has reinforced the UK’s commitments to becoming a global science superpower, taking advantage of the UK’s departure from the EU, and strengthening our energy security as we transition to a net zero future.
Queen’s speech – Advanced Research and Invention Agency – again, not new, just a progress report
The ARIA Bill was first introduced in March 2021 (after a lot of prior discussion and Committee sessions) and has been carried over from the 2019-21 parliamentary session. The Government have committed £800 million to fund ARIA.
The purpose of the Bill is to:
The main benefits of the Bill would be:
The main elements of the Bill are:
This week Research Minister, Amanda Solloway, published a written ministerial statement setting out the £200,000 budget and use of an agency to source the best candidates for the ARIA CEO and Chair roles: Given the unusual autonomy placed on the CEO and Chair roles for ARIA, it is vital we source the best possible candidates, and get them started as soon as possible. We have planned an extensive outreach strategy to ensure we maximise the size of the talent pool. We will expand and enhance the search for the right individuals, including by procuring the services of a respected international Executive Search agency from the Government’s Commercial Framework. This agency will not have any part to play in candidate selection or interview sifting, these activities will be the responsibilities of BEIS Secretary of State and the ARIA Recruitment Panel, respectively.
Regional R&D
The Higher Education Policy Institute has published a report on regional policy and R&D finding that geographic concentration of Research and Development (R&D) investment is a widespread characteristic of research globally and is not unique to the UK.
The report highlights that there is no single picture of the distribution of research funding, with the pattern depending on the metric used.
Recognising that the levelling up agenda is not the first attempt to stimulate regional investment and address regional inequalities in the UK, the authors argue that future regional initiatives must be built on firmer foundations – with much wider recognition of the complex picture of UK research funding among policymakers.
The report makes six recommendations to develop more resilient regional R&D initiatives.
Quick News:
The Post Qualification Admissions (PQA) debate is another significant Government intervention in HE right now. PQA has been bumbling along as an idea for years but the current Government seems set on change. The recent consultation highlights that although the Government are willing to push change through they’re undecided about which method, and all proposed approaches have flaws. You can read BU’s response to the consultation. If you read our response, you’ll see we think it creates more problems than it solves. As others have said, is this a solution looking for a problem.
Student Recruitment: Wonkhe have a blog on retaining the most useful and impactful methods on online student recruitment. It’s not just about engaging students who cannot afford to travel or live in rural/remote areas anymore. It also mentions targeted recruitment and the increasing harnessing of data: …recruitment and admissions professionals could begin to think of themselves as citizen-scientists, building data models to deliver the kind of intelligence and insight required to bring prospective students into the learning community – and enable those first exploratory steps on the road to a lifelong relationship.
Exams: Ofqual has released a non-technical guide for students explaining the awards process and how to appeal grades for A levels and equivalent technical and vocational qualifications.
As introduced by the Queen’s Speech the purpose of the Bill is to: fulfil the manifesto commitment to strengthen academic freedom and free speech in universities in England. [Interesting phrasing – do they feel they have to but not really want to, or is this hugely political Bill something they really care about? It seems really odd to prioritise this one as one of the first Bills after the speech]. The Government’s press release trailing the Bill: Universities to comply with free speech duties or face sanctions. The policy paper that has been the foundation for this is here (you may recall the SoS’s colourful and controversial introduction). Wonkhe also have an excellent blog on free speech – everything you want to know – which highlights some of the challenges we discuss below.
And others are questioning the whole premise for the Bill – Phil Baty (THE) on Twitter referred to some stats, from the OfS Prevent monitoring report 2017-18 – issued June 2019
There are many stages for this before it becomes law and much discussion still to come: link to bill itself. .
The main benefits of the Bill would be:
The main elements of the Bill are:
We are concerned about the tangled web that this will create. Some of the problems that are likely to come up are illustrated by this: Universities minister Michelle Donelan was interviewed on PM on Radio 4 yesterday, where host Evan Davies suggested the bill’s provisions could clash with government efforts to tackle antisemitism. Donelan subsequently posted a tweet thread rebutting the claim. Donelan has since been contradicted by the PM and the Secretary of State. This will all need to be clarified at some point, although of course, in practice, someone looking at an incident would in any event have to look at all the factual and contextual circumstances of an incident as well as the potentially conflicting rules. The problem is this is all so political that these controversial disputes will be fought out in the open, in an ill- or at best partially- informed social media frenzy.
Since the Queen’s Speech the Government has introduced this Bill with the Lifetime Skills Guarantee as its centrepiece. The Bill has not yet been published, but will form the legislative underpinning for the reforms set out in the previously published Skills for Jobs White Paper. The Government say the proposed new law create a post-16 and adult education and training system that is “fit for the future, providing the skills that people need for well-paid jobs and opportunities to train throughout their lifetime.” The rhetoric surrounding the introduction of the Bill reminds the PM outlined his vision for a radical change in skills provision in a speech last year. He made clear that the 50 per cent of young people who do not go to university have been historically deprived of the chance to find their vocation and develop a fulfilling, well-paid career. This rather sets the tone and the translucent Government intention behind the Bill. However, it remains to be seen whether it will work out as the Government intends.
And it will be expensive – so are there cuts to HE funding round the corner to help fund it?
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said – As we rebuild from the pandemic, we’ve put reforming post-16 education and skills at the heart of our plans to build back better, and as Education Secretary I have championed the often forgotten 50 per cent of young people who don’t go to university. Through legislation, our vision is to transform the sector and expand opportunity right across the country, so that more people can get the skills they need to get good jobs.
Meanwhile Research Professional cover the comments from the Director for Fair Access and Participation (OfS) who states that universities “must be central to the vision” behind plans to improve access to further and higher technical education.
The Queen’s Speech introduced the purpose of the Bill is to:
The main benefits of the Bill would be:
The main elements of the Bill are:
There’s a lot to say about all this.
Is it truly lifelong? The change in funding has been welcomed by many but one wonders if the devil will be in the detail. In fact, is it really a cut? The four years of flexible funding for level 4-6 qualifications doesn’t seem much of a change for most HE students on an academic route – currently this is all the Government funds as standard anyway. In effect this is just reinforcing that you only have one bite of the cherry. So if an individual decides to take some flexible modules across a range of programmes and at a mix of providers, perhaps even adding some technical or vocational pathway provision in and then decides their heart lies in a particular area which requires a full degree they will have run out of tuition funding before they complete their degree. Of course, the Government might respond that the mix of modules the individual undertook were all accredited and the credit can be transferred in. However, the reality is rarely that simple.
There is also the adult worker with an undergraduate degree in psychology who wishes to retrain in an ELQ exempt subject such as midwifery (so currently they get a second set of funding). Or the manufacturing worker who took a series of courses related to his role that their employer required them to use the Government funding for – who finds themself redundant due to automation and AI and without enough credit to retrain.
Flexibility is great as long as all providers accept the credit accumulated and it doesn’t chip away at the overall pot too much to prevent the individual achieving their aspirations.
Will the Government continue to provide a second bite of the cherry for priority or work shortage areas? Probably, but it still places a lot of pressure on the young people to choose wisely for that first degree and they likely will have had little careers advice, life or work experience to know where to choose to make their mark in the world. It also perpetuates current social mobility concerns – young people from disadvantaged areas are risk adverse so may be most affected by the drip drip of frequent calls on their “pot”.
For HE it could mean little change but for individuals there isn’t a safety net. I think we all recall the controversial advert the Government had to withdraw where Fatima the dancer was expected to retrain for a career in IT.
And there was some interesting stuff tucked away in the notes accompanying the Speech on giving the OfS additional powers to enforce their quality framework.
Wonkhe shared details of a report from London South Bank and Aston Universities which makes the case for a technically focused university role in the expansion of higher technical education. The joint report – “Truly Modern Technical Education” calls for flexibility in the use of the apprenticeship levy and the proposed lifelong learning account to allow for higher education qualifications at levels four and five to form a part of a wider, collaborative, offer.
The report also argues that universities of technology could strengthen the link between skills and R&D, and that universities should play a leading role in the development of local industrial or economic strategies. It notes that 39 per cent of students enrolled in UK universities in 2019 were studying a “technical” subject.
There’s a blog too. If you read the blog ensure you read the comments responding to the blog too!
Universities Minister Michelle Donelan confirmed all students are permitted to return to campus on 17 May and acknowledged that while teaching may have finished for many they could engage in cocurricular and other on-campus activities before the end of term and enable them to have the option of engaging with their academic tutors in-person. This could include in-person career support, society events as well as other social student experiences that have had to remain remote up until now.
Research Professional report that the timing of student return shows government is ‘out of touch’ following comment from Paul Blomfield, MP and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Students which stated the decision to reopen campuses so late in the academic year exposes the government as out of touch with higher education. He continued: After almost half a year of being told to stay away from campuses, students are frustrated about being an afterthought and angry about the lack of support from the government…On rents and lost earnings, they’ve been hit hard, without the support available to others.
UCU said: This looks like a stupid end to a stupid year beset by government mismanagement.
Read more from Research Professional on the reopening in Too Little, Too Late.
Wonkhe: All students can now “return” to campus. But what for? Wonkhe’s short piece highlights how universities’ hands are still tied in offering Donelan’s meaningful ‘activities’:
Back to Donelan’s letter which reminds about the additional £15 million hardship funding available to students through HE providers and restates the Covid testing regime. Also acknowledging the restricted access to work experience the letter announces the Graduate Employment and Skills Guide:
There are also the Graduate Employability Case Studies: these case studies showcase the breadth of innovative work and range of new measures university and college careers services have introduced to support final year students and recent graduates as they transition from university to graduate life.
There are also no guarantees that September will be a ‘normal’ restart. The letter notes the Government will issue guidance on the return to campus and support providers to respond in an agile way to any public health issues that we might encounter.
The Government’s press release covering all the above is here.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer conducted a mini-reshuffle of his shadow cabinet. The full list of appointments can be viewed here. Notable moves are:
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has published the outcomes of their latest project, ‘Learning from the Online Pivot’, which aimed to identify what worked well and what is likely to continue as part of HE sector practice beyond the pandemic. The interim findings and case studies introduced in the briefing note form part of a wider set of insights and resources which will be made available to QAA Members in June 2021.
What matters? Reaffirming the role of outcomes-based approaches
What works? Exploring preliminary sector survey findings. A number of positive legacies have emerged from the pandemic period including:
Click here to view the updated inquiries and consultation tracker. Email us on policy@bournemouth.ac.uk if you’d like to contribute to any of the current consultations.
To subscribe to the weekly policy update simply email policy@bournemouth.ac.uk. A BU email address is required to subscribe.
External readers: Thank you to our external readers who enjoy our policy updates. Not all our content is accessible to external readers, but you can continue to read our updates which omit the restricted content on the policy pages of the BU Research Blog – here’s the link.
Did you know? You can catch up on previous versions of the policy update on BU’s intranet pages here. Some links require access to a BU account- BU staff not able to click through to an external link should contact eresourceshelp@bournemouth.ac.uk for further assistance.
JANE FORSTER | SARAH CARTER
VC’s Policy Advisor Policy & Public Affairs Officer
Follow: @PolicyBU on Twitter | policy@bournemouth.ac.uk
We’re a little bit late this week, but we hope you enjoy the latest update. If anything exciting crops up in the Queen’s Speech on Tuesday we will let you know. In the meantime we are all looking forward to the next set of Covid announcements – with hugging!
You’ll have noted the policy team enjoy a good Commons or Lords Library briefing. This week’s offering from the Lords Library explores the education announcements that may be made through next week’s Queen’s Speech. The Queen’s Speech sets the tone and the agenda for the Parliamentary session. For HE there isn’t expected to be much (the really big things like fees and funding are being saved for the Spending Review in the Autumn). But we can expect announcements on the skills agenda, which is directly not about HE, but is relevant to us – partly because it is about the government focus on alternatives to HE. Otherwise the most relevant content is likely to be announcements on free speech.
Dods have their own little speculation on the free speech Government agenda:
If the free speech agenda doesn’t float your boat you can read the speculative briefings on a myriad of other areas too – justice, digital, housing, biodiversity, alcohol harm, international development, NHS staffing, LGBTI+ and much more. The topics are displayed across multiple pages so keep clicking through to find out what is coming up in your interest area.
Meanwhile Wonkhe tell us that Conservative Home has an opinion piece, which argues that instead of creating additional legislation to protect freedom of speech in universities, the government should instead review the harassment provision within the Equality Act 2010.
Neither the Student Loans (Debt Discharge) Bill nor the Higher Education Cheating Services Prohibition Bill completed the parliamentary process before Parliament was prorogued last Thursday and were not “carried over”. This mean both Bills have been dropped and would have to be reintroduced (not as easy as it sounds) and start from scratch in the new Parliament to proceed. Neither Bill had made much progress through the stages which highlights both the little time available for private members bills and that they were not of great interest to the Government. We’re not expecting them to be in the Queen’s Speech.
The Government announced they will publish a Levelling Up White Paper later this year. It will articulate how new policy interventions will improve opportunity and boost livelihoods across the country as we recover from the pandemic. Despite the challenges of Covid-19, levelling up and ensuring that the whole UK can benefit from the same access to opportunities remains core to the Government’s vision. The Prime Minister intends to lead on the White Paper and has set up a new No 10 Cabinets Office Unit and appointed Neil O’Brien MP as his Levelling Up Adviser. The proposed policies will focus on challenges including improving living standards, growing the private sector and increasing and spreading opportunity. Also work being undertaken to repair the damage done by Covid to public services, with backlogs in hospitals and courts prioritised alongside school catch ups and jobs.
Neil O’Brien MP said: Levelling up has been a real passion of mine for many years, and I’m incredibly excited by the Prime Minister’s agenda. After such a challenging year, there has never been a better time to unite and level up the country. It’s absolutely crucial that we bring opportunity to every single part of the UK by making sure our spending, tax, investment and regeneration priorities bring about meaningful change.
Wonkhe have a blog: Downing Street has announced a new white paper on the levelling up agenda. Jim Dickinson asks if the MP leading the work can define it, explain it and achieve it.
Industrial Strategy Challenges – The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee published a report on UK Research & Innovation’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) was set up to help address some of the complex issues the UK economy faces, including long-term low productivity and living standards. It was designed around four ‘grand challenges’: future mobility; clean growth; artificial intelligence and data; and the ageing society. Below are a summary of conclusions and recommendations within the report, compiled by Dods.
Research Culture – The Russell Group published Realising Our Potential – Backing Talent and Strengthening UK Research Culture and Environment – a report examining the current UK academic research culture and environment, including the system drivers and incentives which can create challenges and unintended consequences for researchers. The Russell Group’s report is here
Through interviews with researchers and case studies of their own universities, the Group have compiled a Research Culture and Environment Toolkit containing practical suggestions. The report highlights the need for a more stable, long-term funding system for research. This, it says, will enable researchers to focus on what they do best: tackling challenges such as net zero, improving health and social outcomes across the UK and translating research into innovative new solutions with business. To foster ambitious, creative and innovative research the report says universities need a well-resourced and supportive research culture and environment which:
The report is accompanied by a toolkit of practical ideas for universities, funders and publishers, including:
There’s a blog on Wonkhe by Grace Gottlieb, co-author, excerpt: A recurring theme in the interviews was the importance of broadening what we value in research. There’s a growing appetite to recognise the rich variety of contributions that individuals make to the research endeavour – hiring, promotion, and grant criteria are a good place to start. The Principal Investigator who puts supporting colleagues before publishing papers deserves recognition. The PhD student who has ideas for how to make the institution work better should be listened to. The postdoc who gains experience in another sector should be celebrated.
Amanda Solloway, minister for science, research and innovation, welcomed the new report, saying:
Research Professional explore the Russell Group report. The article is worth a quick peruse. Snippet: …it seems to bear little resemblance to the lived reality of being a precariously employed researcher in the fiercely competitive environment of a research-intensive university, beset by the need to publish and capture grant income, create impact and keep ahead of the paperwork, while simultaneously seeking long-term career opportunities driven by cycles of the Research Excellence Framework..
Appointments
ARIA – The Public Bill Committee finished its scrutiny of the ARIA Bill and has reported without amendment. The Bill will be carried over into the next Session of Parliament.
PQA: the Department for Education consultation closes this week and we preparing to submit our response.
Exams – Ofqual confirmed that students who receive a teacher assessed grade this summer will be eligible to take GCSE, AS or A level exams in the same subject in autumn 2021.
And another blog: Wonkhe: Demand for higher education is up. But with so much uncertainty surrounding this year’s exam cycle, how can universities select students in a way that’s fair? Mark Corver runs the numbers.
Luminate & Prospects published the Early Careers Survey 2021: Work Experience During a Crisis report highlighting that work experience has been scarce during the pandemic and students undertaking opportunities are more likely to have been unpaid and worked in person.
Research Professional give a more detailed description on the report.
Research Professional continue by exploring what employers value:
A parliamentary question on graduate career support: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to introduce an employment support scheme for recent university graduates.
The Equality Hub has begun recruitment for the new Chair of the Social Mobility Commission (SMC). The interim co-chairs, Sandra Wallace and Steven Cooper, will cease their cover role by October 2021 at the latest. The chair will lead the SMC in promoting social mobility both within and outside Government, oversee work to strengthen the evidence base and improve public understanding of how opportunity is created and made accessible to all. We can expect an announcement on the appointment of the new chair by the summer.
Catch up: Figures released in response to Parliamentary questions reveal that just 93,000 pupils across England have started to receive tutoring under the Government’s catch up programme (equivalent to just 1% of school pupils). Among those eligible for pupil premium, who are most likely to have struggled to learn remotely during lockdown, 41,850 are receiving tutoring – equivalent to just 2% of those eligible for pupil premium. The figures also show that just one in 8,277 pupils are being supported by an academic mentor under the scheme, with mentor support so far reaching just 23,000 children.
Colleagues with an eye on the international situation may wish to follow the APPG for International Students meeting next Wednesday, 12 May.
Graham Stuart MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for International Trade, and the Minister responsible for the International Education Strategy, will update the APPG on the Government’s progress
You can read the latest HEPI blogs here, or follow the selected links below:
The Guardian reports that the Student Loans Company is sitting on more than £18m in overpayments by nearly 60,000 graduates and other former students since 2015. The SLC has said it cannot make refunds without correct contact details. But the Higher Education Policy Institute says responsibility to avoid overpayment should not fall on graduates.
The short version is that SLC rely on graduates to repay by direct debit in the final stages of repayment, otherwise they overpay. Once overpaid the SLC struggle to reach the graduate to repay the sum as contact information is out of date.
Research Professional provide the in depth version:
The Office for National Statistics have published the latest experimental statistics from the Student Covid-19 Insights Survey which explores the pandemic impact on HE students. This data relates to the period 15 April to 22 April 2021.
The Independent Adjudicator for HE published their annual report on student complaints.
Complaint numbers and outcomes
Complaints received by domicile
Complaints received by level of study
Nature of complaints
Received fewer complaints about academic appeals (33% compared with 48% in 2019). This is likely to be largely due to the use of “no detriment” or safety net policies during the pandemic. This category includes complaints about academic matters such
Click here to view the updated inquiries and consultation tracker. Email us on policy@bournemouth.ac.uk if you’d like to contribute to any of the current consultations.
Mature students: Advance HE published the article What mature-age students need from online higher education it has an Australian focus so we’ve not included the statistics here but it is worth a very quick read.
EPI comparison: EPI research A comparison of school institutions and policies across the UK compares schools policies in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, analysing major changes since devolution.
Changing health: Future Health report How the healthcare sector can support the UK economic recovery has a series of recommendations on how the Government should shift the healthcare policy environment post-Covid. The recommendations have implications for R&D investment, skills and apprenticeships.
Schools: Education Minister responds to Petitions Committee request for more information on diversity in the curriculum
Online: Times Higher has a collection on safe and ethical online teaching offers advice on responsible data handling and learning analytics as well as on ensuring respectful conduct online and providing help to students from a distance. And a contribution from BU’s Andy Phippen on why cybersecurity should be taught across universities.
Tender success: Research Professional report that the firm owned by the peer embroiled in Boris Johnson’s flat redecoration row won a Student Loans Company tender.
Civic Universities: Research Professional – how to spot a civic university.
Quack: And if you’ve had ‘one of those weeks’ here’s a story about a HE big duck.
To subscribe to the weekly policy update simply email policy@bournemouth.ac.uk. A BU email address is required to subscribe.
External readers: Thank you to our external readers who enjoy our policy updates. Not all our content is accessible to external readers, but you can continue to read our updates which omit the restricted content on the policy pages of the BU Research Blog – here’s the link.
Did you know? You can catch up on previous versions of the policy update on BU’s intranet pages here. Some links require access to a BU account- BU staff not able to click through to an external link should contact eresourceshelp@bournemouth.ac.uk for further assistance.
JANE FORSTER | SARAH CARTER
VC’s Policy Advisor Policy & Public Affairs Officer
Follow: @PolicyBU on Twitter | policy@bournemouth.ac.uk
Today, with midwives across the globe, the Centre of Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) celebrates the International Day of the Midwife 2021. Since we are enable to celebrate in person in this challenging year, we planned and watch together online events around this year’s International Day of the Midwife theme: Follow the data: invest in midwives.
We also produced the poster on the picture with messages from BU students, staff and partners across the world.
Laura Iannuzzi, Juliet Wood, Debbee Houghton for the Midwifery Team.
Parliament has prorogued at close of business on Thursday, returning for the State Opening of Parliament on Tuesday 11 May. Despite this it is likely the news will continue apace particularly with the post qualification admissions consultation responses coming in thick and fast. This week’s policy update has NEON’s admissions response. HEPI have a paper out on student sexual consent, and there was significant parliamentary activity in the HE sphere with oral questions, topicals and the Universities Minister in front of the Education Committee.
Michelle Donelan, Universities Minister, was questioned in the regular accountability session by the Education Committee this week. The committee examined the Government response to the Covid challenges for HE, particularly learning, job-seeking and mental health. They questioned the minister on antisemitism, race hate and Islamophobia in universities. They also heard the Government’s plans for widening the scope of HE and their programmes to tackle levelling up. A summary of Donelan’s responses, prepared by Dods, is here. The session was illuminating when reading between the lines to see which policies the Government’s ardour for has cooled, which they’re in a pickle about (but determined to continue to intervene), and which they will continue to push.
In short (topics in bold so you can pick out your interest areas):
Wonkhe also have a good blog delving into the accountability session which is worth a read. It begins:
Minimum entry requirements to HE: Finally Wonkhe’s data guru, David Kernohan, provides modelling to demonstrate that there’s a clear relationship…demonstrating that a minimum entry qualification rule would disproportionately affect young people from disadvantaged backgrounds (no levelling up here!) and that we have a problem in retaining students from disadvantaged backgrounds anyway.
Advanced Research and Invention Agency – here’s the latest progress on ARIA.
Government response – Meanwhile the Commons Science and Technology Committee published the government response to their report on the proposed new high-risk, high-reward research funding agency (now known as ARIA).
Wonkhe summarise:
Hancock Speech: Matt Hancock spoke at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry annual conference. He spoke of the UK becoming a life sciences superpower and stated three things the Government and, separately, industry could do to realise this ambition.
Government
Industry
Funding Cuts – here are some excerpts from oral questions with Universities Minister Donelan which bring home the impact of the Official Development Assistance budget cuts:
Separately, Wonkhe report: The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has written to Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to urge action on government funding cuts to scientific research. The committee recommends that the government ensures adequate funding for UK’s participation in Horizon Europe, maintains funding for research in developing countries, and recommits to spending £22bn on research and development by 2024-25.
Parliamentary Questions
This week there was a BBC3 documentary on racism in universities with interviews with students who experienced racial incidents or harassment whilst at university.
Wonkhe tell us:
Also there is a Wonkhe blog from November 2020 – David Richardson explained why he believes universities are institutionally racist – and what can be done about it.
HEPI published a new poll and a report on sex and relationships among students (shorter content here). Dods provided a summary of the report – contact us if you wish to access this. Or read on for excerpts from Research Professional’s coverage here and here:
The Times Higher also covers the consent test.
HEPI blog: The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report and disaggregating BAME in higher education
A report, published by the University and College Union (UCU) and National Education Opportunities Network (NEON) ,says “a move to post-qualifications applications (PQA) is essential in creating a fairer, student centred university admissions system. It also shows how the move could lower excessive workloads for school, college and university staff.”
Wonkhe: DK has taken a look on Wonk Corner.
Dods explain the thinking further: the case for PQA is presented as three-fold:
The student-centred PQA model describes HE admissions as a three-phase process. Drawing on the evidence regarding how young students make HE choices, admissions is defined as beginning significantly earlier than in the PQA models outlined in the government consultation document. These three phases are:
The student-centred model has 7 distinctive features that address the challenges associated with moving to post-qualifications applications:
UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: After years of campaigning by UCU and others, we are finally on the cusp of tackling the unfairness in university admissions. But too many organisations seem wary of the bold reform that will end the use of unfair predicted grades. This report shows the blight of predicted grades must end if we are to remove the disadvantages students currently face. It also shows the impact of changes to the admissions cycle on universities and staff can be easily overcome, and highlights the benefits to both staff and students that a post-qualifications applications system will bring. The time has come for a truly student centred approach to university admissions, and we must not settle for half measures.
NEON director Graeme Atherton said: A post-qualifications applications system is a gateway reform that can assist in widening access to higher education, improving graduate outcomes and providing the impetus for a long overdue focus on the information, advice and guidance that students receive on their journey to higher education. The report outlines a roadmap to how we build this new system.
We’ll see more commenting on post qualification admissions over the next few weeks as the consultation on the topic is set to close on 13 May.
HEPI blogs:
Hardship Funding: Universities Minister, Michelle Donelan, has written to the OfS to provide guidance on the distribution of hardship funding. She writes that the OfS should use the existing student premium funding mechanism to distribute the funding, taking into account the following priorities:
Donelan also outlines details of payment, terms and conditions, and monitoring, e.g. the funding must be fully spent this academic year.
COSMO Study: A new study to follow the outcomes – educational, career and wellbeing – for 12,000 year 11 students across England will be the largest study of its kind to find out how the pandemic has affected them. The study, called the COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities (COSMO) Study, will receive £4.6 million from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It will be led by researchers from the UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities and the Sutton Trust.
The Sutton Trust has commissioned an additional sample of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who showed academic potential before the pandemic, to look in more depth at the impact on their chances for social mobility. This work will be funded by XTX Markets.
Quick News: Published a few weeks ago – a description of the constant adjustment a first in family student experiences.
On Monday oral questions covered an exchange on the Turing scheme. It shows the Government as steadfast in their decisions and unmoved by the reduction in funding available under the scheme:
Exchange: Turing+ (Erasmus): Prior to this, on Sunday, Chris Skidmore wrote for Research Professional to turn the tables and put the onus on universities to find solutions to the Erasmus demise. He writes:
Skidmore also offers to work with any university to create such a scheme, and states: I’ve already had conversations with several academics and understand that, with final Erasmus+ funding ceasing by 2022, an exchange scheme would be needed from September 2022. This gives time to begin creating a pilot scheme. After all, Erasmus started small and so could a new scheme that allows for inbound mobility. If its success is proved, and companies are able to come on board, who knows where it might lead?
A QS poll reported in the Guardian finds 47% of prospective international students would choose to study in the UK because of the rate of vaccinations in the country. 17% of respondents said they thought the government was handling the rollout better than anywhere else; the UK was more popular than the US, Canada, Australia and Germany. 17% also stated the vaccine had made them bring forward their plans to study abroad, while more than half (56%) said they were focusing their search on countries in which a successful vaccine programme was being implemented. However, 45% didn’t believe the UK had handled its broader pandemic response effectively.
Wonkhe: The fourth instalment of the IDP Connect International Student Crossroads research finds that of the more than 6,000 prospective international students polled 64 per cent are prepared to comply with a requirement for a vaccine passport, but 30 per cent say they want more information before making a decision. 29 per cent would be prepared to pay the full cost of quarantine, and 43 per cent to pay some of the cost.
Research Professional have more details on the QS poll.
Universities to manage red list quarantine push: The Government avoided responding to concerns raised in oral questions over the quarantining of international students at high cost: International students are hugely important to our universities. With India added to the red list, there is real concern that the cost of hotel quarantine will be a deal breaker for some. Can the Minister tell us whether universities will be allowed to manage the quarantine system for themselves, which they are well qualified to do, and how soon could that be resolved? If not, who or what is the obstacle? Instead Donelan stated that international students are eligible for hardship funding.
Following this the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary University Group, Daniel Zeichner has written to Universities Minister, Michelle Donelan, on government plans to allow individual universities that have the capacity and capability to manage the mandatory quarantine of international students arriving from red list countries to do so, and whether this has been discussed with colleagues in the Department for Health and Social Care. Wonkhe summarise: Zeichner expresses concerns that requiring these students to self-isolate in hotels will reduce capacity in the wider quarantine system and affect the student experience of students arriving in the UK, who might be better served self-isolating in university owned accommodation.
Wonkhe summarise: i News says that universities in Scotland are in talks to pilot a hotel quarantine scheme to allow international students from red list countries to self-isolate upon their arrival to the UK while also reporting that many students from India are cancelling their flights to the UK due to the cost of hotel quarantine.
Also a parliamentary question asks what plans the Government has to support international students enrolling onto HE courses at the start of the 2021-22 academic year within the covid-international travel framework.
Another question asks whether Red list incoming international students can quarantine in their university accommodation. The Government have issued a holding response stating it isn’t possible to answer this within the allotted timescale. The final answer will pop up on the same link once it is released.
China: Wonkhe: The think tank Civitas has published a report on the relationship between the UK and China and the challenges posed by China’s growing centrality in world affairs. Noting the economic reliance of the UK and others on Chinese exports across a range of industries, the report points out China’s aspiration to remodel its economy around major high tech industries. The report cites concerns that the Chinese state engages in intellectual property theft and warns that UK universities may be producing research that is of use to Chinese military. Recommendations include that the UK makes science and technology a core policy priority, screening of Chinese foreign investment, and more robust protections against research abuses and intellectual property theft
Quick News
The Government have released new HE provider data on coronavirus reporting for the Autumn and Spring 2020/21 academic terms. There were a total of 75,546 confirmed coronavirus cases from 1 August 2020 to 7 April 2021 (estimate: autumn = 59,596 cases; spring = 16,950)
Questions
A parliamentary question confirmed that students planning to study abroad in 2021-22 will not be prioritised for the vaccine and will have to wait for their age group to be vaccinated. This week’s topical questions tentatively touched on whether students are wise to expect to be resident at universities from the new academic year starting in September:
Empathy: Wonkhe: Ben Vulliamy interrogates social media commentary on the student experience during the pandemic and concludes we should try to understand, rather than just react.
Jisc published AI in tertiary education – A summary of the current state of play. The report aims to summarise the types of AI applications that are available in education today and provides impact case studies. It also considers legal and ethical issues and briefly speculates on what AI applications might be available in the near future. Press release here.
The National Centre for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Tertiary Education also launched this week. It seeks to embed immersive technologies in university and college education. The initiative – which has been welcomed by global technology companies including Amazon Web Services, Google, and Microsoft – is led by Jisc and supported by innovation-focused universities and colleges throughout the UK. It will initially be staffed by a dedicated team of seven AI experts, plus consultants and partners from industry and education. The National Centre aims to deliver AI solutions at 60 colleges and 30 universities within five years, (supporting the Government’s AI strategy) as announced by Digital Secretary, Oliver Dowden, in March.
Jisc’s Director of Edtech, Andy McGregor, says: Universities and colleges are at a critical juncture. COVID showed the possibilities technology offers in delivering courses remotely. AI offers the chance to help every student reach their highest potential by offering highly personalised education. However, this will only work if AI is used to augment the important role teachers play in education, and if ethics are at the forefront of implementing AI tools.
Click here to view the updated inquiries and consultation tracker. Email us on policy@bournemouth.ac.uk if you’d like to contribute to any of the current consultations.
Field studies: The QAA has published updated guidance on the ongoing implications of the pandemic for placements and practice-based courses to include field work.
G7: the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and European Union have agreed to the G7 Digital and Technology Ministerial Declaration and Annexes which set out the G7’s commitment to working together across: Internet Safety; Data Free Flow with Trust; Electronic Transferable Records; Digital Technical Standards; Digital Competition and critical digital, telecoms, and ICT supply chains.
Knowledge Exchange: Evaluating academic engagement with UK legislatures was a recent event offered as part of the universities policy engagement network. You can read the report here.
Essay Mills: A slightly shocking Wonkhe blog – Essay corruption on an industrial scale – about the 1000 essay mills that are available to students!
Graduate prospects: Wonkhe – The Institute of Student Employers has declared that graduate recruitment is bouncing back, as it released the results of a survey of graduate employers, which found that the majority of top recruiters have either stabilised or increased their recruitment in 2021. Of the 135 employers surveyed, 48 per cent are recruiting at the level as last year, while 36 per cent have increased their hiring. Research Professional tell us: There is, however, “considerable shrinkage” at retail and consumer goods employers, with 38 per cent cutting graduate recruitment in the aftermath of a year of on-and-off lockdowns.
Mental Health: Advance HE has been commissioned by Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity, to design an impact evaluation framework for the new University Mental Health Charter Programme.
Prosperity Plan: The Covid Recovery Commission, which consists of the UK’s leading business figures, has published the report – ‘Ambition 2030: A Partnership for Growth’ – which sets out a blueprint for a National Prosperity Plan. The Plan is designed to help create globally competitive industries in every part of the UK, deliver on the government’s net zero commitments and reduce the economic and social inequalities that have been widened as a result of the pandemic. Key to the Prosperity Plan is the creation of a National Prosperity Scorecard. This would set specific metrics against the Government’s ‘levelling up’ plans to assess and track progress on a key set of social as well as economic indicators including employment and benefit dependency rates as well as health and educational outcomes. Local leaders would also be tasked with developing their own Local Prosperity Plans to help drive growth in every part of the UK
Influencing Policy: A great blog on why influencing policy means a different way of working to academia.
Civic Universities: Colleagues can access this (free) conference by the Civic University Network on 18-20 May.
HEPI also have their usual prolific offering of blogs. Including:
Queen’s Awards: The winners of the Queen’s awards for Enterprise have been announced. These are businesses, not universities, but interesting due to the categories of:
To subscribe to the weekly policy update simply email policy@bournemouth.ac.uk. A BU email address is required to subscribe.
External readers: Thank you to our external readers who enjoy our policy updates. Not all our content is accessible to external readers, but you can continue to read our updates which omit the restricted content on the policy pages of the BU Research Blog – here’s the link.
Did you know? You can catch up on previous versions of the policy update on BU’s intranet pages here. Some links require access to a BU account- BU staff not able to click through to an external link should contact eresourceshelp@bournemouth.ac.uk for further assistance.
JANE FORSTER | SARAH CARTER
Policy Advisor Policy & Public Affairs Officer
Follow: @PolicyBU on Twitter | policy@bournemouth.ac.uk
It’s been a while since we were in touch – and it was an epic Easter with the news and announcements almost as plentiful as the eggs. Welcome to your egg-cessive catch up edition! [All complaints about puns to Sarah please!]
The OfS have announced a new condition of registration to protect students at HE providers who may be at risk of closure. It empowers them to act quickly and in a targeted way. This blog explains the change. The actual regulatory framework is available here. The OfS previously consulted the sector on the new conditions following which they developed the new condition. It is understood that the consultation responses disagreed with the approach outlined for the new condition but the regulator stated that the condition was necessary.
The OfS acknowledge that: Responses…from universities and colleges were less likely to agree with our proposals than those from students. In many cases, providers highlighted concerns about protecting institutional autonomy. We considered these responses carefully, but concluded that they did not set out sufficiently compelling reasons for the interests of providers to outweigh the interests of students in these situations.
Put more bluntly, we took the view that we need this condition in place so that it can be used when the risks to the interests of students become so acute that they justify intervention that will affect autonomy and create additional regulatory burden…The new condition of registration we have introduced gives us a sharper and much needed regulatory tool to do that in a wide range of circumstances.
The chances of this being used are now small – when it was mooted it looked like there might be some large institutions that might end up in this position as a result of the pandemic. However, now it is more likely that this would be invoked for a rare market exit situation in unusual and specific circumstances. Like the DfE rescue plan, it is something whose very existence will encourage institutions to find a way to make sure it doesn’t apply to them!
The OfS have called for the HE sector to review sexual misconduct and harassment policies, systems and procedures before the end of the current academic year. The OfS published a statement of expectations stating the framework provides a clear and consistent set of standards that all universities and colleges can follow to implement effective systems and policies to both prevent and respond to incidents.
Currently the statement of expectations isn’t linked to specific conditions of registration, so it’s an expectation not a regulatory requirement. However, OfS will be engaging with universities (and students, and students’ unions) to understand the outcomes and progress made during this requested re-consideration of policy.
Student information on harassment, hate and sexual misconduct is here.
OfS chief executive, Nicola Dandridge, blogged:
Wonkhe have several blogs:
The Office for Students (OfS) announced that major changes in the National Student Survey (NSS) will be introduced over the next two years following the first phase of a review of the survey conducted by the regulator. Wonkhe published a blog.
The review of the NSS was commissioned by Universities Minister Michelle Donelan, and the terms of reference were agreed in September 2020 for a radical review to address concerns that the survey could be adversely impacting on quality and standards (i.e. driving grade inflation) and creating significant unnecessary bureaucracy for universities and colleges.
Gavin and Michelle had said “scrap it and develop something new”. The OfS now say, you’re wrong, and we can prove it…brave. But there is a big concession later in terms of removing/changing question 27 and making it harder for league tables….
On the big Ministerial statement (that the NSS drives grade inflation):
So what next – note the second one which is a nod to the political issues with NSS:
HEPI have a blog by Johnny Rich: The true potential of a national student survey, in which he suggests that it should include more engagement data. “…once the review train starts rolling, it takes more than the undermining of its entire premise to stop it. And so, the NSS will be reformed, whether it needs it or not. I happen to believe it does – but not for the reasons stated by the Government – and even timid change presents bold opportunities.2
Research Professional consider the NSS from the perspective of the administrative burden. They state:
ARIA – Wonkhe summarise Tuesday’s debates into ARIA: Speaking before the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) Bill Committee, opposition spokesperson Daniel Zeichner pushed for the amendment to change the name of the agency to the Advanced Research and Engineering Projects Agency in order to distance itself from the influence of Dominic Cummings, whose appearance before the Science and Technology Committee Zeichner described as “self-indulgent”. Across the day’s two sessions the committee discussed proposed amendments relating to the makeup of ARIA’s executive board, its relationship with central government, making ARIA subject to the Freedom of Information Act, and requiring the agency to take into account regional disparities in research funding. You can watch the first and second sessions on Parliament TV.
Wonkhe also summarise the parliamentary questions on ARIA answered earlier this week: Science minister Amanda Solloway answered a number of written questions on the Advanced Research and Innovation Agency from Labour’s Chi Onwurah. These covered how ambitions will be set for ARIA, the timescale between the ARIA bill passing and its first funded project, how to prevent duplication between ARIA’s work and other publicly funded research, on whether ARIA will fund engineering projects, and on an estimate of the proportion of the science budget that will be allocated to ARIA in each of the remaining years of the current Parliament.
Another parliamentary question confirmed that the open recruitment campaigns for ARIA’s first Chair and CEO will launch this spring and there is no intention to make any interim appointments.
Horizon Europe – Research Professional (RP) cover where the Horizon Europe associate membership money will come from:
RP also report that university research managers are struggling to prepare to work on grants for Horizon Europe, as the European Commission has still not published a template agreement with its interpretation of the programme’s rules.
KEF – The Knowledge Exchange Framework dashboards were published. This explains how to use the dashboards. You can view the dashboards for individual institutions here and compare two providers here. Technical notes are here. Basically the dashboards measure HEIs against the following metrics:
Watch out for the stronger black lines they show the ‘cluster’ average (clusters explained here, select ‘cluster’ on the navy blue bar after clicking the link).
Research Professional have a helpful article summarising the overall top level findings and comparisons from the KEF.
Over 100 of the institutions involved (117 out of 135) provided detailed narrative accounts of the work they do to build public and community engagement, and to promote economic growth in their local area. These narratives are published in full on the KEF website.
Chief Executive Officer of UK Research and Innovation Dame Ottoline Leyser said:
Catapults – BEIS published a review and recommendations of how the UK’s Catapults can strengthen research and development capacity, improve productivity and contribute to greater prosperity across the UK.
Quick News
The CBI wants to see towns, cities, regions and nations supported to develop their strength industries in a way which enables each to become globally competitive in their own right. Increasing productivity in all corners of the country will in turn help end inequalities in education, health, wealth and opportunity – and raise living standards for all.
Parliamentary Questions
Wonkhe summarise the TASO report released this week:
Post Qualification Admissions
Wonkhe tell us: Speaking at an AQA event yesterday, John Cope, director of strategy, policy and public affairs at UCAS, said that UCAS will publish recommendations for a post-qualification admissions (PQA) system later this week, saying that moving away from predicted grades is “something that UCAS would welcome”. The Guardian, the Independent, and the Press Association all report on the comments.
You can read UCAS’s Reimaging UK Admissions report hot off the press here. Commenting on the report Research Professional state: A good rule of thumb in the management of universities is to do unto yourself before you are done unto by the government. This Research Professional article has good commentary on the UCAS report. Snippets:
There is a good Wonkhe blog too: Post qualification offer making is nearly as good as the current system.
Care leavers – OfS calls for improved support for students who’ve been in care: A guarantee of year-round accommodation, tailored pastoral support and admissions which take into account applicants’ experiences are among the steps that universities and colleges could put in place to help improve support for students who have been in care, the Office for Students (OfS) has said. You can download the OfS Insights brief here.
To improve the monitoring of this student group’s outcomes, the OfS is proposing an expansion of the future data collected to capture a broader group of applicants with experience of care, as well as working with the Centre for Transforming Access and Outcomes in higher education (TASO) to improve the sharing of effective practice.
The OfS also commissioned research from the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers (NNECL) – confusingly it has the same title as the Insight brief. It outlines what a consistent offer of support could look like, with recommendations including:
The briefing includes case studies of practical support already offered by universities, colleges and local outreach partnerships designed to tackle gaps in access and outcomes, such as:
Chris Millward, director for fair access and participation, said: While there are a number of excellent examples of support for students who have been in care, our analysis is still showing stark disparities in outcomes for this group. We know that the proportion of care experienced students entering into higher education remains substantially lower than their rest of the population, and our data shows that they continue to face barriers even once they get there. To mitigate this, we are calling for a consistent approach to support across the sector. Higher education is a transformative experience, and universities and colleges must do all they can to ensure that it is accessible for all.
Distance Learning – The Nuffield Foundation published a briefing note stating that distance learning could improve accessibility and inclusion in education if the digital divide is addressed. As the key findings below indicate the discussion extends to schools:
TASO speech & loan funded modules
Dods summarise the Social Mobility Commission new research investigating the drivers of socio-economic difference in post-16 course choices and their likely social mobility consequences.
The road not taken: the drivers of course selection finds that disadvantaged women are making course choices at 16 which can lead them to lower paid jobs than men – regardless of how good their GCSEs are. They also find that disadvantaged men are prone to choosing technical subjects which lead to higher earnings, such as engineering and IT. It isn’t new news, but it is interesting that the same pattern continues now as happened in the past despite societal ‘awareness’ of the consequences of these choices. Key findings:
Recommendations (a selection – see report for all)
Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Education, has issued a written ministerial statement on FE and skills detailing the launch of a consultation on a new flexi-apprenticeship scheme and the Skills Accelerator partnerships which connect local stakeholders with training providers to address local skills gaps.
The arguments over the adequacy of the Turing scheme continued during a parliamentary debate this week. MPs expressed disgruntlement over: lower overall funding, grumbles over the inward only nature of the scheme, the application process changes were considered off-putting and a potential barrier for less advantaged students, visa fees, whether the scheme really would benefit disadvantaged students, the limits on the number that can take part, and the disadvantage for English students compared to students within the devolved nations who can also access the Erasmus equivalent funding from their devolved administration.
Universities Minister, Michelle Donelan, responded to the criticisms and confirmed that Turing would not fund staff, apart from those necessary to chaperon student placements, to prioritise taxpayer’s money.
Research Professional considered the bureaucratic burden within three areas of HE life: UKRI impact requirements, the NSS review and OfS regulation.
The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for HE (OIA) have introduced additional Rules for Large Group Complaints which are now in force. This change will help to prepare for and process complaints submitted by large groups of students or large numbers of complaints on certain topics/events (and for individual complaints to be added to a larger group). OIA state the process is more streamlined, however, their approach to decision making will remain the same as under normal process: they will consider what is fair and reasonable in the circumstances of the complaint. The changes were informed by the recent consultation process. Wonkhe have a relevant blog from when the consultation was issued.
Return delayed – You’ll be aware that the Government announced students currently learning remotely are not to return to campus until 17 May at earliest. Here is the written ministerial statement (WMS) setting out the announcement. It also outlines an additional £15 million in hardship funding (on top of the previously announced £70 million) which is to be made available. On this the WMS states:
Impact of Covid on HE Students – The Office for National Statistics have published the latest experimental statistics from the Student Covid-19 Insights Survey, which focuses on the impact of coronavirus on higher education students, covering the period 12 March to 22 March 2021. Key points:
Student Futures Commission – The UPP Foundation announced the creation the Student Futures Commission exploring how, in light of the disruption everyone has faced furring the pandemic, universities can take action to support students from September 2021 to make the best of their remaining time at university and support those starting their HE journey. Mary Curnock Cook (ex-UCAS Chief Executive) will Chair the Commission, she has blogged about the Futures Commission for Wonkhe. Also the Commission’s terms of reference are blissfully short and clear so you can quickly read the three objectives, their approach, and scope and remit here. They will also be calling for written evidence from institutions in May (concluding in June!).
Poll – HEPI published findings from a new YouthSight poll covering students’ views on the impact of Covid on their higher education experience in 2021.
With all the talk of a ‘return to campus’ as restrictions it appears that many students are already living in their term-time accommodation, but a majority do not expect to have face-to-face teaching this academic year. Here are the key findings as stated in the policy note (which has colourful charts too):
Parliamentary Questions
The Quality Assurance Agency has shared outcomes of their work to explore the links between good practice in digital pedagogy and improved student engagement, progression and achievement. Their paper identifies the aspects of digital and blended delivery that are associated with positive student engagement including:
There is an overview of the paper and six case studies, however, you’ll need to log into the QAA site to view both.
Click here to view the updated inquiries and consultation tracker. Email us on policy@bournemouth.ac.uk if you’d like to contribute to any of the current consultations.
To subscribe to the weekly policy update simply email policy@bournemouth.ac.uk. A BU email address is required to subscribe.cata
External readers: Thank you to our external readers who enjoy our policy updates. Not all our content is accessible to external readers, but you can continue to read our updates which omit the restricted content on the policy pages of the BU Research Blog – here’s the link.
Did you know? You can catch up on previous versions of the policy update on BU’s intranet pages here. Some links require access to a BU account- BU staff not able to click through to an external link should contact eresourceshelp@bournemouth.ac.uk for further assistance.
JANE FORSTER | SARAH CARTER
VC’s Policy Advisor Policy & Public Affairs Officer
Follow: @PolicyBU on Twitter | policy@bournemouth.ac.uk
The THET (Tropical Health & Education Trust)-funded project ‘Mental Health Training for Rural Community-based Maternity Care Workers in Nepal‘ [1], led by Bournemouth University, has been showcased on the webpages of Public Health England (PHE). PHE hosts the WHO (World Health Organization) Collaborating Centre for Public Health Nursing and Midwifery. A WHO collaborating centre is an institution designated by the Director-General of the WHO to form part of an international collaborative network set up by WHO in support of its programme at the country, intercountry, regional, interregional and global levels. In line with the WHO policy and strategy of technical cooperation, a WHO collaborating centre also participates in the strengthening of country resources, in terms of information, services, research and training, in support of national health development.
This THET project was organised by Tribhuvan University in collaboration with Bournemouth University and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). Mental health is high on the global agenda and this project raised the importance of the issue in Nepal. The three universities collaborated on an education intervention training Auxiliary Nurse Midwives in Nawalparasi on mental health issues and mental health promotion. The project was supported by Green Tara Nepal, an Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) with whom BU has been working for over a decade. More details on this exciting project can be found in previous BU Research Blogs written in 2016 (see here) and 2017 (see here) and 2018 (see here)! The project has resulted in several academic publications including Dr. Preeti Mahato in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH), Dr. Catherine Angell (CMMPH), Dr. Bibha Simkhada (formerly BU lecturer in Nursing) and FHSS Visiting Faculty Prof. Padam Simkhada and Jillian Ireland. Jillian is Professional Midwifery Advocate at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. [2-6].
References:
This coming Thursday and Friday BNAC (British Nepal Academic Council) will be organising its annual Study Days. This year these will be held largely online. Bournemouth University is well represented in several papers as well as running a workshop for Early Career Researchers. On Thursday there will be two presentations based on the MRC-funded study on the impact of the federalisation process on health policies in Nepal:
On Friday there will be four presentation with links to Bournemouth University:
At Thursday lunchtime there will be a mentoring session for Early Career Researchers which will be coordinated by Premila van Ommen from the University of the Arts, London, and facilitated by Edwin van Teijlingen, University of Bournemouth.
This week BU PhD student Raksha Thapa heard from the editor of the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health that her manuscript “Caste Exclusion and Health Discrimination in South Asia: A Systematic Review” has been accepted for publication [1]. Raksha is supervised in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences by Dr. Pramod Regmi, Dr. Vanessa Heaslip and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen. The paper is a systematic review and the protocol for it was published in PROSPERO early on at the start of her PhD studies [2].
References
Bournemouth University wishes all its Nepali students, staff and collaborators in both the UK and in Nepal a Healthy and Happy New Year 2078 today.
The journal Resuscitation Plus published a systematic review with Debora Almeida in the Department of Midwifery & Health Sciences as lead author. Her latest paper ‘Do automated real-time feedback devices improve CPR quality? A systematic review of literature’ is co-authored with colleagues from Brazil. The review assessed the effectiveness of automated real-time feedback devices for improving CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) performance during training, simulation and real-life resuscitation attempts in the adult and paediatric population. The paper concludes that the use of automated real-time feedback devices enhances skill acquisition and CPR performance during training of healthcare professionals, and secondly, that further research is needed to better understand the role of feedback devices in clinical setting.
Congratulations!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH)
Reference:
Reference:
Welcome to your catch-up edition of the policy update. We bring you all the news from last week and from this week so far – it’s doom and gloom for research funding.
Parliament rises for Easter recess on 25 March so the Policy Update will be back to its regular slot from w/c 19 April. If there are major HE happenings during recess we’ll bring you a short Easter special!
There’s been a lot of research news in the last ten days. The biggest announcements follow.
FUNDING
The House of Commons Library have a useful research briefing: The future of research and development funding; the webpage also summarises the recent Government funding commitments and announcements made in relation to research funding.
Aid funded projects: Previously UKRI stated most of its aid-funded research projects are unlikely to be funded beyond 31 July as a result of the Government slashing its overseas aid development budget (from 0.7% to 0.5% of gross national income (BNI) exacerbated by a fall in GNI as a result of the pandemic). UKRI wrote to universities with further details about the impact of its £120m budget shortfall. The letter appears to confirm that grants which have been awarded but not started will be cancelled.
Dods report: Christopher Smith, UKRI’s international champion, wrote that the funder will work with the institutions “to maximise the benefits from the limited funding we have available” but that it is “unavoidable that some grants will need to be terminated”. He also said that by reprofiling and reducing grants, UKRI would look for ongoing longer-term awards to remain active. But the situation looks bleak for a many grant holders. “It is our current assessment that we would be unable to provide funding for the majority of awards beyond the amount currently agreed up to 31 July 2021,” Smith wrote, adding that UKRI “will not be liable for the cost of new activities entered into after receipt of this letter”. “The reduction in Official Development Assistance spend also means that we are unable to initiate any new awards where proposals have been submitted but have not reached the grant award stage,” Smith added.
Even the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which provides ODA funding for UKRI, had its allocation halved by the foreign secretary Dominic Raab, from £1.4bn in 2020-21 to £706m for 2021-22. UKRI’s allocation has been almost halved to £125m for the upcoming financial year, despite Raab saying R&D funding is ringfenced. The cuts will also affect large numbers of researchers and project staff overseas who collaborate with UK institutions on ODA-funded projects.
The full UKRI ODA letter is here.
Research Professional report that 10 more UK R&D funders will also see their aid budgets slashed, including:
QR funding: Research Professional report that quality related (QR) funding will be cut by £60 million. This is in addition to the cuts to the research relating to the aid budget and the uncertainties surrounding how Horizon association will be funded. See this RP article for far more detail on the various cuts, changes and uncertainties to research related funding streams.
Funding cuts overall: Greg Clark, ex-BEIS Secretary of State and the current Commons Science and Technology Select Committee Chair, has written to the PM expressing his concern over the funding cuts to scientific research. He states that it is deeply concerning that at the very moment when the whole country recognises the importance of scientific research and when a Government has been elected with a promise to double the budget for research, that the science budget should be facing immediate and substantial cuts involving the cancellation of current research.
He states that leading scientists have expressed alarm at the consequences of:
He concludes: In the midst of a global pandemic, where we owe so much to science, and at a time when the Government has rightly chosen to double our national commitment to science, it would be paradoxical if science funding were cut. Knowing how personally important the UK’s strength in science is to you and to the Government, and at this moment of maximum recognition of its impact, I would appreciate your personal attention to resolving this urgent situation.
2.4% GDP research funding target will be missed: Dods: The UK is likely to miss its target of spending 2.4% of GDP on research and development by 2027, analysts have warned, as funding cuts cast doubt on a key pillar of the government’s strategy to rebuild the post-pandemic economy. A new study published today, accompanied by a blog from the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) has shown that governments consistently fail to hit R&D targets linked to GDP and suggested economic uncertainty and progress so far showed the UK was on course to do the same.
BEIS Oral Questions – a non-update on research funding but telling in its own manner. At Oral Questions both Carol Monaghan (SNP Spokesperson for Education) and Chi Onwurah (Shadow Minister for Science, Research and Digital) asked when the UKRI budget would be confirmed, and if funding for association with Horizon Europe would come out of this budget, or a separate pot. Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, Amanda Solloway, stated that details would be announced “in due course”.
Research Bureaucracy
The Government launched a new independent review into UK research bureaucracy aiming to identify new ways to free up researchers to pursue world-class research by removing unnecessary red tape that wastes the time of UK researchers. It will look to identify practical solutions to bureaucratic issues faced by researcher such as overly complicated grant forms that quire in-depth factual knowledge, a lack of clarity over funding available to researchers, and having to provide the same data multiple time in different formats to different funders. The review will be led by Professor Adam Tickell, VC at University of Sussex. The system-wide review will conclude by early 2022, with interim findings due to be published in autumn 2021. It will involve broad engagement with the whole UK research community, with a particular focus being placed on research undertaken in higher education institutions. Tickell has stated that he is open minded about the outcomes of the review but he does not expect it to result in the abolition of the Research Excellence Framework (REF). We anticipate a call for evidence will be issued as part of the review process. Here are the review’s terms of reference.
Research Professional dive in with their usual welcome irreverent analysis and unpicking of the review details in greater depth here. Their piece begins: Sophocles’s tragedy of Oedipus is the story of a man who sets out to discover who committed the terrible crime that has brought misery to his city, only to find that he was the perpetrator of the deed. The Westminster government has announced a review of university research bureaucracy—could it be about to discover that excess bureaucracy might have something to do with the party that has been in government for the past 10 years? Read on here.
Amanda Solloway, Science & Research Minister, said: As we build back better by unleashing innovation, it’s crucial that we create a research environment that harnesses this same scientific speed and endeavour. This review will identify how we can free up our brightest minds from unnecessary red tape so they can continue making cutting edge discoveries, while cementing UK’s status as a science superpower. The Minister’s words are interesting as they sound more suited to the ARIA announcements.
Ottoline Leyser, CEO of UKRI, commented with warm words too: UKRI welcomes this independent and system-wide review to enable a reduction in unnecessary research bureaucracy, wherever it is found. The goal is to free up time for researchers and innovators to devote to their many vital roles at work and outside it. We are already making strides within our Simpler and Better Funding programme, which aims to make the funding process as user-friendly as possible for applicants, peer reviewers and awardees, as well as those who work with them. We look forward to supporting BEIS in delivering this review and working with them to create a research and innovation system that delivers for everyone.
Professor Julia Buckingham, President of UUK: We very much welcome the opportunity to challenge the parts of the research system which can restrict university staff and students from delivering impactful research.
ARIA: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has published the rationale and intended purpose for the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) outlining its design principles and financial backing. The new funding agency aims to cement the UK’s position as a science superpower. The full report is available here. The ARIA bill will travel through 3 more hurdles of parliamentary detail before you read this update (there’s even a Library paper summarising the Bill). And the Government means to see this one through as they have even tabled a carry-over motion which would allow the Bill to be carried over to the next parliamentary session if not completed in this session (Parliament is due to be prorogued due to the local elections). So far ARIA has received its second reading and will now be scrutinised line by line at a Public Bill Committee. A shorter summary can be read here. The Committee will report by 27 April 2021. The Government have not announced where the new agency will be located.
Well worth a read is Wonkhe’s reading-between-the-lines content analysis on what was said during Dominic Cumming’s appearance before the select committee during their examination of ARIA last week. And former science and universities minister Chris Skidmore writes in ConservativeHome advocating for the high-risk-high-reward ARIA model and stating that the shift in the UK’s research model is overdue. He says that projects will undoubtedly fail and there will be accusations of money being wasted, but that these are crucial for the UK’s advancement toward being a science superpower
It is clear that MPs from both sides are broadly supportive of ARIA but questioning where the cost (cuts) will come from to fund the new agency. Research Professional have succinct pithy coverage of this, excerpts: Ed Miliband (Shadow Business Secretary): “[Dominic Cummings, former chief adviser to the prime minister] was also at the select committee meeting…saying that Aria would solve the problems of civilisation. That is all very well, but I fear that these cuts seem to be coming right here, right now; and we cannot launch a successful moonshot if we cut off the power supply to the space station.” And: “We support Aria but it deserves clarity. These are people’s jobs. This is incredibly important work and I hope he is fighting with his friends in the Treasury as hard as he can to give people that clarity and avoid the cuts.”
Clinical research: Matt Hancock announced the Government’s vision for the future of clinical research delivery. The NHS will be encouraged to put delivery of research at the heart of everything they do, making it an essential and rewarding part of effective patient care. This means building a culture across the NHS and all health and care settings that is positive about research, where all staff feel empowered and supported to take part in clinical research delivery as part of their job.
More detail here.
Welsh Erasmus: The Welsh Government has announced plans for their own new scheme to replace Erasmus+. The new International Learning Exchange will start next year and aims to enable 15,000 participants from Wales to go overseas over the first four years, with 10,000 reciprocal participants coming to study or work in Wales. The Welsh Government is backing the scheme with a £65 million investment starting in academic year 2022/23 with commitment to 2027. The scheme will be developed by Cardiff University in collaboration with education and youth sector partners ahead of its launch. The Welsh programme is intended to:
The full written statement from the Welsh Government is here.
So while Welsh institutions will be able to participate in the Turing Scheme in 2021-22, they will also continue to benefit from Erasmus+ exchanges deferred from last year due to the pandemic and the new scheme. The Welsh Government said its scheme would fill the gaps Turing leaves. There is a comparison of the schemes on Twitter which makes the similarities and contrasts stark. Of course Scotland has been particularly vocal in their consternation of the Turing scheme and has been campaigning to rejoin the EU Erasmus+ programme. However, the EU appear to have turned Scotland’s hopes away with Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen stating that as a “constituent nation” of the UK, Scotland could not associate independently with the scheme.
The BBC, the Guardian and the Independent cover the Welsh scheme, and Wonkhe have a blog – replacement for Erasmus puts Welsh higher education firmly on the map.
Turing Troubles
The Friday before last the window for institutions to apply for funding for 2021/22 through the Turing scheme opened up. The programme guide is here. Grumbles abound for the financial (lack) of coverage for the scheme – see the Independent, and the latest programme guidance from the Government notes that there may be less financial support overall through Turing than there was through Erasmus.
Meanwhile last week English universities floundered at the complexities involved in drawing down the Turing funding within the very short window of opportunity – this Research Professional article highlights the difficulties:
Turing is not the popular replacement scheme the Government intended.
New Shadow Universities Minister: Research Professional (RP) have interviewed new shadow universities minister Matt Western. Confirming the job offer was a surprise and acknowledging his lack of professional HE prior focus. However, RP state they see evidence of passion from the shadow universities minister. Read the interview in more depth here. Some excerpts:
The article states Western is cognizant of student concerns (Warwick University and many students reside within his constituency) and he wrote to private landlords to urge leniency in rent rebates (to no effect), is a supporter of the blended learning approach universities have provided throughout the pandemic, worries for student mental health and believes more hardship funding should be provided by the Government. He confirms Labour’s manifesto position to abolish tuition fees.
On Turing: “The Turing scheme sounds…like not even a half-baked idea at the moment,” he says. “The amount of coordination and work that needs to go in to deliver it…It is almost as if the government has deliberately designed it so that they’ll get very few people taking up the scheme.” And on Turing’s short deadlines: “How on earth you’re supposed to turn that round in [such a short time], goodness only knows,” Western says. “Just the administration and bureaucracy of it will, I think, impact very negatively and you could see very few people taking it up as a result—and I think that is shocking.”
Adult Skills & Learning Response: The Education Committee published the Government response to its report on adult skills and lifelong learning (A plan for an adult skills and lifelong learning revolution). The Committee called for an ambitious and long-term strategy and identified four key pillars to revolutionise the adult education system. In short, the Government response mainly defers to the Skills for Jobs White Paper, and Lifetime Skills Guarantee. Big recommendations, such as retaining the Union Learning Fund, or removing restrictions on ELQ funding were a ‘no’.
Augar: Research Professional:
The OfS have published stern words on admissions and confirmed that unconditional offers are still banned:
There is a trap in here for universities, not linked to unconditional offers but more generally. We mustn’t be “swamped” at the cost of quality, but we must also make sure that we admit high potential disadvantaged students who might not get the grades. In other words, if the Government’s policy on exams this year again results in disadvantaged students getting lower grades and privileged ones getting higher grades, it will be the sector’s fault if we don’t somehow stop that playing out in university admissions.
Wonkhe writes:
You can read the HEPI essays here.
Research Professional expand on the OfS Board papers element: board papers from the Office for Students have revealed that 67 institutions asked for extra cash to help them cope with an increase in student numbers following the exam results chaos last summer. Wonkhe have a helpful short dissection of the recent board papers here.
More generally on admissions Research Professional also have a blog from a vice-chancellor which argues that shifting university admissions to be based on actual rather than predicted grades is likely to be impossible in the window between A-level results day and the start of term. He states A-levels “simply don’t work” as a university entrance system—should be replaced with an SAT-style system, involving studying more subjects and being assessed at more points throughout the course than with A-levels. This would give students more time for learning and offer greater breadth and depth than A-levels. What is needed is a bolder approach which would transform learning, assessment and university admissions.
In the meantime, UCAS have published a report on the latest admissions cycle “Where next? What influences the choices schools leavers make?”. The executive summary sets out some conclusions:
There is a set of recommendations too.
2022 Exams: In Wales, changes will be made to how A-levels, AS and GCSEs are assessed next year, but Qualifications Wales say they hope exams can go ahead in summer 2022.
Wonkhe: The Disabled Students’ Commission published a guide for disabled students on applying for postgraduate courses in the UK. The guidance covers decisions over where to study, how to pre-empt barriers students may face in applying, and provides information on available funding to ease transition into postgraduate study. For successful applicants, there is also guidance on providing information on a students’ condition, help for assessments, and advice on maintaining good mental wellbeing.
Wonkhe also talk technology in outreach: …the impact of widening participation initiatives driven by the use of technology. An attempt to support local schools around Lancaster by providing laptops and internet connectivity only started to bear fruit after schools began to provide wrap-around support services including technical support. Before this, school participation rates – as monitored by the University of Lancaster – stayed at the same rate, and only a quarter of mobile internet connections were set up.
Nik Marsdin at Lancaster and Alex Blower at Portsmouth conclude that moving outreach work to online workshops failed to take into account the disparity in digital participation. They found that work based on an understanding of community needs should support student ambassadors to provide support to help young people get online, and partnership working with other organisations can help to offer wrap-around support. Their blog: technology is not a simple fix for complex societal needs, and does not benefit participation by itself.
UUK describe how university mental health services are plugging the gaps that the NHS doesn’t address. Alistair Jarvis, Chief Executive of Universities UK, said:
The Government have published the new Terms of Reference for the Independent Review of Prevent.
William Shawcross, Independent Reviewer of Prevent, said:
There is opportunity for colleagues working in this area to comment on the review.
While the current Government are stepping away from the Industrial Strategy developed under Theresa May’s premiership it still remains influential among some parliamentarians.
The Home Office published their New Plan for Immigration and invited views on their proposals through a consultation. The proposals include the asylum system, modern slavery, and addressing the criminal networks behind people smuggling. Dods have a short summary including Priti Patel’s introductory statement in the Commons.
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) have published the new handbook for the enhancement of the quality of UK transnational education (TNE).
QAA also confirmed that the three countries participating in the QE-TNE programme for the 2021/22 academic year will be the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Germany. These countries were selected based on criteria stipulated in the new handbook including factors such as the existing strong links they have with UK universities, as well as the size or growth of their higher education systems.
Fundamental to the new method is collaboration between QAA and local HE bodies. The approach to the quality evaluation and enhancement of UK TNE provision outlined in the handbook applies to all degree-awarding bodies across the UK on a voluntary basis and operates over the academic years 2021/22 to 2025/26.
The method maintains a UK-wide approach to the quality enhancement of TNE and supports the UK Government’s International Education Strategy, which seeks to grow the opportunity and support available to UK TNE as a key UK export.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published Understanding the Cyber Security Recruitment Pool research report, which quantifies and explores the supply of cyber skills in the UK. It covers:
DCMS also published Cyber Security Skills in the UK Labour Market 2021. The report explores the nature and extent of cyber security skills gaps (people lacking appropriate skills), skills shortages (a lack of people available to work in cyber security job roles) and job vacancies in the UK.
You can read a summary of the key findings and recommendations for both reports here.
Many of the parliamentary questions over the last two weeks repeat the same themes we’ve brought you recently with no new answers. Here are those we promised you answers on previously:
The International Public Policy Observatory (IPPO) is advertising for topic specialists for their new social impact observatory. They hope to develop a network of topic specialists who can advise on, review and author IPPO’s various content streams – ranging from blogs and ‘rapid answers’ to in-depth evidence briefs and systematic reviews. If you wish to join the IPPO topic specialist network, or sign up for its newsletter and other communications, colleagues should fill in this very short survey by 30 April.
The IPPO is a collaboration of UK academic institutions and other global networks, established to help policymakers throughout the UK address the social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other Opportunities
Blog: The hard labour of connecting research to policy during COVID-19 (LSE Impact Blog) – Professor Annette Boaz and Dr Kathryn Oliver. Read
Click here to view the updated inquiries and consultation tracker. Email us on policy@bournemouth.ac.uk if you’d like to contribute to any of the current consultations.
LEO data: the Department for Education have published the Longitudinal Education Outcomes data for 2015 to 2016
Nurses: The DHSC announced a £25m investment in nurse training, for a new national critical care qualification for nurses and expanded virtual training:
Minister for Care Helen Whately said: We are committed to training more nurses for the NHS and supporting professional development, and this £25 million investment will provide more innovative training opportunities for nurses. Whilst there is no substitute for face to face training on wards, simulated training is a vital part of the curriculum and provides a safe space for students to develop their skills. Thanks to our investment, more nursing and other healthcare students will be able to benefit from the latest innovations and new technologies to better support their learning at this time. The funding will also recognise our critical care nurses, who have played a crucial role during this pandemic, with a new nationally recognised qualification.
Student Protests: Jim Dickinson (Wonkhe) reviews the threats to student protest posed by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.
Harassment: Research Professional’s blog Harassment at home considers the erosion of professional boundaries that can occur through online teaching.
UUK: Professor Steve West has been elected as the next President of Universities UK (UUK) following a members ballot. Professor West has been the Vice-Chancellor of UWE Bristol since 2008. He will succeed the current President, Professor Julia Buckingham CBE, Vice-Chancellor of Brunel University London, from 1 August 2021 and will hold the post for two years. Alongside being a vice-chancellor, Professor West has served on the Boards of HEFCE, UUK and the Office for Students, and Chaired the University Alliance, South-West CBI, West of England Academic Health Science Network and West of England Local Enterprise Partnership. He has chaired UUK’s Health Policy Network and continues to champion the sector’s work to address a wide range of mental health and wellbeing issues as chair of UUK’s mental health in higher education advisory group.
OfS Board Papers: Wonkhe provide real insight into the OfS Board papers in a very short and digestible form.
Wonkfest: A virtual Wonkfest is taking place on 9-10 June, colleagues planning to attend should be aware they are eligible for the lower Wonkhe Plus/partner rate. Please let us know if you are planning to attend! Here’s the blurb: We’ll have sessions about the changes that universities have had to make at speed – what’s worked, what hasn’t and what we want to keep after the pandemic. From the leadership challenge, to the digital pivot to the many innovations in teaching. Inspired by our amazing community, we’ll learn from some of the best ideas that have already shaped universities for the better this year, despite the circumstances. We’ll have journalists and politicians from outside the sector to help put it all in context. We’ll look to the next several years of higher education policy – from skills to fees to quality and try and work out what’s going to happen and how to influence it. And much, much more besides.
JANE FORSTER | SARAH CARTER
VC’s Policy Advisor Policy & Public Affairs Officer
Follow: @PolicyBU on Twitter | policy@bournemouth.ac.uk
Congratulations to Prof. Vanora Hundley who co-authored an important commentary ‘WHO next generation partograph: revolutionary steps towards individualised labour care’ in the international journal BJOG [1]. The authors comment on the partograph which is widely used across the globe as part of the assessment of labour progress. It was recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the early 1990s as a routine tool for displaying the progress of labour. Despite its global acceptance, utilization and correct completion rates as low as 31% and 3% respectively, have been reported.
Congratulations!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMMPH (Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health)
Reference:
Hofmeyr, GJ, Bernitz S, Bonet M, Bucagu M, Dao B, Downe S, Galadanci H, Homer CSE, Hundley V, et al. (2021) WHO next generation partograph: revolutionary steps towards individualised labour care (Commentary), BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, First published: 8 March 2021
We have planned three stages: 1) virtual mini workshops, guided discussion/input on academic writing, publishing, journal submission, and review processes ; 2) online workshops where participants present their draft papers/work and receive feedback from peers, mentors, invited speakers/editors and opportunities networking/collaborations (for co-authorship, peer review and peer support); and 3) monthly tutorials (webinars) later in 2021 to provide mentorship and peer support to participants.
This application is third time lucky as two previous applications to The British Academic for Writing Work had not been successful. Over the years the team has build up capacity in academic writing and publishing in Nepal ad hoc. This grant will allow us to offer a more systematic approach to academic writing capacity building in Nepal. It is building on a growing number of paper published by FHSS staff on various aspects of academic writing and publishing. [1-14]
References:
The Global Engagement Hub has been working with the Faculties and Strategic Investment Area (SIA) Steering groups on developing new relationships and partnerships with a range of institutions worldwide.
The University of Copenhagen and the University of Helsinki both feature on BU’s international priority partner institutions list. The expertise of these institutions spans across all strategic investment areas:
The University of Copenhagen is ranked # 84 in the 2021 Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the University of Helsinki is ranked # 98.
An analysis of Scival data has shown that both institutions are in the top 10 European Universities with which BU collaborates. There are 47 co-authored publications between BU academics and academics at the University of Copenhagen and 33 co-authored publications between BU academics and academics at the University of Helsinki between 2017-2020.
Below are some of the research activity between BU and these institutions:
Professor Ann Hemingway, Professor Katherine Appleton and Professor Heather Hartwell collaborated with Professor Federico Perez-Cueto at the University of Copenhagen on the EU-funded research project VeggiEAT. Building on the successful collaboration, with the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen, Professor Hartwell was successful in securing further EU-funding for the project FoodSMART. This project also involved Professor Katherine Appleton, Professor Lorraine Brown, Dr Jeff Bray, Dr Gernot Liebchen, Dr Nan Jiang, Professor Vasilis Katos and Dr Sarah Price. Both of these projects have been successfully completed.
Associate Professor Tom Wainwright from the Orthopaedic Research Institute (ORI) is collaborating with Professor Henrik Kehlet from the University of Copenhagen on the adoption to Enhanced Recovery Surgery pathways, leading to joint publications.
RESONATE -RESilient fOrest value chains – enhancing resilience through NATural and socio-Economic responses is a current EU-funded project between Dr Elena Cantarello and academics at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Helsinki. This research project has started in 2021 and is due to be completed in 2025.
A further project that FHSS currently have with the University of Helsinki is CO-LAB: Improving collaborative practice between correctional and mental health services. This research aims to improve collaborations between criminal justice and welfare services. Dr Sarah Hean, Professor Jonathan Parker, Professor Sara Ashencaen Crabtree, Dr Jaqui Hewitt-Taylor, Dr Vanessa Heaslip and Dr Angela Turner-Wilson are collaborating with colleagues at the University of Helsinki. The project is due to be completed this year.
In terms of recent publications, Professor Edwin van Teijlingen has a published a chapter: Birth Systems across the World: Variations in maternity policy and services across countries in the renowned series of books: FIGO Continuous Textbook of Women’s Medicine. This chapter was co-authored with Prof Sipra Wrede and Doctoral Researcher Johanna Sarlio-Nieminen from the University of Helsinki and Dr Anastasia Novkunskaya from the European University at St. Petersburg.
The Institute for the Modelling of Socio-Environmental Transitions (IMSET) has expressed interest in collaborating with colleagues at the University of Helsinki and the Global Engagement Hub have facilitated introductions to academics at the University of Helsinki.
We are currently in the process of developing a partnership with the University of Copenhagen for Erasmus+ staff mobility. This will allow BU staff to undertake a teaching or training mobility at the University of Copenhagen, funded through Erasmus+. The Global Engagement Hub have funds to support staff mobility through Erasmus+ until May 2023. This partnership would also allow staff from the University of Copenhagen to come to BU for teaching once travel is possible and the relevant restrictions lifted.
If you have any links to these strategic partner universities or would like to collaborate with colleagues at these institutions, please email GlobalBU@bournemouth.ac.uk.
Another quieter week on the mainstream HE policy front, fear not we have plenty of relevant news for you to devour. Shadow Universities Minister Emma Hardy has stepped down and ex Universities Minister Jo Johnson has a lengthy report recommending how universities approach their relationships with China and Chinese international students. There are changes to the immigration rules and a new social mobility index.
Emma Hardy (Labour) has stepped down from her role as Shadow Universities Minister. She stated the ministerial role was preventing her from focussing sufficiently on her constituency business. Emma was an effective opposition shadow minister challenging, frequently questioning and chasing Michelle Donelan throughout.
Matt Western (Warwick and Leamington) replaces her. Prior to his political career he ran a branding and marketing consultancy, worked in the car industry, and served as a local councillor. He studied geography at Bristol University and his wife is a Professor at Warwick University. His political interests are housing, transport and education and he has previously campaigned on education issues. However, at first glance, his presence in the Chamber focuses more on infrastructure and transport than on education.
Research Professional’s daily article applauds Emma Hardy and discusses Matt Western: Western…has big shoes to fill…he has not been a prolific speaker on the subject of tertiary education. In his four years as an MP, he has mentioned the word “universities” on nine occasions and the term “higher education” just three times.
RP go on to examine how Western has spoken about universities in the past:
All change? Wonkhe pick up on an article in the Times reporting that there could also be a change to the Universities Minister: The Times reports that universities minister Michelle Donelan is among the women tipped for promotion in a future cabinet reshuffle.
Taskforce: Kate Green, Shadow Education Minister, announced Labour’s Bright Future Taskforce, stating: We’ll be working with young people, unions, education experts and charities to ensure every child can recover from the pandemic and achieve their potential! The details on the Taskforce are here. They include two recognisable HE figures: Andy Westwood from Manchester University and Hillary Gyebi-Ababio NUS Vice President for Higher Education.
Meanwhile on Tuesday a joint DfE/DHSC action group met for the first time comprised of health and education experts to consider the impact of the pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and education staff across England. The group included Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, Vicky Ford (Minister for Children & Families), Michelle Donelan (Universities Minister) and Youth Mental Health Ambassador Dr. Alex George. The group agreed to take forward more action across a range of areas, including boosting the support available to help children and young people move between schools and year groups, and looking at how schools and colleges can target funding and recovery support to ensure that support reaches pupils who need it the most. Ways to improve training, where to focus investment, how to make wellbeing a core part of the school curriculum, university support, and sector-wide mental health and wellbeing training opportunities are reported as having been discussed.
Committee Business: The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee inquiry on Post-Pandemic Economic Growth (2 March) contained frank comments on the Government’s R&D Roadmap and Industrial/Place strategies. Dods summarise:
R&D Roadmap
Place/Industrial Strategy
International Women’s Day: Research Professional have several interesting articles relating to Monday’s International Women’s Day. Have a peruse through their content.
On research culture:
A worsening UK research culture has hit women hardest. An interesting article which looks back across Catherine Mitchell’s (Professor, Exeter) 30 year research career.
And Amanda Solloway (Science Minister) writes about support for 40 of the UK’s most trailblazing female innovators, through our flagship Women in Innovation Awards, to help develop and scale up their business innovations.
Over on Wonkhe a blog addresses why few women are involved in university spinout companies: Scaling up gender diversity in the university spinout ecosystem.
Quick News
Research England and the OfS have announced Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE as Chair of an expert access and participation panel. The panel will support a joint funding competition to improve access and participation for Black, Asian and minority ethnic students in postgraduate research study. It is an £8 million fund and will support bids that aim to address the persistent inequalities faced by Black, Asian and minority ethnic students, in accessing and participating in postgraduate research study. Dr Imafidon has also been appointed to the Research England Council for a three year period from April 2021. Dr Imafidon said: I am ready to get working with Research England and the Office for Students on this funding competition. It’s part of the necessary steps that need to be taken towards systemic change for postgraduate research. I am looking forward to seeing creative and ambitious plans from universities, and those close to this issue, to bring about significant and lasting change.
Research England and the OfS have invited applications to act as an expert panel member for this funding competition. Two postgraduate research students and four general panel members will be appointed. The deadline for applications is the 12 April.
Steven Hill Director of Research for Research England said: We are excited to open this opportunity for expert panel members. The panel will play a crucial role with this funding competition, firstly in helping us assess the bids and then providing advice and guidance as the funded projects progress. Research England and the Office for Students are determined to keep equality, diversity and inclusion central to this funding opportunity and we recognise that the expert panel plays an important part of this. We want to recruit people with lived and learnt experiences relevant to the aims of the opportunity and who can call on those experiences, when making funding recommendations and providing advice. We are determined to continue to think about our own processes, to ensure that they are inclusive and in line with aims of the competition.
Chris Millward, Director for Fair Access and Participation at the OfS, said: As part of the recruitment campaign, the panel is looking for six members, two of whom will be postgraduate research students. The insight provided by these students will be crucial in ensuring that this process is an effective one, and I hope this presents as an exciting opportunity to shape an innovative and important programme.
The Home Office confirmed that the new Graduate route will open to international students for applications on 1 July 2021, allowing them to remain in the UK post-study. International students must have completed an eligible course at a UK higher education provider which has a track record of compliance with the government’s immigration requirements. Students on the Graduate route will be able to work or look for work after their studies for a maximum period of 2 years, or 3 years for Doctoral students.
You can view the Statement of Changes and the explanatory memorandum here.
The Graduate route will be unsponsored, meaning applicants will not need a job offer to apply for the route. There will be no minimum salary requirements nor caps on numbers. Graduates on the route will be able to work flexibly, switch jobs and develop their career as required.
Coronavirus concessions for students unable to travel to the UK due to the pandemic have also been extended, and the guidance has been updated. Applicants who began their studies in Autumn 2020 will now have until 21 June 2021 to enter the UK (updated from 6 April 2021) in order to be eligible for the Graduate route. Students who began their studies in January or February 2021 will need to be in the UK by 27 September 2021.
The changes announced by the Home Office also include
Kevin Foster, Minister for Future Borders and Immigration:
The UK’s reliance on China was big news on Tuesday. Wonkhe: China is set to overtake the US to become the world’s biggest spender on research and development – and the UK’s most significant research partner –11% of UK’s research output, 20+% of high impact research, 30% in the three key areas of automation and control systems; telecommunications; and materials science/ceramics.
It was triggered by a report previous Universities Minister Jo Johnson co-authored with Kings College London and other organisations: The China question: Managing risks and maximising benefits from partnership in higher education and research. The report considers the balance of risk in the reliance and close links with China. Key excerpts:
Read the full document to explore in further detail.
Media coverage from – the Times and the Guardian.
Research Professional briefly cover the report and highlight that three of the report’s authors—including former universities and science minister Jo Johnson—wrote an opinion piece on the topic last week, in anticipation of today’s publication.
IES: Wonkhe have a blog on the International Education Strategy.
Index Ranking
The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) published a report by Professor David Phoenix (Vice-Chancellor of London South Bank University) proposing a ranking of the impact that universities have on social mobility.
This is an alternative take on the usual rankings and league tables, and in theory ought to support the government’s social mobility agenda, although of course it doesn’t adopt the same limited definition as the government when looking at positive outcomes – where the focus is on absolute numbers completing the course, getting “graduate” employment and earning above average compared to your peers doing the same course, without taking background or context into account.
The report has devised an English Social Mobility Index:
The methodology uses the Index of Multiple Deprivation (not POLAR to assess the background of the students, continuation and Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) data, as the OfS propose to use in their quality framework and the TEF (although they may also use Graduate Outcomes data). But unlike the OfS, which is proposing to use absolute metrics, it not only adjusts for the background of the students but also for regional differences. The author also notes that there is additional data in the Graduate Outcomes set relating to wellbeing which might be useful.
So while this is proposed as a starting point for a ranking rather than an “oven ready” league table, of course it is interesting to see what the outcomes are – they list the top 40.
And the report has a number of recommendations, including on that proposal of the OfS to ignore background and context when assessing quality:
The new rankings received a quick response on HEPI from Peter Scott, Commissioner for Fair Access in Scotland and a Professor at UCL. The response is well worth a read and he politely adds context where he feels Phoenix’s index could be better or more granular. Overall the tone is supportive with a push for more to create a better overall ranking (and acknowledging it is better/fairer than the current Government intention): More, much more, in a similar vein could be said about the shortcomings of many more established league tables. That doesn’t stop them getting noticed, and obsessively acted upon. The need, therefore, is not to undermine – and inevitably marginalise – the social mobility index but to improve and strengthen it. We badly need league tables of universities that do not essentially play back pre-existing advantages.
Happily David Phoenix then responds again to Scott’s comments. Again the response is engaging and polite:
But is Chris Millward listening? And is he willing to roll his sleeves up and delve into the granularity when measuring HE institutions progress within disadvantaged access, participation and outcomes? Of course there will be winners and losers with any model and decisions will likely be tied up with how TEF will mutate for future use.
Treasury Talks: Wonkhe have reported: Paul Blomfield MP, Chair of the APPG for Students, has secured a meeting with the Chief Secretary of the Treasury on student support following a question to Steve Barclay at Treasury Questions yesterday morning in the House of Commons. The APPG will make the case for additional student hardship support and payments in compensation for lost learning opportunities.
Here is what was actual said during Oral Questions:
We’ll wait to see if anything more than lip service or recycling funds already declared comes out of this.
Social Mobility Barometer 2021
The Social Mobility Commission published their regular (annual YouGov) 2021 Social Mobility Barometer which highlights public attitudes to social mobility within the UK. Unsurprisingly they state it unveils deep concern that social division in Britain has increased as a result of the pandemic.
The findings coincide with growing evidence that those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds are being most affected by the pandemic. Young people from the poorest backgrounds are losing their jobs, while families are trapped in cramped housing, sometimes unable to afford basic necessities. Children from disadvantaged families, often without digital access, are falling behind at school.
Overall:
The impact of coronavirus:
Regional differences:
Generational difference and impact of background:
Ethnic differences:
Government support:
Mind the gap – or not
NEON report on a Schools Week article which stated that former permanent secretary at the Department for Education, Jonathan Slater, claimed that efforts to narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their better-off-peers ceased to be a “main focus” for the Department in 2015. The comments were made during a discussion at the Foundation for Education Development summit held yesterday. Slater said that after 2015 the focus on the attainment gap, which was “more the contribution of the Lib Dems” in the coalition government, diminished. The article is a quick read.
Also on the gap. NEON report: A new report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), funded by the Nuffield Foundation, finds that poorer students in sixth forms and colleges trail their more affluent peers by as many as three A level grades… The new exploratory research finds that the disadvantage gap is substantial during the 16-19 education phase, with poorer students continuing to see far worse educational outcomes than their better off peers. The disadvantage gap varies considerably across the country: poorer students are the equivalent of five whole A level grades behind their more affluent peers in some areas of England. In other areas, poorer students are level with, or even ahead of, their more affluent peers. The new findings also provide evidence for the need for new interventions aimed at reducing the gap in 16-19 education. The report concludes that there is a strong case for additional government funding for 16-19 education.
Participation & Outcomes KPIs
The OfS have updates on:
Key findings from the new data include:
There are also interactive maps showing how likely students are to participate in HE according to where they live, and how this varies across the UK.
Chris Millward, Director for Fair Access and Participation at the Office for Students, commented: Today’s update to the data dashboard demonstrates the progress already being made across the sector, with access gaps continuing to narrow. There is much more to do here – and the cumulative efforts of universities and colleges through their access and participation plans promise much stronger progress in the coming years…While there is evidence that the gap in attainment for black students compared to their white peers is closing, it remains far too high. At 96 of the 97 higher education providers for which the dashboards report ethnicity attainment gaps, black students’ attainment is lower than we see for white students. Many providers have gaps of over 20 percentage points, with some even higher. Other gaps – including for students with certain disabilities – underline how essential it is to focus not just on supporting students to get into higher education, but also to succeed in and beyond it.
Exams – Wonkhe report: Speaking before the House of Commons Education Committee acting chief regulator for Ofqual Simon Lebus admitted that exams for GCSE and A levels were not likely to return to normal in 2022. Lebus said that the process of recovering lost learning will take several years as he and his colleagues defended Ofqual’s approach before the committee. You can watch the whole session on Parliament TV. The Times, the Independent, and the Mail cover the hearing.
Dods have produced a briefing summarising the Budget decisions by sector. Education and Skills is covered from page 15. Excerpts:
The Research & Development sector, as well as universities, will welcome the consultation on R&D tax credits [see page 64], the rolling out of the Levelling Up Fund and the launch of the Community Renewal Fund to bridge the move over to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund – particularly as higher education providers shift their strategic focus to their civic roles.
Reform to the Global Talent visa, and the introduction of an ‘Innovator’ visa will also be promising news to both R&D and HE, as the combination of Brexit and the pandemic has inhibited their global recruitment abilities.
The Government is modernising the immigration system to help the UK attract and retain the most highly skilled, globally mobile talent – particularly in academia, science, research and technology – from around the world. [Pages 62-63.] To do this, the Government will:
Dods also have a budget webinar recording and a shorter write up on the budget from a wider range of expert and media commentators.
Guidance: The DfE have issued another guidance update. Students are permitted to return home for the Easter break, although Government recommend they remain in situ to reduce transmission. Non-practical courses should continue to be taught online (no update on this expected until after Easter). Although the Government notes that some of these students may need to return to term-time accommodation prior to in-person teaching resuming. HE institutions and students will be given a weeks’ notice ahead of any further relaxation of restrictions. Covid testing expectations and frequency when students return to campus remain the same. There is an update on new and returning students travelling from overseas.
Student Covid Insights Survey
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have published experimental statistics for the Student Covid-19 Insights Survey (SCIS) in England, which includes information on the behaviours, plans, opinions and wellbeing of HE students in the context of guidance on the pandemic. The main points as summarised on the ONS website:
More information including charts illustrating the data is available here.
Statistician Tim Gibbs, ONS, stated: Students have continued to have a tough time into the new year, with covid restrictions curtailing the things they can do, with many reporting dissatisfaction with their academic and social experiences at university. Over a quarter are feeling lonely often or always, a significantly higher amount than the adult population. Nearly two-thirds still report a worsening of their well-being and mental health since the beginning of the autumn 2020 half term. Though their life satisfaction has improved slightly since January, similar to the adult population, students’ life satisfaction remains far below the national adult average and students report experiencing greater anxiety than adults. We will continue to monitor student responses to better understand how they are feeling as restrictions are gradually lifted in the coming months.
Complaints
The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) published a second batch of case summaries of complaints arising from the impact of coronavirus ( see here and here). Most cases relate to the 2019/20 academic year, and some have been about accommodation, most commonly raising concerns about paying rent while not living in the accommodation during restrictions. They note that they can only look at accommodation owner by a provider, and that most providers decided not to charge students for the 19/20 academic year.
The OIA state it is good practice to put in place a policy for considering when it might be appropriate to waive charges, and find this to be the case in most providers when looking at whether they have acted fairly in the circumstances.
There were also complaints raised about the cumulative effect of industrial action and the pandemic – in such cases, they considered whether the provider did enough to mitigate disadvantage to their learning outcomes, and whether the provider delivered something broadly equivalent to usual arrangements.
Other students brought complaints that their provider has not been able to deliver practical experience – in these cases, they find the alternatives did not work and students didn’t have the learning experience they reasonably expected. As such, they’ve recommended the provider should pay some compensation.
Felicity Mitchell, Independent Adjudicator, OIA said: The case summaries reflect the hugely challenging and complex situations that students and providers have faced as a result of the pandemic. Where possible we try to reach a settlement and we are pleased that in many cases providers and students have been very open to this. The summaries illustrate our approach to deciding what is fair and reasonable in these kinds of situations. We hope they will be helpful to providers and students.
Wonkhe describe the latest on the Turing scheme: Applicants to the Turing Scheme can now access support for their application, including a programme guide, answers to frequently asked questions, and a series of webinars where they can ask their own questions. The guidance reveals that there will be no tuition fees support, that travel support will work similarly to Erasmus+ but only for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and that living costs will be available at a lower rate than Erasmus+. FE week and the National have the story. There’s also the Herald and Twitter (although the comments on the featured tweet suggest mixed opinions).
As the links highlight there has been vocal disgruntlement and criticism over the lack of financial support. The DfE has even provided a rebuttal stressing the positive attributes of the new scheme.
Criticism of the Turing programme continued at PMQs from Scottish MPs Kirsten Oswald and Alyn Smith. Alyn asked the PM to apologise to students for “limiting their life horizons against their will” with the Turing Scheme.
There’s also a parliamentary question on Turing this week: Turing – identifying the geographical areas of disadvantage and actively targeting and promote the Turing scheme in those areas.
Race Equality: Advance HE blog on the findings of Phase 2 of the Race Equality Charter Review.
Digital & online learning: Wonkhe have a blog by Jisc: Listening to students helps make a better online experience for everyone. Wonkhe reports that:
Wonkhe also have a related blog: For digitally capable students, the sky’s the limit – Mark Andrews distils learning from a global community of universities working to infuse digital literacy into the curriculum.
Dods expand on Wonkhe’s summary listing their helpful key points:
Sarah Knight, Jisc’s head of data and digital capability, comments:
There are two different insights surveys – FE here and HE here.
Graduate Labour Market Outcomes: Wonkhe report that The Office for National Statistics has published an analysis of Graduate Labour Market Outcomes for the first three quarters of 2020. The report shows that recent graduates have struggled to find work during the pandemic, with a record 12 per cent of recent graduates unable to find work during Q3 of 2020. However, graduates of all ages remain more likely to be in work, and are increasingly likely to be found in highly skilled roles – though there’s some evidence that some graduates have taken less skilled work during the pandemic, and fewer graduates are overskilled for their current role. Look at the findings on Wonk Corner. The Financial Times and the Mail also cover the data.
Free speech: The House of Commons Library has published Freedom of speech in universities – is there a problem? A research briefing on the legal framework for protecting freedom of speech in higher education, outlining the current debate and the government’s proposals for change. There are also two parliamentary questions on free speech: Whether the free speech duties the Government intends to place on universities will prohibit the implementation by universities of the duties placed on them under the Prevent programme. AND: Whether the Government’s proposals to champion freedom of speech in universities extends to (1) hate speech, and (2) antisemitic speech, as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Association.
Healthcare Students: The House of Commons Library has a report on funding for healthcare students in England. And Labour say: Research by the House of Commons Library for the Labour Party indicates that Nurses, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and other clinicians will be hundreds of pounds worse off in real terms every month if the Government’s recommendations of a 1 per cent pay increase are implemented.
Decolonising the curriculum: Michelle Donelan, Universities Minister, participated in a Daily Telegraph discussing decolonising the curriculum. Dods summarise the session and reaction:
…The Women and Equalities Committee, along with the Petitions Committee, continue to run their non-inquiry session into ‘Black history and cultural diversity in the curriculum’. The most recent session took place last week with Schools Minister Nick Gibb.
Parliamentary Questions:
Student Loans: The SLC published in-year statistics on the number of notifications of student withdrawals provided to them by HE providers for the purpose of student finance. The data is of particular interest this year because higher numbers of withdrawals were mooted due to the pandemic and online learning.
Overall 14,421 withdrawal notifications were received in 2020/21, down from 16,752 in 2019/20 and 15,806 in 2018/19
There is much more on the data and context given here.
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