Author

Alec Charles

Press, PR & Comms Officer, QAA

4 August: BBC News reports that "the pass rate for exams in Scotland has risen slightly on last year" – while The National, the Glasgow Times, the Scottish Sun and the Daily Record predict delays in the receipt of results caused by Storm Floris.

5 August: Universities Scotland welcomes the news that the number of Scots aged 17 and 18 securing an undergraduate place via UCAS has increased by 4.2 per cent. STV News notes that 17,350 17 and 18-year-olds will be admitted this year and that "the number of those from the most deprived backgrounds is also at its highest, at 2,060". THE points out that – while the "pass rate in Scottish Higher exams nudges up" – "overall applications dip slightly owing to decline in older learners". Wonkhe's David Kernohan, as usual, crunches the numbers, and observes: "The majority of Scottish young people attend universities in Scotland... The highest number (10,060) of 18-year-olds on record have accepted a place at a high tariff provider… UCAS data for Scotland does not include entry to higher education delivered in further education… This, of course, is the last results day for the SQA: a new body, Qualifications Scotland, will take over from next year." While The National celebrates the "record number of young Scots headed to university", and the Daily Record finds young people "delighted" by their achievements, the Scottish Sun conveys the outrage of those whose results, due to be received by text, were delayed but adds that "Nando's is set to give away free food to thousands of Scottish pupils celebrating their exam results today" – stressing that the chain is "offering Peri-Peri goodness even if you're results are disappointing".

7 August: In the run-up to next week's A-level results day, the Mail declares that "cash-strapped universities will take students who missed A-level grades". The Independent also carries the prediction from UCAS that "universities will be keen to offer places on degree courses to school leavers on A-level results day even if they have narrowly missed out on grades". BBC News adds: "A record number of 18-year-olds are likely to get into their first choice of university this year, the head of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service has said – even if they narrowly miss their grades. Dr Jo Saxton said universities were keen to enrol UK undergraduates because there was more 'uncertainty' around international student numbers. She said they would 'quite possibly' accept students who did not meet the conditions of their offer adding that domestic students offered universities 'stability' for 'financial planning'."

1 August: Blogging for Wonkhe, outgoing Medr CEO Simon Pirotte reflects on "the meaning of real collaboration across Wales' post-16 sector" and argues that "among all the noise around business resilience, longevity and political headwinds, it's absolutely imperative that every conversation comes back to what is right for our learners".

31 July: THE covers the publication of new DfE figures which show that "the proportion of state school pupils in England who attend higher education has fallen by the largest amount since comparable records began". Wonkhe's David Kernohan crunches the numbers and discovers that "just 329 students with an EHCP [Education, Health & Care Plan] got to a high tariff provider last year".

5 August: TechnologyOne's Cheryl Watson reminds HEPI readers that "equity of access no longer guarantees equity of experience" – adding that "many aspects of student life are still designed around an outdated, one-size-fits-all model" – and observing that "rigid timetables, inflexible systems, and unclear support structures can turn everyday aspects of student life into barriers". Meanwhile, a property litigation solicitor tells the Law Society about her journey to academic and professional success: "My childhood was difficult. I spent time in care and didn't go to school much… Although I was very academic and in the top sets for everything, exams were the last thing on my mind when it was time to sit GCSEs. I knew that I wanted to carry on with education, but my focus at the time was on leaving home so I could escape the situation I was in… Without GCSEs, the only thing I could study at college was hairdressing… I was advised to quit hairdressing and wait until I was 19 to pursue an Access to Higher Education diploma. This would allow me to bypass A-levels and go straight to university. I dropped hairdressing and carried on working full-time at the care home. The access diploma course was intense. The tutors were determined to prepare us for university. They taught us how to Harvard reference and put essays together – which was all new to me. It was tough. But I worked hard and was able to apply to university. My tutor was incredibly kind to me – she managed to get me a free computer when the college were upgrading their equipment. It was small gesture, but it meant I could stay home and study which saved me so much time. To my tutor, it was a small gesture, but to me, it was being seen and believed in. It meant the world to me. Even now, these courses are relatively unheard of, so I openly share my experiences on LinkedIn and TikTok to support others. I hear from a lot of children in tough situations who are stressed about what will happen if they don't get their GCSEs. My personal advice is always to prioritise improving their situation because there are ways they can get back on track once they're settled."

6 August: Wonkhe's David Kernohan examines the OfS release of Condition of Registration B3 data, relating to continuation, completion and progression. He observes that "it is still clear that white and Asian students have generally better outcomes than those from other ethnicities, that a disadvantaged background makes you less likely to do well in higher education, and that students who studied business are less likely to have a positive progression outcome than those who studied the performing arts".

31 July: THE reports that "universities without a gold or silver award in the Teaching Excellence Framework will have to prove their courses are aligned with employer needs in order to be eligible for the incoming Lifelong Learning Entitlement, under a process that could take weeks to complete". Wonkhe's David Kernohan observes: "Readers will note that it is possible for a provider to have TEF Bronze and any number of these aspects and still be permitted to run 360 credit degrees. Clearly the LLE requires a better track record."

2 August: Newcastle's John Goddard tells HEPI: "Government support for the role of universities in their communities is not only beneficial to them but also to society at large. To respect institutional autonomy, this requires the right incentives (sticks and carrots). For example, universities throughout England could be required to support the government's plans for devolution."

6 August: Nursing Times reports: "A survey of UK universities has shown that almost half are concerned about government plans to reform the way apprenticeships for nursing, and other disciplines, are funded. The University Vocational Awards Council, which represents more than 80 universities, has published the results of a member survey on the impact of the planned Growth and Skills Levy and called for the protection of funding for degree-level nurse apprenticeships… The Apprenticeship Levy… is used to fund apprenticeships of all levels, up to level 7, which is equivalent to a master's degree. Many post-registration nurse apprenticeships, such as community nursing and school nursing, are of this level… [The government's] policy shift, due to come into effect next year, will include the total removal of levy funding for level 7 courses."

7 August: Chair of the Medical Schools Council Steve Riley tells THE that "the subsidy provided for healthcare subjects is 'insufficient' while universities' efforts to cut costs are showing signs of impacting medical training".

5 August: Manchester Met's John Lean tells Wonkhe that "in an AI-dominated dystopia, the co-curricular might be where we find the last vestiges of human experience in higher education". He explains: "The skills pendulum seems to swinging once more away from digital skills and towards 'soft skills' – again, reflecting AI's dominance of education conversations. Co-curricular space has a valuable contribution to make to developing empathy, critical thinking and interacting with other human beings. It is, ultimately, about sharing experiences, and the more we can expand this, the more everyone will benefit."

4 August: Blogging for Wonkhe, UCL's Nick Grindle joins forces with Sydney's Samantha Clarke and Jessica Frawley explore what TEF submissions show about the use of peer review of teaching in UK HE: "Forty out of sixty providers awarded gold for student experience mention PRT, and almost all of these (37) called it 'observation'. This alone should give pause for thought: the first calls to move beyond observation towards a comprehensive process of peer review appeared in 2005 and received fresh impetus during the pandemic. But the TEF evidence is clear: the term and the concept not only persist, but appear to flourish... Only six institutions (that's barely one in ten of the sector's strongest submissions) said they measure engagement with PRT or its impact, and four of those six are further education colleges providing degree-level qualifications. Three submissions (one is FE) showed evidence of using PRT to address ongoing challenges (take a bow, Hartpury and Plymouth Marjon universities), and only five institutions (two are FE) showed any kind of working relationship between PRT and their quality assurance processes." They add: "Scholarship shows that thoughtfully implemented peer review of teaching can benefit both the reviewer and the reviewed but that it needs regular evaluation and must adapt to changing contexts to stay relevant. Sadly, only eleven TEF submissions reported that their respective PRT schemes have adapted to changing contexts via steps such as incorporating the student voice (London Met), developing new criteria based on emerging best practice in areas such as inclusion (Hartpury again), or a wholesale revision of their scheme (St Mary's Twickenham). The conclusion must be that providers spend a great deal of time and effort (and therefore money) on PRT without being able to explain why they do it, show what value they get from it, or even ponder its ongoing relevance."

1 August: RPN reminds it readers that "free speech rules billed as 'protecting academic freedom' in English universities have come into force". Skills minister Jacqui Smith tells the Telegraph that universities are "on notice" over freedom of speech

1 August: THE reports that "more UK universities have been placed on 'action plans' because of student visa sponsorship breaches, as experts warn of a more 'hard-line' approach from the Home Office".

2 August: The Telegraph's Jake Wallis Simons declares that "the greatest threat to our universities isn't funding or AI, it's China". On 4 August, The Guardian covers the publication of a survey which suggest that "academics and students of Chinese studies in Britain are being subject to harassment, surveillance and pressure to self-censor as they seek to avoid disruption to funding". BBC News covers the same story, highlighting claims that "Chinese students at UK universities are being pressured to spy on their classmates in an attempt to suppress the discussion of issues that are sensitive to the Chinese government". Metro also looks at the findings of the UK-China Transparency research, which finds that "students had told their lecturers that they had been asked by Chinese officials to spy on their peers, while lecturers said they had instructed to not discuss certain topics in their classes".

3 August: The head of Nottingham's Malaysia campus Professor David FitzPatrick tells THE that "employability figures can show the worth of branch campuses to the countries in which they are based but universities still need to do more to communicate the benefits of transnational education". He explains: "Companies see our graduates as having real added value and added strength that they're willing to pay almost twice or up to twice the average salary to get them to stay in their organisation. The key industry sectors in Malaysia, such as semi-conductors, they're actively seeking our mechanical and electrical engineers. It's a very competitive market." The University of Nottingham goes on to celebrate 25 years of the University of Nottingham Malaysia on 6 August.

3 August: The Times claims that universities will "lose cash if students claim asylum" - as "a crackdown will begin next month to stop migrants using tertiary study as a way to stay in the UK".

4 August: The Telegraph says that "universities [will] face [a] foreign student ban if too many claim asylum". The Mail adds that the government plans that universities "be banned from accepting foreign students if they fail to stop their courses being used as a 'back door' for asylum claims". News of the "Home Office clampdown" is also carried by The European Conservative. RPN cites the response of the UCU's Jo Grady: "Attempting to turn universities into an extension of the border force is not only shameful but doomed to fail. Admissions must focus on academic ability, not whether an incoming student may need to seek asylum. This policy could have perverse consequences, such as forcing a university to bar students from war-torn countries like Palestine or Ukraine because they may not be able to safely return home." The Morning Star also carries warnings from voices that condemn the proposals as "shameful".

4 August: THE reports that "universities have been warned not to return to old habits after [HESA] figures showed a steep hike in carbon emissions from business travel, sending them back towards pre-pandemic levels".

5 August: The PIE reports: "The UK Home Office has confirmed that heightened basic compliance assessment (BCA) thresholds, a new red-amber-green banding system, and updates to the agent quality framework (AQF), will come into force next month… The measures to be implemented at the start of the 2025/26 academic year… include changes to BCA thresholds; namely, 95% of international students accepted by a university must enrol (up from 90%), and 90% must complete their course (up from 85%)… Universities will face sanctions if more than 5% of their students' visas are rejected, down from 10%. The incoming measures also include a traffic-light banding system that rates sponsors on compliance performance, with underperforming institutions facing being placed on a UKVI action plan or a possible recruitment cap. The AQF – which many institutions are already a part of – will become mandatory for all sponsors using recruitment agents, to ensure compliance responsibilities are not outsourced and to prevent the misuse of unsponsored English language courses."

6 August: The PIE covers the publication of research which suggests that "UK labour gaps are increasingly shaping international student decision-making, with interest rising in healthcare and IT" – which together accounted for more than 20 per cent of international applicants in academic year 2023-24.

7 August: The Scotsman claims that significant sums are being paid by universities to international student recruitment agents.

8 August: HEPI publishes a report which suggests that "the proposed 6% levy on international students' fees could have a total cost of £621 million for England's higher education institutions". It notes that "universities could seek to absorb the costs, meaning less teaching/research, or they could try to pass them on, making the UK less competitive". 

1 August: THE reports: " A 170-year-old religious college has announced it is closing its doors with immediate effect after its funding was unexpectedly pulled. More than 200 students studying theological degrees at Spurgeon's College in south London are being offered the chance to transfer to other institutions. Liverpool Hope University and the University of Manchester – which both validated some of the programmes at Spurgeon's – have said they will support students affected, with the former taking on some dissertation supervision." Wonkhe's Jim Dickinson argues that "the state's promises of protection for students have failed" – and that the "DfE should step in".

4 August: THE carries warnings from financial experts that – as "more universities could look to private investment to cope with their growing money problems" – "it could be too late for non-elite institutions".

4 August: Incoming Universities UK president Manchester Met VC Malcolm Press tells THE: "The government won't always be able to do everything we wanted it to do because everybody knows public finances are very constrained… There's no point, I think, in looking back to how things were, say, 10 or 15 years ago, when universities were probably in a stronger financial position than some of them are today. There's no point saying 'Can we turn the clock back? Can we put these things back to where they were?' Because the resources just aren't there… We have to… be very reasonable in what we ask for. And when we're asking for things, we have to show to the government that there is a quid pro quo."

5 August: A pair of "higher education experts" from PA Consulting tell THE that "the UK funding crisis may just see the emergence of a stronger sector" – adding that "a systemic realignment is under way that, while painful, could lead to more efficient and adaptable provision". Meanwhile, the same publication observes that "job cuts, growing class sizes and crippling workloads appear to be changing the relationship between academics and their students, with fears that lecturers know next to nothing about those taking their classes".

6 August: THE reports that "policymakers have begun to develop more concrete plans for protecting students if their university closes, but experts have warned that they could struggle to get buy-in for sector-wide schemes that only benefit a few institutions".