The Wonkhe Show

This week on the podcast the University of Bristol has lost its appeal over a student suicide case - we discuss the implications. Plus the January deadline UCAS figures are out, and we look at the rise in hours that students are spending in paid employment. (CW: Suicide, depression, mental health) With Eve Alcock, Director of Public Affairs at QAA, Ben Whittaker, Chief Executive at LSE Students’ U...

This week on the podcast university funding is back in the news as Wales increases fees and the sector puzzles over fixing funding across the UK. Are fee increases politically palatable, and what are the alternatives? Plus free school meals students face a “postcode lottery” for university entrance, and we’ve been taking a look at universities’ role in the public sector jobs pipeline. With Gavan C...

This week on the podcast international students have been in the news - but how much of the coverage was unfair, and does the sector have a case to answer on admissions? Plus DfE has a mental health taskforce report out, Scotland's Commissioner for Fair Access has reported and we look at new polling and data on students' views and the role that gender can play in politics. With Helen O'Sullivan, P...

This week on the podcast OfS has published more inspection reports into Business and Management provision in universities. Is the process and focus right? Plus we discuss the implications of Jo Phonenix's win at tribunal against the OU, and look in detail at a report on university governance. With Jonathan Simons, Partner and Head of the Education Practice at Public First, Steph Harris, Director o...

This week on the podcast the National Audit Office reports on organised crime and fraud in franchise agreements - is the regulation right and are the incentives appropriate? Plus we discuss the prospect of a university going under, there’s new UCAS figures out and who’s paying the Real Living Wage? With Nicola Dandridge, Professor of Practice in Higher Education Policy at University of Bristol, Jo...

This week on the podcast we’re in Helsinki on the Wonkhe SUs study tour where SU officers and staff from around the UK have been to Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland to learn about student representation, political advocacy and belonging on a budget.  Jim and guests from the bus trip discuss students and sleep, the HE policy year ahead, and what the sector might learn from the frozen nor...

In our final festive episode of the year we survey the political turmoil over immigration, and consider the impact on university finances. There's also a big delay to the REF to understand, a new report that calls for more graduates and some festive cheer from DK. With Andy Westwood, Professor of Government Practice at the University of Manchester, Justine Andrew, Head of Education and Head of Uni...

This week on the podcast the government is consulting on minimum service levels in education - what could that mean for industrial action in the sector? Plus there’s a growing “education divide” in UK politics, Advance HE’s 2023 PTES is out, and we’re asking if universities need to “go hard or go home” on degree apprenticeships.  With Diana Beech, CEO at London Higher, Mark Bennett, Director...

This week on the podcast - recorded at Advance HE's Governance Conference in London - new immigration figures are out, and we reflect on what they mean both for the new Home Secretary and for university finances. Plus there's the Chancellor's Autumn Statement to digest, and this year's Postgraduate Research Experience Survey results are out. With Roberta Blackman-Woods, Board Chair at Northumbria...

This week on the podcast there's been a Westminster government reshuffle - but does any of it matter to higher education? Plus OfS has been inspecting business courses, sector finances are in the news and Data Futures has been pushed further into the future. With Chris Shelley, Director of Student Experience at Queen Mary University of London, Jess Lister, Associate Director (Education) at Public...

This week on the podcast, recorded live at Wonkhe's Festival of HE in London, we discuss the King's speech and politics for higher education in the run up to a general election. Plus there's new polling data on students and food, we get as across a new report on graduate skills in an age of AI, and hidden history traces how women got into universities. With Alistair Jarvis, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Pa...

This week on the podcast Michelle Donelan’s letter to UKRI expressing outrage over “extremism” has been in the news, and Gillian Keegan is bearing down on antisemitism on campus - we discuss and assess the fallout. Plus OfS is set to get digging around into franchised provision, and we try to work out if the student training needs in England’s long-term NHS plan are deliverable. With Sally Mapston...

This week on the podcast the Renter’s (Reform) Bill has been in Parliament, and there’s a new report on soaring student rents. Should the sector reduce demand or lobby for increased supply? Plus there’s a new report on research culture, and a decline in international student experiences. With Nicola Dandridge, Professor of Practice in Higher Education Policy at University of Bristol, Andrew Boggs,...

This week on the podcast a fresh debate over controlling student numbers in England’s HE system has kicked off. Would doing so damage access? Plus we’ve new research on belonging and cost of living, we review activity on campus in the wake of the situation in the Middle East, and a new iteration of the Social Mobility Index for universities has emerged. With Rachel Sandby-Thomas, Registrar at Univ...

This week on the podcast we’ve been at Labour’s conference in Liverpool - asking what might make it into the manifesto on fees and funding. Plus ministers have written to universities over antisemitism, and we find out what Labour might do on regulating (or not) mental health in universities. With Vivienne Stern, Chief Executive at Universities UK, Gareth Smith, Executive Director of Student Life...

This week on the podcast the government is to consult on “minimum service levels” during industrial action at universities. What could happen next? Plus Michelle Donelan is kicking “woke ideology” out of science, immigration and international students were the talk of the Conservative Party Conference fringe, and there’s new findings on student views of engagement analytics. With Julian Gravatt, D...

This week on the podcast results of the Teaching Excellence Framework are out - but what do they tell us, and how helpful are they for students? Plus there’s a new report on university staff and skills development and a “new deal” for PGRs has arrived.  With Jonathan Simons, Partner and Head of Education Practice at Public First, Anne-Marie Canning, Chief Executive Officer at The Brilliant Cl...

This week on the podcast we discuss the government’s plans to reduce the stigma and increase support for students who are lonely. Plus Gillian Keegan is urging VCs to just stop just stop oil, the Lifelong Loan Entitlement gets a rebrand and HESA’s making measures on meaningful work more meaningful. With Selena Bolingbroke, Principal at the Building Crafts College, Jonathan Woodhead, Policy Adviser...

This week on the podcast a Lords committee says England’s HE regulator is “arbitrary, overly controlling, and unnecessarily combative. What happens next? Plus we look at what we can learn from two new assessment reports into quality of courses, and there’s a new report on care experienced students. With Smita Jamdar, Partner and Head of Education at Shakespeare Martineau, Richard Brabner, Director...

This week on the podcast we look at three new reports that detail the impact of the cost of living crisis on students. Is there more that universities can do as governments continue to ignore the issue? We also discuss Horizon, research security and foreign policy, and the question of gathering stats on gender-based violence in higher education. Plus hidden history looks at how teacher training tr...

This week on our summer break special Level 3 results are out - does the press coverage bear any relation to what's happening in universities? Plus this year's new and "improved" National Student Survey results are out, and the team looks ahead to the new academic year. With Michael Salmon, News Editor at Wonkhe, David Kernohan, Deputy Editor at Wonkhe, Debbie McVitty, Editor at Wonkhe, Mark Leach...

This week on the podcast there’s new recommendations on campus harassment and sexual misconduct - but is a DfE campaign targeting men the right approach? Plus there’s a new NHS workforce plan to think about, the challenges of AI continue to generate debate, and Richard Brabner pays tribute to Bob Kerslake, who died earlier this week. With Claire Taylor, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive at Plymo...

This week on the podcast Labour’s plans to turn the apprenticeship levy into a “Growth and Skills Levy” get more detail - but what will it all mean for HE? Plus David Willetts has been looking back at his “eight great technologies”, and the debate over reforms to the Research Excellence Framework (REF) rumbles on. With Shân Wareing, Deputy Vice Chancellor at University of Northampton, Ashley Store...

This week on the podcast the 2023 Student Academic Experience Survey is out, and it finds that more students are in paid employment than ever before. Does that matter? Plus the marking and assessment boycott is picking up pace, and the Lifelong Loan Entitlement has been in the Lords - we wonder where the demand is. With Carole-Anne Upton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Global Innovation and Impact, Mi...

This week on the podcast the Future Research Assessment Programme (FRAP) has reported - we discuss whether its recommendations will fix the issues that researchers raise. Plus there’s a new report out on awarding gaps, there’s advice on recruiting international students and English studies is in better health than we thought. With Omar Khan, Director at TASO, Sally Burtonshaw, Associate Director E...