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HEPI Guest Post

  • Why higher education needs a strong regulator

    20 January 2021 by Paul Layzell

    This blog was kindly contributed by Professor Paul Layzell, Principal, Royal Holloway University of London and former Chair of AQA. You can find Paul on Twitter @RHULPrincipal. Three years after the creation of the Office for Students (OfS), has higher education’s regulator come of age? When formed, I shared the…

  • Reasons to give the Turing Scheme a chance

    19 January 2021 by Vivienne Stern

    This blog was kindly contributed by Vivienne Stern, Director of Universities UK International (UUKi). Previously on the HEPI website, Vivienne contributed the second chapter to the essay collection, ‘UK Universities and China’ which was published in July 2020. You can find Vivienne on Twitter @viviennestern. Professor David Carter’s blog Five…

  • The Government’s emerging vision for universities: labour-market need at the heart of the system

    18 January 2021 by Graham Galbraith

    This blog was kindly contributed by Professor Graham Galbraith, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth. What should universities expect in 2021? Quietly, and piece-by-piece, significant changes are emerging. Together, they suggest that the Government might be determined to put short-term labour-market need at the heart of our higher education system.…

  • WEEKEND READING: Brexit will exacerbate regional inequalities in the UK and EU

    17 January 2021 by Julia Pieza

    This blog was kindly contributed by Julia Pieza, a recent Oxford University graduate with a degree in History and Politics. Julia hopes to pursue a career in public policy with an interest in EU-UK relations, education and social mobility. The end of the Brexit transition period in January 2021 brings…

  • How to be ‘innovative’ in school exam assessment – fewer grades

    16 January 2021 by Dennis Sherwood

    This blog by Dennis Sherwood considers the latest twists in school and college pupils’ assessments for 2021. Ofqual’s newly-appointed Chief Regulator, Simon Lebus, recently stated his commitment to ‘supporting “innovation” in assessment’. Now that that school exams have been cancelled in England, there is an opportunity for him to do just that. …

  • Universities must be critical delivery agents of the Levelling Up Fund

    15 January 2021 by Chris Husbands, Natalie Day & Richard Brabner

    This blog was kindly contributed by Professor Sir Chris Husbands and Natalie Day, Sheffield Hallam University and host of the Civic University Network, with Richard Brabner, Director of the UPP Foundation. You can find Chris, Natalie and Richard on Twitter @Hallam_VC , @natalieday1 and @richardbrabner. The first week of 2021…

  • Rethinking fair admissions

    14 January 2021 by Vikki Boliver & Mandy Powell

    This blog was kindly contributed by Professor Vikki Boliver and Dr Mandy Powell, Department of Sociology, Durham University. You can find Vikki on twitter @VikkiBoliver What do academically selective universities mean by fair admission? In a new research report funded by the Nuffield Foundation, Fair Admission to Universities in England:…

  • Five questions to ask about the Turing scheme

    11 January 2021 by David Carter

    This blog was kindly contributed by Professor David Carter, Head of the International Study and Language Institute at the University of Reading. The UK’s withdrawal from Erasmus+ is not a surprise to anyone who follows government announcements from time to time. The Prime Minister said to the House of Commons…

  • Reaching Beyond the School Gate: Making University Outreach More Meaningful

    8 January 2021 by Alex Blower

    This blog was kindly contributed by Dr Alex Blower, University of Portsmouth. Having worked in university outreach teams since 2012, completed his doctoral research in education and inequality in 2020. You can find Alex on Twitter @EduDetective I began working in university outreach back in 2012. Since then, universities have…