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The UK's only independent think tank devoted to higher education.

Blog

The HEPI Blog aims to make brief, incisive contributions to the higher education policy landscape. It is circulated to our subscribers and published online. We welcome guest submissions, which should follow our Instructions for Blog Authors. Submissions should be sent to our Blog Editor, Josh Freeman, at [email protected].

  • Challenges that BAME student representatives encounter when trying to challenge racism

    1 March 2021 by Ann Hanna

    This blog was kindly contributed by Ann Hanna, a Philosophy, Politics and Economics graduate currently working with humanitarian organisations that aim to reduce inequalities worldwide. COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement have reminded us of the vast inequalities that exist as a result of race and ethnicity, including…

  • Civic Universities and Social Enterprise

    25 February 2021 by Lucy Findlay & Diana Beech

    This blog has been kindly contributed by Lucy Findlay MBE, Managing Director of Social Enterprise Company CIC and Dr Diana Beech, Chief Executive of London Higher. You can find Lucy and Diana on Twitter @LucyFindlay and @dianajbeech. In its 2019 manifesto, the Government pledged to strengthen universities’ and colleges’ civic…

  • The Gradual Reshaping of the Education Sector

    24 February 2021 by Dave Phoenix

    This blog was kindly contributed by Professor Dave Phoenix, Vice-Chancellor, London South Bank University. You can find Dave on Twitter @David_PhoenixVC. The ‘policy avalanche’ on 21 January, for which the tertiary education sector in England was bracing itself, has now been written off by many (particularly within higher education) as a…

  • Skills development is not just about transition into work: we need innovative thinking about higher level skills too

    23 February 2021 by Paul Layzell & James Bennett

    This blog was kindly contributed by Professor Paul Layzell, Principal of Royal Holloway, University of London and James Bennett, Director of StoryFutures Academy. You can find Paul on Twitter @RHULPrincipal and James @james_a_bennett. The UK has a skills challenge. On this, business leaders, politicians, educators and commentators can all agree.…

  • Anthony Seldon: From Policy-Takers to Policy-Makers

    22 February 2021 by Anthony Seldon

    Today’s blog is an extract from this year’s Annual Lecture of the National Conference of University Professors (NCUP), which has just been delivered by Sir Anthony Seldon (the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham). You can find Anthony on Twitter @AnthonySeldon. ***Tomorrow, HEPI and Advance HE are hosting a…

  • THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS: Free speech and academic freedom

    20 February 2021 by Nick Hillman

    Free speech and academic freedom in higher education institutions came back with a vengeance this week, as the Government announced their long-awaited proposals. It is one area where the main players have a tendency to imply their positions are more black-and-white than they really are. For example: the Government may…

  • Exam grades without exams: A better way

    19 February 2021 by Keith Geary

    Keith Geary is a former headteacher of two comprehensive schools and is currently a school governor and examiner. Ofqual’s 2020 proposals for exam grades without exams stretched to 68 pages and generated a summer of results chaos and uncertainty for students and higher education admissions. 2021’s proposals run to 46…

  • Informing parents is the key to unlocking the next generation of apprentices

    17 February 2021 by Katie Bell

    This blog was kindly contributed by Dr Katie Bell, Chief Marketing Officer, UCAS. You can find Katie on Twitter @DrKatieBell. For many parents, an apprenticeship musters up images of overalls and oily hands, but in the modern day that could not be further from the truth. From nursing and policing…

  • Response to the new announcements on free speech and academic freedom by Dr Arif Ahmed

    17 February 2021 by Dr Arif Ahmed

    This guest blog has been kindly contributed by Dr Arif Ahmed, who is a reader at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, where he authored the amendments to the new Statement on Freedom of Speech. The Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, proposes to protect free speech at…