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].
This blog has been kindly written for HEPI by Kim Eccleston, Head of Strategy and Reform – Strategy, Policy and Public Affairs, at UCAS. HEPI’s recent paper on reforming UCAS personal statements is here. At UCAS, we are continually working to improve the admissions service to serve applicants better and…
This blog was kindly contributed by Rob Stroud, Director of Quality Assessment, England at the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. In their recent HEPI blog, Professor Sir Malcolm Grant and Mary Curnock Cook rightly highlight some of the challenges that independent challenger institutions have faced entering the higher education…
Not for the first time, Leicester lays claim to be a unique place in the UK. According to the 2021 Census data, it has emerged as the first plural city in the UK where no ethnic group has a majority. In the blog below, Professor Nishan Canagarajah, President & Vice-Chancellor…
Like many people, I am sceptical that a graduate tax is a good answer to either the funding crisis affecting higher education institutions and students or the political challenges faced by Keir Starmer and others who have spoken of getting rid of tuition fees in England. Promising a big new tax…
This week, the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to make Maths compulsory to the age of 18, which would need a lot of extra Maths teachers… Here, writing in a personal capacity, Pam Tatlow looks at the current state of teacher training in England. Pam is on Twitter @Pam_Tatlow. The…
This blog was kindly contributed by Sarah Stevens, Director of Policy at the Russell Group (@RussellGroup). Many would say that the UK higher education system dodged a bullet at the recent Autumn Statement, with the deferral of significant fiscal restraint until after the next election meaning no immediate shift to austerity-style…
It has sometimes felt like the past year has seen a torrent of valuable books on education, including higher education, even if there has not always been the time to read and digest them properly – there are good reasons why HEPI papers are designed to be read in one…
Below is our annual round up of the most popular HEPI blogs from the past year. She may only blog for us occasionally, but HEPI Trustee Mary Curnock Cook bags the top spot – and not for the first time. She got to number 16 in 2021, reached number 9…
This blog was written by Izzy Cresswell. Izzy is an undergraduate student at Arts University Bournemouth who has experience navigating some of the challenges discussed in the piece. Homelessness and higher education may form a nice piece of alliteration when placed next to one another, but as a combination they are…
This blog was kindly contributed by The Unite Foundation and Paige Mackenzie. This year’s John Lewis Christmas advert highlighted different notions of family and belonging at this time of year. As you may know, many care experienced and estranged students will be staying at university over the holidays, either in…