{"id":4490,"date":"2016-12-16T16:35:20","date_gmt":"2016-12-16T16:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/cel\/?p=4490"},"modified":"2016-12-21T15:24:51","modified_gmt":"2016-12-21T15:24:51","slug":"higher-education-policy-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/2016\/12\/16\/higher-education-policy-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Higher Education Policy update"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Higher Education and Research Bill: <\/strong>The Committee stage of the Bill in the House of Lords will start on 9<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0January.\u00a0 Amendments are added daily.\u00a0 As of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.publications.parliament.uk\/pa\/bills\/lbill\/2016-2017\/0076\/17076-RL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">today, the list is 15 pages long<\/a>\u00a0and includes proposals for changes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>To ensure students are on the electoral register<\/li>\n<li>To require providers to provide mental health services to students<\/li>\n<li>To require the OfS to gather and publish information on international students\u00a0<em>(also proposed in the House of Commons and dismissed there)<\/em>, academic freedom, staff, offers etc.<\/li>\n<li>To require UKRI to publish information on international staff<\/li>\n<li>To require alternative providers to comply with the Freedom of Information Act\u00a0<em>(dismissed by the government after the green paper consultation)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>To require the government to justify the statistical validity of the NSS before using it in the TEF<em>\u00a0<\/em><em>(too late as the TEF doesn\u2019t need legislation and this is already happening \u2013 although anther proposed amendment is to require parliamentary approval for the TEF)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>To require arrangements for Sharia compliant student finance by 2018<\/li>\n<li>To provide additional support for Syrian refugees (also tabled in the HoC)<\/li>\n<li>Changes to student loan repayment arrangements (also tabled in the HoC)<\/li>\n<li>Preventing the government from introducing changes to the visa regime for staff and students<\/li>\n<li>Removing the Prevent duty from universities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):\u00a0 <\/strong>In all the discussion about TEF in the Higher Education and Research Bill process, the point that the TEF is already live and in place is sometimes missed.\u00a0 HEFCE have published the year 1 ratings on their\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hefce.ac.uk\/reg\/register\/search\/Home\/ByProperty\" target=\"_blank\">new register<\/a><u>\u00a0<\/u><u>of providers<\/u>.\u00a0 429 providers have been rated as \u201cmeets expectations\u201d in the first year.<\/p>\n<p>Under the TEF framework, a \u201cmeets expectations\u201d rating in year 1 allows universities to increase fees up to a new cap linked to inflation in 2017\/18.\u00a0 The government is already able to increase fee caps by inflation \u2013 and this doesn\u2019t need the HE and Research Bill either \u2013 but it does need regulations to be approved by Parliament.\u00a0 We have been waiting for this to happen because without it, despite all the announcements of intentions and Fair Access Agreement commitments, fees will not change in 2017\/18.\u00a0 These regulations have now been \u201claid\u201d in the House of Lords using the \u201cnegative procedure\u201d \u2013 this means that they will automatically become law without debate unless there is an objection from either House and will come into force on 6<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0January 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Alongside the fee regulations, the Department for Education have published their\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/attachment_data\/file\/577420\/Equality_Analysis_for_Student_Support_Regulations_2016.pdf?mc_cid=500675a2fb&amp;mc_eid=372de92627\" target=\"_blank\"><u>equality analysis looking at student finance in 2017\/18<\/u><\/a>.\u00a0 It looks at\u00a0changes to student finance arrangements with fees, loans and grants uplifted by forecast inflation (2.8%).<\/p>\n<p>The report concludes that \u201cthese proposed changes will have a neutral impact for those with and without protected characteristics.\u00a0 Although student loan debt may rise, this will be in nominal terms only and will not affect participation decisions.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0In relation to the loans that are replacing NHS bursaries, it concludes that this change could deter applicants from lower socio-economic groups but overall will increase opportunities \u2013 and will increase the actual up-front financial support available to students by 25% &#8211; although it is repayable.\u00a0 It also points to the mitigation for low earners \u2013 who may not repay in practice.<\/p>\n<p>In 2015, the government announced plans for loans to PGR students and part-time maintenance loans and have just closed consultations on both of these:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><u><a href=\"https:\/\/consult.education.gov.uk\/part-time-maintenance-loans\/post-graduate-doctoral-loans\" target=\"_blank\">Consultation on postgraduate doctoral loans<\/a>\u00a0<\/u><strong><u>\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><em>-y<\/em>ou can\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/newintranetsp.bournemouth.ac.uk\/documentsrep\/PGR%20loan%20consultation%20final%20submitted.docx\" target=\"_blank\"><u>\u00a0read our response here.\u00a0<\/u><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/consult.education.gov.uk\/part-time-maintenance-loans\/part-time-maintenance-loans\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Part-time Maintenance Loans Consultation\u00a0<\/u><\/a>\u2013 you can\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/newintranetsp.bournemouth.ac.uk\/documentsrep\/PT%20Maint%20Loans%20Final%20%20submitted%20%282%29.docx\" target=\"_blank\"><u>read our response here.\u00a0<\/u><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>League tables: <\/strong>Following on from TEF, our minds inevitably turn to league tables.\u00a0 The Higher Education and Policy Institute (HEPI) have published an i<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hepi.ac.uk\/2016\/12\/15\/new-hepi-analysis-reveals-major-flaws-university-league-tables-urges-governments-institutions-ignore\/\" target=\"_blank\"><u>nteresting and possibly controversial report<\/u><\/a>\u00a0(at least for those who publish them) about the role of international league tables.\u00a0 Recommendations include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>ranking bodies should audit and validate data provided by universities;<\/li>\n<li>league table criteria should move beyond research-related measures;<\/li>\n<li>surveys of reputation should be dropped, given their methodological flaws;<\/li>\n<li>league table results should be published in more complex ways than simple numerical rankings; and<\/li>\n<li>universities and governments should not exaggerate the importance of rankings when determining priorities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Graduate outcomes: <\/strong>Another metric that is highly relevant to the TEF is graduate outcomes \u2013 in their annual Intentions After Graduation Survey (IAGS),\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hefce.ac.uk\/news\/newsarchive\/2016\/Name,111757,en.html\" target=\"_blank\"><u>HEFCE survey nearly 140,000 graduates\u00a0<\/u><\/a>\u00a0&#8211; they report that students from different backgrounds have very similar plans \u2013 but there are differences in how likely they are to fulfil their ambitions \u2013 another part of the wider story about disadvantaged and under-represented groups.\u00a0 The key findings are set out in the HEFCE notes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Black and Asian graduates were less likely than white graduates to fulfil their intentions to go on to postgraduate study.<\/li>\n<li>Fewer students from disadvantaged backgrounds who said they would do postgraduate study actually did.<\/li>\n<li>Over two-thirds of all respondents in 2016 said that they would be likely or very likely to study at postgraduate level if a postgraduate loan of around \u00a310,000 was introduced.\u00a0 [<em>It now has been since the survey was conducted<\/em>].<\/li>\n<li>Overall, there are few differences in intentions between students of different gender, social background and disability status, although there are large differences between ethnic groups.\u00a0 White students are the least likely to intend to do postgraduate study, and students of Chinese background are the most likely.<\/li>\n<li>Graduates who had intended to go on to postgraduate study, but who got lower degree classifications, were more likely to revise their plans and go into work instead.\u00a0 Similarly, of those who had not intended to do postgraduate study, those getting firsts and upper seconds were most likely to change their minds.\u00a0 However, degree classification does not explain the differences between graduates of different ethnicities and social backgrounds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Social Mobility:\u00a0 <\/strong>The outcomes data is part of a wider story this week about social mobility.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucas.com\/corporate\/news-and-key-documents\/news\/record-numbers-18-year-olds-accepted-university-year-ucas-report-shows\" target=\"_blank\"><u>UCAS data on admissions in 2016 has been released<\/u><\/a>\u00a0\u2013read more on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/wonkhe.com\/blogs\/policy-watch-eight-lessons-from-this-years-admissions-cycle\/\"><u>Wonkhe here<\/u><\/a>. One of the many stories is about a slowdown in equalising access\u00a0 &#8211; read\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/wonkhe.com\/blogs\/multiple-measures-of-inequality-show-there-is-work-still-to-do-in-widening-access\/\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Mary Curnock Cook\u2019s blog here<\/u><\/a>\u2013\u00a0that will cause alarm \u2013 especially after the interesting debate hosted by Wonkhe this week when Alan Milburn repeated many of the arguments made in the recent Social Mobility Commission report (read the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2016\/12\/13\/help-low-income-students-lose-right-charge-higher-fees-social\/\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Telegraph report here<\/u><\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.parliament.uk\/business\/committees\/committees-a-z\/lords-select\/social-mobility\/news-parliament-2015\/social-mobility-report-debate\/\" target=\"_blank\"><u>House of Lords will debate<\/u><\/a>\u00a0the\u00a0r<a href=\"http:\/\/www.publications.parliament.uk\/pa\/ld201516\/ldselect\/ldsocmob\/120\/120.pdf\"><u>ecent report from the Select Committee on Social Mobility<\/u><\/a>\u00a0next week.\u00a0 This report focussed on 16-18s. but also reported on graduates doing non-graduate roles, the role of apprenticeships, and discusses concerns that the focus on access to universities has increased the inequality between vocational and academic routes for school-leavers.\u00a0 It calls for more funding for FE colleges and better careers education.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Student visas: <\/strong>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/education\/2016\/dec\/12\/uk-halve-international-student-visa-tougher-rules\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Guardian reported<\/u><\/a>\u00a0that the \u201cUK considers plans to nearly halve international student visas\u201d with reports of horrified reactions from VCs, and repeating the story about links to the TEF ratings.\u00a0\u00a0 Alastair Jarvis from UUK tweeted that he didn\u2019t think it was likely.\u00a0\u00a0Jo Johnson and others have recently suggested that stories of visa quotas being linked to TEF ratings are also not accurate \u2013 telling the House of Commons (and the sector) to \u201ccalm down\u201d at the report stage for the HE Bill.\u00a0 UUK have proved to have a very good ear to the ground in the past, so we shouldn\u2019t take the story at face value \u2013 and wait for the consultation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Schools consultation: <\/strong>The Department for Education into \u201cSchools that work for everyone\u201d closed on Monday.\u00a0 Thank you very much to all those who contributed to the workshops, surveys and other discussions. \u00a0UUK have blogged about\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.universitiesuk.ac.uk\/blog\/Pages\/How-should-universities-work-with-schools-Green-Paper-response.aspx\" target=\"_blank\"><u>their response<\/u><\/a>.\u00a0 All responses will be published by the Department for Education in due course.<\/p>\n<p>BU\u2019s response was based on internal feedback and feedback from a number of local head-teachers, and reflects the views described by UUK (you can read\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/newintranetsp.bournemouth.ac.uk\/documentsrep\/BU%20response%20to%20Schools%20that%20work%20for%20everyone%20consultation%20Dec%202016.docx\"><u>our response<\/u><\/a>\u00a0here).\u00a0 BU\u2019s position is that<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We believe that universities can do a great deal to support the schools system, to contribute to school level attainment and to inspire and motivate pupils at all ages to engage with learning and achieve their potential.<\/li>\n<li>However, we flagged some challenges with the proposed policy, and in particular that we do not believe that a \u201cone size fits all\u201d approach is helpful or efficient and that we do not believe that mandating sponsorship of schools by universities or requiring universities to set up new schools will provide the best solution to the challenges faced by individual schools, towns or regions or ensure that the strengths of individual universities are harnessed efficiently and effectively.<\/li>\n<li>BU believes that there can be a step change in engagement with schools.\u00a0 Universities should consult with schools, as they do now, on the strengths and capacity of the university and the types of support that are most useful to those schools at any particular time, which may include support not directly linked to curriculum or delivery to pupils.\u00a0 In particular, providing support to teachers, research and links with professional practice are highlighted in our response, alongside academic support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Horizon 2020 research funding: <\/strong>The Government published\u00a0s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/statistics\/uks-participation-in-horizon-2020-september-2016\" target=\"_blank\"><u>tatistics detailing the UK\u2019s participation in Horizon 2020.<\/u><\/a> The release shows the number of times UK organisations participated in this programme, as well as the agreed financial contributions from the European Commission to UK organisations as a result of these participations.\u00a0 It contains UK totals, breakdowns by organisation type, funding pillar and regions of the UK, as well as listing the top UK participating organisations.\u00a0 This is based on data extracted from the Commission\u2019s database on the 30th September 2016.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>This is our last policy update of 2016 \u2013 have a wonderful break and Happy New Year<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Jane and Sarah<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Higher Education and Research Bill: The Committee stage of the Bill in the House of Lords will start on 9th\u00a0January.\u00a0 Amendments are added daily.\u00a0 As of\u00a0today, the list is 15 pages long\u00a0and includes proposals for changes: To ensure students are on the electoral register To require providers to provide mental health services to students To&#8230;  <a class=\"excerpt-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/2016\/12\/16\/higher-education-policy-update\/\">Read more &raquo;<span class=\"sr-only\"> about Higher Education Policy update<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1475,"featured_media":4511,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1475"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4490"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4490\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4517,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4490\/revisions\/4517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}