An evolving presentation I've given around the UK over the last year.

1. High seas:
the shipping forecast
for UK HE policy
Louis Coiffait, Associate Editor
louis@wonkhe.com
@LouisMMCoiffait
@Wonkhe

2. 1. Intros

3. Introducing Wonkhe (pron. “wonky”)
The home of higher education policy, people and politics.
Wonk: a studious or hard-working person ... who takes an excessive
interest in the details of policy.
Our mission is to improve higher education policy.
We do THREE main things;
1. Publish articles (that we write, edit or commission)
2. Send email briefings, to help explain what’s going on
3. Run the most exciting events in the sector
We also have a new podcast, and do training, consultancy, presenting etc.

5. Explainers
e.g.
Teaching
Excellence
and
Student
Outcomes
Framework
or… TEF

6. TEF (teaching)
&
REF (Research
Excellence Framework)
- Interactive
- Contextualised
- Caveated appropriately
Data

7. LEO
Data

8. UCAS
+
Hotcourses
Data

9. TEF +
Hotcourses
International
student
interest
&
TEF
award

11. Visits

12. Email briefings; Monday, Daily (Tue-Thur)

13. Events, podcasts etc…

14. 2. The good ship
HMS UK HE

15. How’d we get here?
1992 Further and Higher Education Act
1997 Labour majority government
1997 Dearing Report
1998 Teaching and Higher Education Act
1999 Learning to Succeed (post-16 learning) - white paper
2001 Labour majority government
2003 The Future of Higher Education - white paper
2004 Higher Education Act (top up fees)
2004 Tomlinson Report (14-19 reform)
2005 Labour majority government
2005 Foster Review (FE)
2006 Leitch Report (skills)
2006 FE: raising skills, improving life chances - white paper
2007 Burgess Group Report
2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE)
2010 Conservative/Lib Dem coalition government
2010 Browne Review (fees)
2010 fee divergence across three devolved nations
2011 Students at the Heart of the System – white paper
2012 Lingfield reports (professionalism in FE)
2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF)
2015 Conservative majority government
2015 Student number cap lifted
2016 Success as a knowledge economy - white paper
2016 Bell Review (agencies)
2016 UK votes to leave the EU
2017 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) year 1 outcomes
2017 Conservative minority government
2017 Higher Education and Research Act (OfS and UKRI)
2017 Industrial strategy
2017 Prime Minister’s conference speech (fee freeze)
2018 Post-18 review launched
2018 OfS and UKRI replace HEFCE and OFFA
2018 Advance HE formed from three predecessors

16. Regulation
English HE
(in one chart)
Student
Interactions
Funding
HE providers
Students
UCAS
QAA
OIA
HESA
BEIS
DfE DH
Home
Office
Charity
Commission
OfS
SLC
Treasury
Ofsted
HEE
Privy
Council
FCO DfID
UKRI
7 research
councils
Innovate UK
Research
England
British
Council
ESFA
IFA
DCLG
ASA

17. Stated government priorities
1. Economic growth post-Brexit – R&D, industrial strategy
2. A HE “market” – choice, new provider entry, competition
3. “Fair” value for money – between taxpayers and students

18. Value for (state/student) money
Parental contribution up to
£5,523 per year (Martin Lewis)
Actual student contribution
typically smaller
Some students don’t pay anything
(their parents pay it all)

19. (Updated) IFS “education funding squid”,
per-student per-year per-education stage

20. ONS student loan change (details TBC)

21. 3. Current shipping
forecast for UK HE

23. The small gusts
1. REF c. £2bn a year of quality-related research (QR) funds,
2021 a similar game, rules adjusted e.g. 25% “impact”
2. TEF (Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes
Framework) approaches to quality assessment
3. LEO (Longitudinal Education Outcomes) grad. earnings
4. KEF - Knowledge Exchange Framework, inc. comm£rcial
5. Finances – borrowing, x-subsidies
6. Pay & conditions – vice chancellors and others, pensions
7. Unconditional offers and grade inflation
8. Free speech, processes for OfS board appointments

24. The BIGprevailing winds
1. Office for National Statistics (ONS) report on accounting rules
2. New market regulator – Office for Students (OfS)
3. Growing focus on metrics – data fundamentalism
4. More transparency and scrutiny – need to tell your story
5. Student recruitment: demographic bulges/dips, intl.
6. Changing student expectations, experiences, and outcomes
7. Value for money for the individual/taxpayer
8. BrHExit – research funding, students, and staff
9. “Culture wars” and the role of “experts”

29. Opportunities for institutions…
1. Global demand for UK HE in English; here, abroad, online (or a blend)
2. R&D funding (target 2.4% of GDP by 2027), local industrial strategies
3. Sector still well-regarded by majority of public, so regain the narrative
4. Tech, data, and analytics – subject-level TEF, spotting vulnerable students
5. Advance HE (HE Academy, Equality Challenge Unit, Leadership Foundation)
6. Evolve local civic role; strategy, jobs, growth, public engagement, culture
7. More tailored courses - accelerated (two year) / part-time / mature
8. Redefine “technical & professional” learning: employers/FE/others
9. The post-18 review (interim report 2019?) and Level 4-5 review
10. Integrate apprenticeships (inc. degree apps), levy funds
11. Open publishing, data and research
But, ONE thing will really help on the voyage ahead…

32. Thank you!
Questions?
Louis Coiffait, Associate Editor
louis@wonkhe.com
@LouisMMCoiffait
@Wonkhe