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PODCAST

The Wonkhe Show

Every week the Wonkhe team and guests from across higher education dissect the week"s big policy developments, and we also feature views from around the sector.

education

All Episodes

50:54

Labour Conference 2025

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/10/02

This week on the podcast, as the dust settles on Labour conference in Liverpool, we unpack what Keir Starmer’s new higher education participation target really means – and whether universities have the capacity and funding to meet the moment. We also get into the surprise return of targeted maintenance grants – funded controversially by the levy on international student fees, and we reflect on the wider political atmosphere at the conference – from policy signals to sector perceptions, and what all

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34:11

Sexual misconduct, international levy, closures

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/09/25

This week on the podcast we examine the results of the Office for Students’ first sector-wide survey on sexual misconduct. With over 50,000 responses from final-year undergraduates, the data provides a stark picture of prevalence, reporting, and staff-student relationships in higher education. But with only sector-level results released, questions remain about transparency, accountability, and the regulator’s approach to such a sensitive issue.Plus we discuss the politics and potential consequences

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41:33

Quality reforms, duty of candour, skills

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/09/18

This week on the podcast we examine the Office for Students' proposed overhaul of England's quality system, as radical reforms seek to integrate the Teaching Excellence Framework with minimum standards and give TEF some serious teeth.Plus we discuss the government's long-awaited "Hillsborough law" as the Public Office (Accountability) Bill imposes new duties of candour on universities, and examine the machinery of government changes that have seen apprenticeships policy and Skills England

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40:24

Mergers, reshuffle

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/09/12

This week on the podcast we examine the bombshell merger announcement between the University of Greenwich and the University of Kent, set to create the London and South East University Group – one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK.With a memorandum of understanding signed and contracts expected by Christmas, this "super university" is being hailed as a potential blueprint for sector transformation. But what does this new multi-university model really mean for students, staff,

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48:21

Podcast: Year ahead, International, Governance

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/09/05

This week on the podcast we examine the challenges facing UK higher education as another tough academic year begins with government finances stretched and the sector languishing at the bottom of political priorities.With the post-16 education white paper still pending and rumours swirling about tuition fee increases and international student levies, what does the year ahead hold for universities already struggling with funding pressures?Plus we discuss the latest crackdown on international students

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48:36

AI and jobs, provider closure, UCAS figures

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/07/17

This week on our final podcast before the summer break, we unpack the mounting panic about graduate jobs – is AI really to blame, or are today’s students simply paying the price for a sluggish economy, a stalling skills strategy, and shifting recruitment practices?Plus we discuss new figures from UCAS that show a record number of 18-year-olds applying to university, and we look at a major new report on how provider closures are affecting students, and what the sector should do next to avoid chaos

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41:20

Student experience, LLE, civic

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/07/11

This week on the podcast we examine proposals for transforming the student experience as The Post-18 Project calls for a Student Rights Bill and a complete rethink of higher education’s structure.Could enshrining ten student rights into law and splitting faculties into research and applied institutions finally address the sector’s longstanding challenges?Plus we discuss Labour’s vision for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement as key details emerge on modular provision and approval processes, and ask

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49:58

International, student leaders, metascience

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/07/03

This week on the podcast we examine the latest attacks on international student recruitment as Policy Exchange calls for new restrictions and a £1,000 levy on international fees.Are universities really "selling immigration not education," and what would raising English language requirements to advanced level mean for the sector?Plus we discuss what incoming student leaders are promising in their manifestos – from subsidised laundry to lecture materials uploaded in advance – and ask whether the new

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39:31

Industrial strategy, cashpoint colleges, social mobility

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/06/27

This week on the podcast we examine the government’s new industrial strategy and what it really means for higher education – from regional clusters and research funding to skills bootcamps and spin-out support.Will the plans finally integrate universities into the UK’s economic future, or is this another case of policy promises outpacing delivery?Plus we discuss the franchising scandal and the damning case for urgent reform, and ask whether new research on social mobility challenges the sector’s

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41:28

Free speech guidance, R&D

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/06/19

This week on the podcast we examine the Office for Students' new free speech guidance as controversial requirements prepare to take effect from August 1st. What do the "deeply disturbing" YouGov findings about academic self-censorship really tell us, and how should universities navigate campus protests and challenging research topics?Plus we discuss outgoing UKRI chief Ottoline Leyser's stark warning about "inevitable consolidation" in university research.With Mark Peace, Professor of Innovation in

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42:22

Spending review, Tooling Up, REF, students at work

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/06/12

This week on the podcast we examine the government's spending review and what it means for higher education. How will the £86bn R&D commitment translate into real-terms funding, and why was higher education notably absent from the Chancellor's priorities?Plus we discuss the Post-18 Project's call to fundamentally reshape HE policy away from market competition, the startling new REF rules, and the striking rise in student term-time working revealed by the latest Student Academic Experience

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48:55

Efficiency, EDI, speed

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/06/05

This week on the podcast we examine Universities UK's efficiency and transformation taskforce report. What do shared back-office services, federation models and subject cold spots tell us about the sector's financial pressures?Plus we discuss Research England's new EDI action plan, and explore whether the UK's rapid three-year degree model is harming student wellbeing and learning outcomes.With Rille Raaper, Associate Professor in Sociology of Higher Education at Durham University, Jess Lister,

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31:57

Governance, apprenticeships, trends

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/05/29

This week on the podcast we examine the OfS penalty imposed on Leeds Trinity over subcontractual partnerships oversight. What does the £115,000 fine and a new proposed code of “ethical” governance tell us about decision-making at the top?Plus we discuss the government's decision to axe level 7 apprenticeships from levy funding, and explore incoming OfS chair Edward Peck's ten trends shaping the future of campus universities.With Alex Stanley, Vice President for Higher Education at the National Union

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54:25

Cuts, student suicide, widening access

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/05/22

This week on the podcast we examine the government's brutal funding cuts to universities. What does the £108m reduction in the Strategic Priorities Grant mean for higher education, and why are media studies and journalism courses losing their high-cost subject funding?When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit http://www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.Plus we discuss the

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45:49

Immigration white paper, Jacqui Smith

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/05/15

This week on the podcast we get across the government's new immigration white paper. What does cutting the graduate route visa from two years to 18 months mean for international students and universities? Plus we examine the proposed 6 per cent levy on international student fees and tighter compliance requirements that could put some institutions at risk.We also discuss Skills Minister Jacqui Smith’s Telegraph op-ed criticizing universities for "losing sight of their responsibility to protect public

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46:17

Finances and cuts, VC pay

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/05/08

This week on the podcast we discuss the Office for Students' financial sustainability report. What do widespread course closures and maintenance cutbacks mean for the sector's future? Plus we examine "naming and shaming" over vice-chancellor pay packages when student outcomes fall short.With Paul Greatrix, higher education expert and former registrar at the University of Nottingham, Graeme Atherton, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Regional Engagement at the University of West London, Livia Scott,

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41:59

Dundee, student health, international

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/05/01

This week on the podcast we discuss the financial crisis at the University of Dundee, as a revised recovery plan reduces proposed job cuts while requesting additional funding. Is this a sustainable solution for institutions facing similar challenges?Plus we look at concerning new Wonkhe and Cibyl polling on student health, and we examine how international student policies have become political battlegrounds in global elections.With Chris Shelley, Director of Student Experience at Queen Mary

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47:30

Portugal special

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/04/25

This week on the podcast the SUs team has been on a study tour to universities in Lisbon in Portugal, and have reflections on everything from space to food, from interdisciplinarity to curriculum design and from Praxe to ribbon burning.With Khadiza Hossein, VP Education at UWE SU, Emillia Zirker, Student Representation Officer at Lincoln SU, Gary Hughes, CEO at Durham SU, Mack Marshall, Community and Policy Officer at Wonkhe and hosted by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.Those who fight

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43:36

Easter special

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/04/09

This week on the podcast it’s our Easter special – and we’re diving into the highlights from The Secret Life of Students, our event that looked at a new vision for the student experience.We hear from student officers, sector experts, and campaigners on everything from the myth of the full-time model, to the pressures of placements, to the problems faced by international students. There’s testimony from nursing students, fire from SU officers challenging tokenistic consultation, and reflections on

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47:33

Regret, provider collapse, WP

The Wonkhe Show ·

2025/04/04

This week on the podcast we discuss new research on student regret, as a report from the University of Bristol reveals that while two-thirds of current undergraduates are happy with their choice of degree, it drops to less than half among recent graduates. Are improved advice and guidance really the answer?Plus we look at the collapse of the Advanced Business Academy (ABA) and its aftermath, as an Office for Students (OfS) investigation uncovers serious concerns about student placements and course

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275 results

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