Working with SUs to develop understanding of key policy and knowledge areas is a core function of our work at Wonkhe SUs – because when SUs know what’s going on, and can understand what’s going on, they can influence what’s going on – in the student interest.
BOOKING LINKS AND DATES FOR WEBINARS WILL GO LIVE IN EARLY MAY
We’re committed to delivering useful, helpful and essential knowledge briefing and policy content, so that SUs can focus resources on local issues.
In-house training – book now
We are now scheduling full day in-house, in-person training into the diary for subscriber SUs.
Here’s our updated menu for 2025 – please get in touch now, ideally with a few options for dates so we can schedule our summer touring appropriately.
SU Essentials 2025
Online, Monday 16th June, 11am to 5pm
This is a one day online event that covers lots of the things that new officers need to know – essentials on the way the sector works, charity law and how to be a successful officer. Registration will open in early May. We’d recommend that officers join the event with their own PC/headset. If your officers haven’t started by June 16th, we’d recommend “buying out” a day from later in the year so they can join – but we record the sessions too.
It will include:
- How does student representation work? In this introductory session we’ll look at some of the major theories and models surrounding student representation, advocacy and influence and consider how they might be used by officers and SUs to improve things for students. We’ll also provide an overview of Wonkhe and Wonkhe SUs – who we are, what we do, what we think and how we might help with representing students effectively.
- How the higher education sector works: Higher education in the UK has a “design”, and it’s crucial that officers (and the staff that support them) understand the system in order to influence it. This session gives an overview of how higher education is run, regulated, monitored, influenced and regarded.
- Students’ unions and the law: This session will give new officers (and staff) a grounding in the main legal frameworks that surround students’ unions and will examine grey areas and the regulation that enforces (or, more often, doesn’t enforce) those frameworks.
- What just happened? The last twelve months in context: Over the past year there have been all sorts of things happening in HE that may new officers won’t have been conscious of. This session goes behind the scenes on everything from regulatory change to how the sector has handled the cost of living crisis – and considers the role of SUs in responding to and shaping those changes.
- How to be an influential and effective SU officer: In the final session of the day we explore some of the models that surround SU officer influence and power, and reflect with some ex-officers on how to make the most of the summer and the year in general.
Essential reading
Every day from June 16th over the summer we select a Wonkhe blog and a Wonkhe briefing for officers to read – so that by the end of the summer they’re up to speed on all the key contemporary issues facing students, higher education and SUs.
We highlight these via WhatsApp – so we’d encourage early officer sign up to the system. See links at the bottom of every Friday’s email.
Daily calls
Online, daily from 9.15am to 10.30am from 17th June
Daily Calls is our flagship summer online briefing calls programme where you’ll learn something new every day.
Crafted to provide the knowledge and context that will help officers hit the ground running with manifesto commitments and university committees, we draw in experts from the SU, higher education and wider sectors and cover everything from harassment and sexual misconduct to quality assurance, and from how parliament works to all that officers need to know about international and postgraduate students.
Student officers (and staff that support them) don’t have to join live, but it helps. We record each one and post a recording (both video and audio) plus a list of useful blogs and
resources to go with each session. This year the programme will include these sessions. Booking links will go live in early May – and if you think we’ve missed something, do let us know.
The Robots are here – AI in HE Generative AI has gone mainstream, disrupting the pace of learning and leaving universities struggling to adapt. Despite being rooted in academic research, the rapid emergence and impact of tools like Chat-GPT have caught many off guard. Here we’ll cover what SUs need to know about generative AI in higher education, from its current use to its potential impact on learning, teaching, assessment, and more.
The cuts are raining down As universities tighten belts and close modules, courses and campuses, it’s important to remember that students are consumers in law – what does that mean and why does it matter? And Student Protection Plans are a regulatory requirement for all higher education providers that are on the Office for Students register in England. This session (suitable UK-wide) provides an overview of the frameworks and will enable participants to understand and influence implementation at an institutional level.
Winning for students by changing the uni’s rules The rules and regs in your university have a profound impact on how students are treated. In this session we’ll explore some of the issues that can make the most difference and explain how SUs can use creative campaigning, storytelling and online action to mobilise students.
Righting the wrongs for Disabled students What are the big issues facing disabled students and how can SUs tackle them both in their own provision and in their representation to universities? Why are duties around disabled students different, and what can SUs do to improve the rights of disabled students on campus? This session provides a useful summary and overview.
Race, racism and closing awarding gaps in HE Lots of SU officers will be on working groups about decolonising the curriculum, tackling the awarding gap and addressing racial harassment, but what is the sector picture on race, racism and awarding gaps in HE? This session will introduce the key issues, policy considerations, and where to find the data that matters on access and participation with the opportunity to hear about some of the practice from around the sector.
Data day concerns (with our friends LEO, TEF and NSS) We know that SUs are more effective when they use evidence and data. Much of that can be gathered in house, but what about when you need national comparisons or benchmarks? Here we will whizz you through all the key sources of national data on universities and students, on everything from access and participation to parking spaces. We’ll also show you how you can present data and stats to tell the story you’re keen to underline.
Playing politics as an SU leader Almost every SU has a comms function, but many SUs struggle to communicate the work of officers and representation in a meaningful way. This session draws on research into impactful and effective practice from political communications to determine the best way for SU officers to get the message out about their work.
How to make things better for students on health courses Doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics – what are the issues and what can SUs do to make sure that students are effectively represented? We’ll do an overview of the essentials in this session and ensure you know how to tackle representation for these students effectively.
Understanding and tackling student loneliness and belonging On this call we’ll explore loneliness research and consider implications for SUs that are concerned about student mental health and wellbeing. We’ll also explore new research on belonging, ask what SUs can do to foster it and lobby for change in this space, and explain our new student experience research platform called Belong.
Understanding your university’s (and your union’s) finances University finances are under pressure like never before – and so as universities seek to make savings to stay afloat, understanding them will be central to representing students effectively. We’ll explore the main data sources, explain key terms and discuss the “known unknowns” that you might be able to access locally so you’re prepared for the year ahead.
Won’t somebody think about the PGTs and PGRs? Numbers of postgraduate students are climbing, but the sector tends to be firmly undergraduate focused and universities aren’t always great at supporting their postgraduate populations. This session takes you through some of the big policy issues for postgraduate students (both PGT and PGR) and how you might set about tackling them.
Harassment and sexual misconduct Lots of SUs are keen to improve processes in relation to harassment and sexual misconduct in the year ahead. This call will introduce the main issues being discussed and debated by universities, explain new regulation on harassment and sexual misconduct, explore some of the implications for universities and SUs and give participants a chance to consider their SU response.
The governance and democracy of SUs This essential call for new officers looks at the relationship between democracy and governance, history of debates around how SUs are governed, some of the issues that SUs have had over the years in this area and considers how SUs can assess and improve their governance practice.
More than your degree: The value of student opportunities and activities Most activities and opportunities officers we know want to get on with it, growing opportunities or making it easier to get involved. But the legal and regulatory frameworks can get in the way – and understanding the debates about the value of student activities and opportunities, especially in relation to benefits and outcomes, can give your year in office the edge. This session looks at all of that and more.
Making a difference on student housing There’s housing crises all over the UK, lots of new legislation on quality of housing and more students are living away from campus. Accommodation is a huge policy issue facing students and decision makers often don’t know how the market needs to work for students. This session will summarise the policy agenda and frameworks and give participants a chance to think through what could and should happen next.
Improving the experience for international students In this session we’ll look at the state of the international student experience and identify the sources of evidence available to you to make a difference – as well as delivering an overview of where we are on immigration. We’ll also look at practice in relation to internationalising SUs and consider the big policy agendas for international students in the year ahead.
The free speech agenda (and the free speech act) It’s been a huge political obsession for a few years now – and in England there’s a new law that will see universities directly regulated over free speech. This session (suitable UK-wide) explains the origins of the issues, the legal frameworks that surround it, the implications of the new act and where the agenda might go next at a national and local level within universities.
Why SU democracy reviews fail (and how to not fail) With confidence in and participation in representative democracy at an all time low, lots of SUs have been reviewing their democratic structures – but many of the reviews don’t last, and others are designed around a template instead of the students you have. In this session we will explain different models for and types of democracy in use in both SUs and other organisations, and reflect on why democratic reviews go wrong.
Cost of living, hidden costs and student finance work The year ahead is going to be another tough one for students financially. On this call we’ll review where SUs got to last year on cost of living, review the legal position on hidden costs and fee increases and take you through a decade of SU student costs campaigns as a case study in understanding SU campaigns, policy and influencing work in the student interest.
Earning while learning – how to support students who have jobs The cost of living crisis and a failing student maintenance system are just a few reasons why part time work is no longer a choice but a necessity for many students. Exploring our recent research on students working, we’ll explore how SUs can make the biggest difference on this agenda. We’ll be thinking about students rights in the workplace, what type of work students engage in and how HE can support student work most effectively.
How SUs can save the planet The first full year of global warming surpassing 1.5°C has highlighted the shortcomings of climate strategies- and despite the Paris Agreement, the UK government has continued subsidising fossil fuels and approving new oil and gas projects, while UK universities have facilitated fossil fuel operations through research partnerships and investments. This session explains what SUs and their officers can, can’t and should do to help save the planet we’re on.
What you need to know about mental health in HE Mental health and wellbeing has been the dominant HE policy agenda for a few years now. This session will summarise where the agenda has got to, the things universities have become good at tackling (and those they haven’t) as well as delving deeper into the different mechanisms to get universities to develop work in this area.
Changing things through students Community leaders inspire and unite people to address local issues, such as housing and the cost of living. Finding allies and building power involve creating relationships internally and externally to enhance collective impact. Through community organising, SUs can build campaigns and activities that are self-sustaining. This session looks at building impactful relationships, empowering students to lead, taking public action effectively, involving diverse leaders, and enhancing the civic role of SUs.
When is the student academic experience not good enough? Quality in HE (England) In England we’re seeing changes in the ways in which HE quality is regulated and there’s some important things to know about what a “B” condition is, what the TEF actually means and why these things matter to SUs. On this call we’ll look at some of the recent quality investigations by the OfS and give some tips on how to give students and their reps more power to make change.
There will also be a session for SUs in devolved nations.
What are MPs good for? How Parliament can help your agenda So much of the student policy agenda now sits in Parliament, how can individual SUs or groups of SUs make a difference when lobbying government or parliamentarians? Drawing on expertise from NGOs and politics, this session will look at what can be achieved and how to maximise influence and impact on decision-makers.
Making the town or city where you study better SUs have lots of experience in representing students to the university – but what about the place where students are from or live? Drawing on examples from both the UK and around Europe, this session will explore how student and SU-led urban advocacy work can improve transport, housing and post-graduation employment opportunities.
The Box Set
Online, on demand: available early June
In our box set will be online video briefings for new officers and staff from a variety of organisations, including the Office for Students (England), the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (England and Wales), the Quality Assurance Agency (UK-Wide) and – as well as the Secret History of SUs.
What is the Quality Assurance Agency and why does it matter? In this session we discuss the Quality Assurance Agency – what it’s for, why it’s important for students and SUs and how you can get involved.
The secret history of SUs If you want to know where we’re going, you’ll need to know where we’ve been. This session digs into the origins of students’ unions and summarises their role and history through the major higher education debates of the past century.
What is the Office of the Independent Adjudicator and why does it matter? In this session for SU officers and the staff that support them in England and Wales, we discuss the Office of the Independent Adjudicator – what it’s for, why it’s important for students and SUs and how you can get involved.
What is the Office for Students and why does it matter? In this session for SU officers and the staff that support them in England we discuss the Office for Students (OfS), the regulator of higher education in England – what it’s for, why it’s important for students and SUs and how you can get involved. Recording and slides.
How the student finance system works Are interest rates on student loans good or bad? What is partitioning, and why does the RAB matter? In this session we’ll get beyond simplistic debates like “fees – good or bad” – you’ll learn the complex secrets of the student finance system and learn how to influence the levers that ministers can pull in the student interest.
What SU officers need to know about access and participation Around the country getting into and getting on through university remains a major political issue – and there are expectations of student and SU involvement. This session will summarise and update on A&P, describe where to access A&P data for your university, give you an overview of the involvement that SUs are having in the agenda, and discuss SU projects that are being funded by universities to help deliver and evaluate the plans.
