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The UK's only independent think tank devoted to higher education.

Blog

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].

  • School exams don’t have to be fair – that’s official

    19 November 2020 by Dennis Sherwood

    This blog was contributed by Dennis Sherwood who has previously written about A levels. At the Education Select Committee hearing on 2 September, Ofqual’s Chief Regulator, Dame Glenys Stacey, acknowledged that exam grades are ‘reliable to one grade either way’. Two weeks later, at the hearing on 16 September, Gavin…

  • How the Government should reset its relationship with universities

    18 November 2020 by Richard Brabner

    This blog was kindly contributed by Richard Brabner, Director of the UPP Foundation. This article is written in a personal capacity and is not the view of the UPP Foundation.  Over the last few days, newspapers have been full of stories and insight into what the changes in No. 10…

  • Looking back on HEPI’s first 18 years

    16 November 2020 by Bahram Bekhradnia

    The blog has been written by Bahram Bekhradnia, who founded HEPI in 2002 and was its Director until January 2014, since when he has been HEPI’s President. When HEPI was established 18 years ago, few might have expected it to endure so long, and with such success. We had planned…

  • WEEKEND READING: Should the UK be moving to post-qualification admissions?

    14 November 2020 by Anna Mountford-Zimdars

    This blog was kindly contributed by Anna Mountford-Zimdars, Professor of Social Mobility and Director of the Centre for Social Mobility at the University of Exeter. You can find Anna on Twitter @AnnaM_Zimdars In short: Maybe. But the decision should not be made now. Periodically, policy makers and UCAS wonder: shall…

  • Different, but valuable

    12 November 2020 by Jenny Shaw

    This blog was contributed by Jenny Shaw​, Student Experience Director at Unite Students. You can find Jenny on Twitter @jennyshaw When Big Ben finally rings the chimes on 2021, I doubt that many of us will give a sigh of regret that 2020 has gone. After a uniquely challenging and,…

  • Students Engage! The Future of Engagement at Universities

    11 November 2020 by Michael Scott

    This blog has been written by Professor Michael Scott, Co-Director of the Warwick Institute of Engagement. You can contact Michael at [email protected]. It has never been more important for us to reach out and engage the world around us, especially in an era of national lockdowns and the social disconnect…

  • Value for Money: A Risk, Wrapped in a Mystery, Inside an Enigma

    10 November 2020 by Giles Carden

    Dr Giles Carden is Chief of Staff at Lancaster University and writes in a personal capacity on the 10th anniversary of the student protests against higher tuition fees. As I flick through the newspaper on my iPad each morning it is now routine for me to see stories criticising universities…