Dear colleague,
The group has had two successful meetings since the last monthly update. At the end of November we discussed the Government’s green paper “Fulfilling Our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice”. There was a large turnout for the meeting to hear from Jo Johnson MP, Iain Wright MP and Dr Steven Jones. If you’ve not yet had a chance to read them, the presentations by Jo Johnson MP and Dr Steven Jones are available on our website, along with the note from the meeting and an interesting blog by Steve Jones. The second of our recent meetings was to discuss sexual harassment and ‘lad culture’ in the sector. We had four excellent presentations from Laura Bates, Susuana Amoah, Professor David Richardson and Nicola Dandridge. Presentations by Laura Bates and Susuana Amoah are online, along with a blog by Professor David Richardson, the note of the meeting will be available shortly.
Parliament is now in Recess, with the Commons returning on Tuesday 5 January and the Lords returning on Monday 11 January. Looking ahead to the new year, our programme of work continues with discussions on international comparisons of funding, part time and ‘earn while you learn’ options and a joint meeting with the APPG on Students in the Spring. For the sector as a whole January will also see the green paper consultation deadline and the UCAS January figures.
After a busy term for parliament and the sector alike, I do hope you all have the opportunity for a relaxing break. Our weekly update will be back on Friday 8 January.
Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods MP
Chair, All-Party Parliamentary University Group
Full update available in PDF below.