On 11 and 12 November, I was in London, visiting The Festival of Higher Education 2025 (FHE2025) at the University of London's Senate House.
The festival was run by Wonkhe, an organisation which aims to be "the home of the UK higher education debate, bringing the sector together through expert analysis, debate and insight".
It was a fulfilling two days, with lots of different topics. This included discussions surrounding the Post-16 Education and Skills white paper, listening to the presentation by Office for Students (OfS) around the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), and the importance of good governance within higher education (HE) despite significant challenges of financial constraints and a dynamic change in student demographics. We also spoke about the importance of student retention – not just at a local level, but also internationally. How do we continually retain our student numbers?
It was also a great opportunity to engage with university lecturers, professional services team members and students from different unions.
What did I gain out of this?
My first impressions of FHE2025 was that it was a very unusual and different style of conference. The main stage speakers were seated in the centre of the room with the audience circled around them. I did not take the opportunity to join in the second stage, unconference space or 'Wonk Corner' as this was the first time I had attended a conference of this style (I have hearing impairment). However, it was still an enjoyable and interesting experience.
One of the challenges of attending this event was knowing where the loop system was, as the team had created their own area for the audience to listen. Whilst I had to use Discord to communicate to the FHE2025 event support team, which in itself was a great help, it was still a bit difficult as one could hear grounding noise, as well as the challenge to adjust the sound in order to make it clearer for the individual. This was not ideal, but it is an accepted part of life that I am accustomed to. Nevertheless, with the use of technology being available, and being able to record the sessions (mostly Day 2), I had the opportunity to look and listen carefully to discussions that happened in this space.
Andrew (our Deputy President) talking with another attendee at FHE2025.
All recognition and credits to Wonkhe for the photo.
Day 1
The morning of Day 1 was significantly focused upon the skills sector, with recurring themes of this continually being advocated within the afternoon (including the Post-16 Education and Skills white paper, which was only published in October 2025). This has continually been advocated since I can possibly remember – Tony Blair's government published the 21st Century Skills paper in July 2003, which strongly advocated for the skills sector, and it is not surprising that this well trodden road has continued to resurface in today's age.
The Rt Hon Jacqui Smith (Minister for Women and Equalities) continued the discussion surrounding skills and how it benefits employability (as well as discussions around higher education enabling future growth).
Professor Edward Peck (Chair of Office for Students) spoke at length about the importance of OfS's role, and the key issues surrounding the TEF, as well as the expectations on universities to excel in the current sector. Whilst being rather harsh in his own words ("Not working hard enough"), he recognised that universities are finding themselves in significant circumstances as the sector shrinks and the financial stability has changed.
Day 2
Day 2 also was incredibly important – research and innovation, the topic of AI, and the changing landscape of the sector (as well discussions surrounding HE governance) were all very important topics to listen to and learn from. Debbie McVitty (Wonkhe editor) and Ian Dunt (political analyst and commentator) discussed how liberalism within HE can be a force for good, and how there has to be discernment identifying the fine line between free speech and discrimination. Where the line between equity and inclusion stands, and how student unions should balance this when making ethical decisions about invited speakers, were some of the issues raised within the conversation.
Further discussions about universities being able to promote robust conversations – building upon discourse and disagreement skills – were also touched upon (whilst understanding that respect and dignity is also needed when facing such challenges).
During the session "Lean and Mean? Sustaining higher education community in challenging times", Joe Cooper (Director of People and Culture at the University of East London), Professor Shân Wareing (Middlesex University Vice Chancellor) and Roshan Israni (Deputy Chief Executive of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association) talked about staff retention, job satisfaction and student outcomes. There was a focus on how students can improve on their learning, as well as the need for strong leadership and active listening within the higher education sector (even within the festival, active listening was a challenge for me living with a hearing impairment!). There was a recognition that each of these challenges are significant, but also that anyone within the academic field who wishes to do some management roles should be encouraged to learn these skills.
Philippa Pickford (Director of Regulations at OfS) and Alistair Jarvis (Chief Executive at Advance HE) discussed HE governance, economical and societal changes, and the shifting dynamics of student demographics. Whilst student voice is important, the role of student representation does not always highlight the significance of what student voice can be. Our discussions highlighted that quality of education, institutional representation, and the attitudes of students all play a contributing factor on influencing university rankings – whether through the National Student Survey (NSS) or other surveys conducted.
The key question of who should be on boards of governors (and whether it was appropriate to have students sitting in these governance roles) was also challenged. Do students who sit in these roles really understand what is expected of them, and if not, will their involvement hinder the effectiveness of the governing body? It is true that without students being involved there would be a lack of accountability within an institution – without their involvement, students' perspectives could be lost and the student voice could become damaged (alongside reputational damage). But by having students involved, potential powerplays and cultural challenges could also lead an influence of debates and a loss of transparency.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself at FHE2025, and whilst I may not be the most sociable individual, it was a pleasure to meet a few different people and have good conversations, learning about them as well as some of the shared interests we have.
Further photos from the festival are available at The Festival of Higher Education photo gallery – 2025.