02 National Student Forum – Annual Report

Welcome to the second Annual Report of the National Student Forum, which outlines our work during
the academic year 2008-09. Since the publication of our first report in October 2008, we have
been pleased to see the growing interest in the Forum from ministers and policymakers as well as
from universities and colleges. I hope that the work that we’ve undertaken this year will continue to
encourage and inspire continuing improvement across the sector.

This year, the impact of the economic climate on graduating students has been a major concern
across HE and this was the driver behind our decision to focus on improving employability. It also
provided the backdrop to our reflections on the experiences of postgraduate, mature and part-time
students and the need for higher education to continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of
students and the wider community.

Our job as a Forum is in some ways a simple one. Our membership comprises a diverse range of
higher education students who volunteer their time: undergraduates and postgraduates, full-time and
part-time; younger and more mature; disabled and non-disabled; home and international students. As
such, we don’t profess to be experts in the sector in all its complexity, but we are experts in what it is
like to experience higher education and in understanding how different aspects of HE might look from
a student perspective if things are working well.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ministers, sector experts and Vice-Chancellors
who met with us over the course of the year and provided invaluable information about what is
already happening in the higher education landscape. We’ve outlined recommendations on specific
aspects of Government policy that we would like to see addressed. As we further engage with
sector organisations, we have become increasingly aware that some of the issues that we have
surfaced arise from a gap between the rhetoric of systems and procedures and the reality of many
students’ experiences. In these instances, we are particularly keen to work with sector organisations
and institutions to hear their views on what else could be done – by Government, by their particular
organisation or by other organisations or institutions – to help to close this gap.

This year, we’ve also included ‘snapshots’ and case studies as illustrative examples of what is already
working well, along with the ways in which we would hope to see all universities and colleges
supporting students in each of our key areas of discussion. We welcome feedback from individual
universities and colleges about any specific improvements or approaches that our report encourages
you to take.

Finally, many of our members came to the end of their term of appointment in June, and I’d like to
take this opportunity to thank them for their energy and dedication over the course of this year. It has
been inspirational to work alongside so many people committed to improving the experience of their
peers. I look forward to taking forward our work next year, with members both old and new and to
continuing our collaboration with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and other key
sector stakeholders to improve the experience of all students in higher education.

Maeve Sherlock,
Chair, National Student Forum

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Foreword
03 National Student Forum – Annual Report