Campaign overview

The Student Voice, Loud and Clear: Tell Sir Andrew Foster What You Think About FE’s ‘Ten Big Questions’

This is FE students’ second chance (up to 1 August) to tell the Government what your experience of FE is like by responding to Sir Andrew Foster’s ‘Ten Big Questions’ about FE. Interviewed in the ‘FE Focus’ section of ‘The Times Education Supplement’ on 24 June, Sir Andrew said that he:
"would write his report using the experiences of learners using the experiences of learners after a “staggering” 500 students contacted him with their views".

The third of his 10 questions on FE clearly opens up his Review even further to students’ experience and opinion: ‘How would you improve the learners’ experience?’ All 10 questions can be accessed and answered online at www.dfes.gov.uk/furthereducation/fereview/questionnaire.shtml You can also have your say by email, at foster.review@dfes.gsi.gov.uk, or write to Andrew Heath, Review Secretariat, DfES, W3b, Moorfoot, Sheffield, S1 4PQ.

Don’t delay: all responses to the second questionnaire need to be in by 1 August 2005

Background

Late in 2004 Sir Andrew Foster was commissioned by the Secretary of State for Education & Skills to lead a thorough, wide-ranging review of FE. Sir Andrew, supported by the DfES, will report in October 2005. But between now and 1 August anyone who has studied in FE, full/part-time, at whatever level, can have their say about what was good or bad, what could be made better, what difficulties they met, what help they were given.

At NUS we want the student voice in FE to be heard loud and clear. This exactly matches into our FE priority Campaign ‘Developing Our Unions’ which has a strong focus on supporting and enabling ‘the student voice’ both in local colleges and nationally to government.

So far NUS has extended ‘the student voice’ into the Foster Review by:

• NUS President Kat Fletcher met with Sir Andrew to put forward NUS’ case for a well-funded FE sector that fully and effectively includes its students as stakeholders
• Sian Davies, Lead Officer for FE, organised focus groups of ‘NUS FE Advocates’ - student officers in FE who volunteer to make a difference in our national campaigns and lobby work - to inform Sir Andrew of what it is like to study in FE
• NUS staff worked with the team of FE experts - academic researchers, principals, lobby group leaders - who have prepared twelve discussion papers that will frame the course of the Review.
• The author of the discussion paper on ‘The Student Perspective on FE’, Peter Davies, was assisted by a NUS staff member acting as a ‘critical friend’ during the writing process. This paper very clearly states the importance of the student voice in colleges:
  “Students’ experience of all aspects of college life is more likely to be enhanced if they are given an effective voice in the organisation and delivery of their learning"¹

The Review covers all aspects of FE:

• funding of colleges
• student support
• governance of FE colleges
• adult education
• the 14-19 curriculum
• FE college collaboration with schools and higher education colleges
• whether colleges should specialise in vocational education
• the role of FE colleges in the local community
• the culture and values of FE colleges
• colleges’ image and reputation and how it could be improved

So there is something in it for every student in FE to comment on, whether you’re a student officer, student governor or simply a student interested in the future of your college and the educational opportunities it provides for you, your family and your friends.

Sir Andrew presented the first stage of his Review at a major FE Conference run by The Learning and Skills Development Agency on 21 June, along with his ten new questions to the FE sector.

The new questionnaire - the ‘Ten Big Questions’ - in addition to asking how to improve learners’ experience of FE also asks how to improve college governance, drive up the quality of college courses and what is the main purpose of FE colleges.

So if you value your course, say why.

If you want a wide range of educational opportunities available locally from a general FE college, say so.

If you want more input into how your college or your course is run, tell Sir Andrew.

If there is something that could be improved - from Key Skills to canteen prices, from your timetable to how you fit in part-time work with full-time study - tell the Foster Review now!

¹From: Foster Review of Further Education, ‘The Student Experience of Further Education, Peter Davies, Research Manager Sector Performance, Learning and Skills Development Agency, April 2005.

The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education

The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (England and Wales) has launched its campaign for fairer funding arrangements for adult learning. The NIACE, a non-governmental organisation that works to recruit more and different adults into learning, believes that all adults should be able to expect some level of public support to access a wide range of learning opportunities that help them find their own way to a better life. They are concerned that cuts made to the budget for learners over the age of 18 are causing courses to be cut, fees to be increased and staff consequently being made redundant.

Is this something that’s happening in your college? To access the NIACE campaign briefing and have your say in their online survey go to www.niace.org.uk/fairerfunding

Developing strong students' unions across the board

NEW:NUS has conducted a comprehensive and in-depth investigation into student's unions in the further education (FE) sector.

Click here to view the press release about the briefing.

Click here to download the Further Education Students' Unions Development Survey 2004/2005

Association of Colleges (AoC) Fair Funding Campaign

A petition for fairer funding for Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges.

Click here to read full article

The main aim of the Developing our Unions campaign is to build stronger, more effective students’ unions - particularly within the FE sector. NUS believe that students - as key stakeholders in the education sector - should play a greater role in making the decisions that ultimately affect them. By encouraging FE unions to become more democratised, we hope to provide students with a platform, from which they can vocalise their needs and influence the direction of their own students’ union. NUS also believes that ensuring quality and consistency at a grass roots level will have the additional benefit of strengthening the political and campaigning potential of our organisation as a whole.

How do we hope to achieve this?

NUS is conducting an extensive survey of FE unions across the UK, as part of the Developing our Unions campaign. The survey will be designed to identify strengths and weaknesses within students’ unions, enabling NUS to offer strategic advice on effecting positive change through our network of Regional Officers, NEC and NUS staff. Work is due to start on the process of evaluating the surveys in early 2005.

Which areas of college life are we interested in?

The surveys are extremely comprehensive, covering almost every area that relates to the student experience within the FE sector. From the level of support for students, both academically and from a welfare perspective, to the democratic processes at work within individual FE Colleges. We are also interested in the provision of leisure services, clubs and out of hour’s activities within colleges and the availability of funding for these and other facilities.

What assistance are we offering to colleges?

We have already started working towards our aims and have developed a number of services designed to help colleges improve their students’ unions. NUS have designed a tailor made training package for Student Governors, including a Toolkit, which aims to de-mystify education reports and jargon, and to provide SGs with the skills they need to deliver effective presentations and petitions. The training package has been developed in conjunction with the Association of Colleges and the Centre for Excellence in Leadership. SGs who complete the training and their first year in office, will be eligible for an Open College Network Award.