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Accommodation Matters brings sector experts together to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. Join hosts Jenny Shaw and Jen Steadman each month for a lively round table chat with university student accommodation leaders from across the UK, national policy experts and subject specialists. Focusing in on topical issues, we’ll explore student accommodation and the student living experience within its broad context, talk about what’s happening right now and look at what might be coming over the horizon.
Episodes
Monday Oct 28, 2024
Monday Oct 28, 2024
Season 9 launches with something a little bit different. To celebrate four years of Accommodation Matters, we took the show on the road to GSL Live and recorded a live episode!
Join host Jenny Shaw for a lively panel discussion about designing community within student accommodation – including how the physical design can support community-building, the role of accommodation teams, whether themed accommodation works, and how to measure the success of community-building events.
Our panel includes:
- Jo Blair, Head of Specification at Unite Students
- Paul Mercer, Director at Kaplan Living
- Vanya Campbell, Engagement Manager at the University of Essex
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on Thursday 17th October 2024 at GSL Live and was produced by Ed Palmer.
Thanks to Hannah Colbran and Sarah Ead at Global Student Living for helping to organise the session, to James King for providing technical assistance on the day, and to our GSL Live audience.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc.
Resources
Read more about the support that Unite Students offers on our website: https://www.unitegroup.com/articles/student-support-resident-experience
Thursday Sep 26, 2024
Thursday Sep 26, 2024
In July, Unite Students launched the 2024 Applicant Index: an in-depth look at the needs and concerns of this year’s university applicants.
We recorded an episode about the findings at the time – now, as these applicants take up their places at university, we’re sharing our full interview with Nick Hillman, Director at the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) to give you even more insights into your first-year students.
Host Jenny Shaw and Nick get into topics including:
- Trends we’re seeing across three years of Applicant Index data
- How this year’s applicants feel about finance
- The impact of socioeconomic disparity on applicant confidence
- The future of Higher Education
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on 19th July 2024 and produced by Ed Palmer.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc.
Resources
You can download the reports mentioned in this episode from Unite Students’ website, including:
- Applicant Index 2024 [July 2024]
- Living Black at University [February 2022]
You can download the latest HEPI/Advance HE Student Academic Experience Survey from HEPI’s website. [June 2024]
You can watch the HEPI/Unite Students launch day webinar on the Applicant Index on YouTube. [July 2024]
On 17th October, we’re recording our first ever live episode of Accommodation Matters at the GSL Live conference! If you’d like to join us, you can get tickets from the GSL Live website – we’d love to see you there.
Wednesday Aug 28, 2024
Wednesday Aug 28, 2024
The Higher Education sector is full of ideas for improving student life. Last year, we asked our listeners to get in touch with what ideas and initiatives they’d launched in their accommodation – and our listeners loved it. So we’re doing it all over again.
Join host Jen Steadman for this month’s episode of Accommodation Matters, where you’ll hear about initiatives to promote inclusion, safety and sustainability. Among other ideas, we look at a new app that's helping to build student communities, a student safety campaign that's brought together nine universities, and a podcast by and for students to support with belonging.
Our contributors include:
- Pete Collins, Partnership and Engagement Manager at University of Birmingham
- Ellie Drave, Product Manager at Unite Students
- James Greenwood, Head of Residential Life at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
- Laura Burge, Senior Manager for Gender Equity, Respect and Inclusion at Deakin University
- Milana, Social Media Co-ordinator at the Unite Foundation
- Helen Strachan, Sustainability Manager at Unite Students
- Chloe Lloyd, Environment Manager at Unite Students
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded throughout August 2024 and produced by Ed Palmer.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc.
Resources
Download the Unite Students Applicant Index from the Unite Students website.
Learn more about LSE’s consent education campaign from their Consent video on YouTube.
Read more about the Respect at Uni campaign from Deakin University’s website.
Find out about the Unite Foundation’s scholarship, and download their podcast, from their website This Is Us At Uni – and the All Of Us community for estranged and care-experienced students at www.allofus.uk.
Tuesday Aug 06, 2024
Tuesday Aug 06, 2024
🎧 The special Student Accommodation Podcast Summit Episode is out now!
Accommodation Matters host Jenny Shaw recently collaborated with experts Sarah Canning and Deenie Lee (The Property Marketing Strategists), Dan Smith (Student Housing Consultancy), Laura Bosworth (REAL), Richard Stott (Kexgill Group) and Rebecca O'Hare (University of Leeds) to record a special episode discussing crucial issues in student accommodation.
This top team of professionals share expert views on key topics, including:
⚪ PBSA vs. HMOs: Is affordability in student accommodation a self-perpetuating issue created by PBSA?
⚪ The evolution of PBSA rooms: Have they truly evolved to meet student needs?
⚪ Mental health challenges: Is the sector prepared for upcoming issues?
⚪ Understanding changing demographics and adapting services and products accordingly
⚪ Staffing costs and rent: Should increasing staff costs impact rent?
⚪ Undervaluing PBSA: Why are we still focused on rooms rather than the whole package?
⚪ Data, research, and market gaps: How data can reveal opportunities
⚪ Technology's influence on the future of accommodation
⚪ Future demand for flexibility from students
⚪ Intersectionality and inclusion: Implications for future accommodation options
It's a conversation you definitely don't want to miss.
If you enjoyed the episode, do check out our collaborators’ podcasts – Housed: The Shared Living Podcast (Sarah, Deenie and Dan), Get Real About Marketing (Laura) and Free Food, Free Drinks (Rebecca), available from all good podcast platforms.
*****
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on Friday 12th July 2024.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc.
Tuesday Jul 30, 2024
Tuesday Jul 30, 2024
Every year, Unite Students surveys university applicants for our Applicant Index. And every year, we’re surprised by the differences between applicant cohorts. If you want to be prepared for the first year students who will arrive into your city in the autumn, you won’t want to miss this episode – or the report that spawned it.
Hosted by Jenny Shaw (Higher Education External Engagement Director at Unite Students), our expert panel looks at the ever-shifting impact of the pandemic on this year’s incoming student cohort, how they’re feeling about their finances ahead of coming to university, the specific needs of working class and disabled applicants, and what this will all mean in practical terms for universities and student accommodation providers.
Our panel includes:
- Dr Michelle Morgan, Dean of Students at University of East London
- Professor Tony Moss, Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience at London South Bank University
- Will White, Higher Education Engagement Director at Unite Students
We’re also joined by special guest Nick Hillman, Director of HEPI, who shares his reflections on this year’s findings and some of the stand-out stats that caught his attention.
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on 19th and 22nd July 2024 and produced by Ed Palmer.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc.
Resources
The following reports referenced in the episode can all be downloaded from the Unite Students website:
- The Unite Students 2024 Applicant Index [July 2024]
- Improving the transition into Higher Education [May 2024]
- Living Black at University [February 2022]
You can also learn more about our Resident Ambassadors initiative from the Unite Students website. [April 2024]
Jim Dickinson’s piece about duty of candour within Higher Education can be found on Wonkhe’s website. [July 2024]
HEPI / Advance HE’s Student Academic Experience Survey 2024 report can be downloaded from HEPI’s website. [June 2024]
The Unite Students / HEPI webinar on the Applicant Index 2024 can also be viewed on HEPI’s website. [July 2024]
Paul Bolton and Joe Lewis’s ‘Degree apprenticeships’ briefing can be downloaded from the House of Commons library. [May 2024]
Thursday Jun 27, 2024
Thursday Jun 27, 2024
Political decisions can reshape the whole Higher Education landscape – so no doubt you’re keeping an eye on the 2024 General Election campaign. But what does it mean for Higher Education and student accommodation? In this episode, we’ve enlisted an expert panel and host Jenny Shaw to tell us just that.
Our guests look at party manifestos, how universities should respond to these commitments (or lack of), what we might expect from further devolution and HE’s relationship with Further Education, and – most importantly – what students, Higher Education and the property sector need from an incoming administration.
If you want to be prepared for what’s in store over the next five years, you won’t want to miss this episode. Our panellists include:
- George Blake, Policy and Networks Officer at London Higher
- Dani Payne, Senior Researcher at Social Market Foundation
- Ian Fletcher, Director of Policy at the British Property Foundation
- Megan Haskins, Policy and Research Manager at University College London Students’ Union
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on 19th June 2024 and produced by Ed Palmer.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc.
Resources
Manifestos by the Labour Party, Conservative and Unionist Party and Liberal Democrats are available to download from their respective party websites. [June 2024]
The National Student Survey (NSS) 2024 will be published on Wednesday 10th July 2024 on the Office for Students (OfS) website. 2023’s NSS data is available on the OfS website.
The Student Academic Experience Survey 2024 report can be downloaded from HEPI’s website.
‘Four futures: Shaping the future of higher education in England’ by Professor Sir Chris Husbands can also be downloaded from the HEPI website. [June 2024]
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan can be downloaded from the NHS England website. [June 2023]
The Centre for Cities’ ‘Climbing the Summit: Big cities in the UK and the G7’ report can be downloaded from the Centre for Cities website. [June 2024]
Information about the Australia Universities Accord can be found on the Australian Government Department of Education website. [Last updated June 2024]
The Russell Group Students’ Unions ‘Student Cost of Living Report’ can be downloaded from their website. [March 2023]
Tuesday May 14, 2024
Tuesday May 14, 2024
Content note: This episode contains discussion of sensitive topics including suicide. If you need support with the topics discussed in this episode, there are organisations such as Mind (0300 123 3393), Samaritans (116 123) or Student Minds that can help you in complete confidence.
More and more students are seeking support for their mental health, and in response, we’ve seen a whole host of new initiatives to better meet that need. The creation of a Higher Education Student Support Champion. The Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce. A suite of guidance on suicide-safer universities. An innovative scheme in which Manchester’s universities collaborate with the NHS to improve student mental health outcomes.
But what are these initiatives, where have they come from and what do student accommodation teams need to know? We’re getting into it in this month’s episode of Accommodation Matters.
Our expert guests aren’t just talking about the work that’s happening to support student mental health – they’re leading the work themselves. Hosted by Jenny Shaw, this month’s panel includes:
- Professor Edward Peck, Vice Chancellor at Nottingham Trent University and the Government’s Higher Education Student Support Champion for England
- Professor Jo Smith OBE, Emeritus Professor in Early Intervention and Psychosis at University of Worcester
- Dr Simon Merrywest, Director for the Student Experience at University of Manchester
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on 30th April and 1st May 2024 and produced by Ed Palmer.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc.
Resources
You can find out more about the role of the Higher Education Student Support Champion here, and the Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce here.
The University Mental Health Charter can be found on Student Minds’ website.
Universities UK’s Suicide-safer Universities guidance document can be downloaded here.
Read more about the Greater Manchester Universities Mental Health Service here.
Learn more about R;pple’s suicide prevention technology from their website.
A number of mental health and suicide awareness charities are referenced during the episode – we have listed links to their websites below:
Wednesday Apr 24, 2024
Wednesday Apr 24, 2024
It’s the episode you’ve been waiting for…
An explosion in student numbers. A contraction in houses of multiple occupancy (HMO). Challenges to building new developments. Any one of these could have created a PBSA supply issue – but together, they’ve created a crisis in many cities.
Our expert panel looks at how this came about, the ways in which this is playing out in some of those cities, what the data is telling us for a longer term picture and - most importantly - some of the potential solutions to this issue.
Hosted by Jenny Shaw, this month’s panel includes:
- Sarah Jones, Partner at Cushman & Wakefield
- Iain Garfield, Director of Estates and Facilities at Newcastle University
- Simon Jones, Group HE Director at Unite Students
- Eleanor Whitford Kelly, Market Intelligence Manager at Unite Students
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on 15th April 2024 and produced by Ed Palmer.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc.
Resources
Cushman & Wakefield’s UK Student Accommodation Report for 2023 is available to download from their website.
Unipol’s 2023 Ten Cities Rent Survey can be downloaded from the Unipol website.
UCAS’ 2024 cycle applicant figures can be found on the UCAS website.
More information about the joint venture between Unite Students and Newcastle University is available on Unite Students’ website.
Tuesday Mar 26, 2024
Tuesday Mar 26, 2024
The 2023 Student Academic Experience Survey showed that 1 in 4 students feels lonely most or all of the time – and that number is growing. With loneliness carrying the same health risks as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and having a substantial impact on mental health, academic performance and student retention, this month we’re asking: how can Higher Education end student loneliness?
Our expert panel discusses which student groups are most at risk of loneliness (and when), what support exists for students who are lonely, how to help students integrate into the student community, and how the sector can mitigate contributing factors such as the cost of living crisis and proximity to campus.
Host Jen Steadman, Senior HE Communications Executive at Unite Students, also shares her personal experience of loneliness at university.
This month’s panel includes:
- Nicola Frampton, Insight Manager at Student Minds
- Sarah Djuric, Residence Life Manager at the University of Leeds
- Jenny Dalzell, Regional Student Support Manager at Unite Students
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on 11th March 2024 and produced by Ed Palmer.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc.
Resources
Student Minds’ Student Space website provides students with support information, advice and tailored resources, as well as signposting to university services.
Wonkhe’s student loneliness research, ‘Only the Lonely’, is available to download here. [2019]
Unite Students’ Applicant Index, Living Black at University and neurodivergence reports are all available from the Research section of the Unite Group website. [2022/2023]
The Student Academic Experience Survey can be found at HEPI’s website. [2023]
Information about Student Minds’ research with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is available on the gov.uk website. [2023]
You can learn more about Unite Students’ Resident Ambassador programme on the Unite Group website. [2023]
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Grenfell Tower (2017). The Cube student accommodation fire, Bolton (2019). Two disasters that reshaped the landscape for building safety in student accommodation, and led to stringent new legislation in the Building Safety Act.
But what does the Building Safety Act actually mean for purpose-built student accommodation? How can we trust that students are safe in our buildings? And how can you make sure you’re compliant with the regulations? We’ve got you covered with our 40 minute deep-dive into the issue.
Our expert panel discusses the benefits and challenges thrown up by the Act, the practical stages of compliance, who’s accountable for what, what it all means for students, and what the future holds for building safety.
Hosted by Jenny Shaw, HE External Engagement Director at Unite Students, the panel includes:
- Ian Fletcher, Director of Policy at British Property Federation (BPF)
- Ian Bamforth, Head of Estates & Facilities at Unite Students
- Abi Yeo, Performance Quality & Systems Manager at Unite Students
Special guest Jo Blair, Head of Quality & Standards at Unite Students, also shares how we put together a resident engagement strategy to keep 70,000 students informed about building safety, as required by the Act. All of Unite Students' buildings are safe to live in.
Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. This episode was recorded on 9th February 2024 and produced by Ed Palmer.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of individual guest speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unite Students and/or Unite Group plc.
Resources
The British Property Federation’s Building Safety video series can be found at their YouTube channel.
Unipol are running an in-person training event called ‘Getting up to speed with the Building Safety Act’ on Thursday 29th February – find out more from the Unipol website.
Unite Students’ Home Charter is available on our student website, along with more information about the Building Safety Act and our resident engagement strategy.