Unite Students Accommodation Matters

S06E02: Meeting the needs of neurodivergent students

Following on from the publication of Unite Students’ new report into the university and accommodation experiences of neurodivergent students, this month on Accommodation Matters we’re talking through some of the findings and recommendations.

Guests talk through practical ways for universities and accommodation providers to make student accommodation a better environment for neurodivergent students, including arrival and orientation at university, making adjustments to student rooms, and staff support.

Our expert panel, hosted by Jenny Shaw, includes:

• Freya Selman, Co-founder of Bristol University Neurodiversity Society (BUNS)
• Tim Owen, Associate Director of Student Accommodation at University of Birmingham
• Kerry Watson, Regional Student Support Manager for Scotland and the North 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 17^th March 2023 and produced by Ed Palmer.

 

Resources

The An Asset, Not A Problem: Meeting the needs of neurodivergent students report is available for download now from Unite Students’ website [2023].

Living Black at University can also be found on the Unite Students website [2022].

Learn more about Bristol University Neurodiversity Society (BUNS) from the Bristol SU website.

S06E01: Student belonging - behind the buzzword

Welcome to the sixth series of Accommodation Matters – bringing sector experts together to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation.

In this episode, host Jenny Shaw is looking to learn more about the sector’s hottest topic: student belonging. The experts share their insights on topics including how a sense of belonging comes about in student accommodation, how student accommodation practitioners can facilitate it in their buildings, and supporting students from marginalised communities to belong in their accommodation.

This month’s panel features:

• Yvonne Turnbull, Director of Student Advice and Wellbeing at Liverpool John Moores University
• Tom White, Co-Founder and CEO at WAU Agency
• Luke McCrone, Postdoctoral Researcher at Imperial College London

Accommodation Matters was recorded on 16^th February 2023 and produced by Ed Palmer.

 

Resources

The What Works? Student retention and success report can be downloaded from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation website [2012].

Unite Students’ 2022 Applicant Index is available to download from the Unite Students website, as is the Living Black at University research report [2022].

You can learn more about Imperial College’s Belonging, Engagement and Community (BEC) Project at the Imperial website.

More information on WAU Agency's 'Investor in Students' scheme is available from the WAU website.

Wonkhe and Pearson’s Building Belonging in Higher Education report is available to download from Wonkhe’s website [2022].

S05E03: What are the latest trends in student accommodation marketing?

Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation, and this month, we're exploring all things student marketing.

Our expert panel, hosted by Jenny Shaw, looks at current data trends in student accommodation marketing, as well as the importance of brand, the impact of cost of living on both students and brands, and the use of social media in marketing to students.

This month’s panel includes:

• Josephine Hansom, Vice President and Youth Practice Lead at Savanta
• Shelley Wilde, Head of Brand at Unite Students

HEPI’s 2022 student experience report can be downloaded from the HEPI website.

Accommodation Matters was recorded on 29^th November 2022 and produced by Ed Palmer.

S05E02: Hidden risks: Reducing harms from high-risk student behaviour

Content note: This episode contains discussion of sensitive topics including drugs, alcohol, gambling and sex work. If you or someone you know needs support with the topics discussed in this episode, there are specialist organisations that can help you in complete confidence – please refer to the ‘Support’ section of the show notes for signposting.

Accommodation Matters brings together sector experts to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation, and this month, we’re looking at high-risk student behaviours that take place behind closed doors, such as drug-taking, drinking, gambling and sex work.

Our expert Higher Education panel, hosted by Jenny Shaw, explores why students might engage in these behaviours, what the risks are, and what university and student accommodation practitioners can do to support students and reduce harms.

This month’s panel includes:

• Mandi Barron, Director of Student Services at Bournemouth University
• Sunday Blake, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and former President of the University of Exeter Students’ Guild
• Kev Clelland, Director of Insight and Engagement at the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM)

The panel is also joined by guest contributor Tracy Lumb, Senior Project Manager – Wellbeing at SOS UK, who shares her insights on student drug and alcohol misuse.

Tracy and Jenny will be speaking further on the topic at ‘Tackling drug use in student accommodation’, a Westminster Forum event, on Tuesday 10^th January 2023. More details are available at the Westminster Forum site.

Unite Students is sponsoring the Universities UK taskforce on student drug use. The Student Drug Use Taskforce was launched by Universities UK (UUK), in partnership with Unite Students, GuildHE and Independent HE, and in order to better understand demand for and use of drugs within the UK student population, and produce evidence-led sector guidance with a view to reducing harms from drug use and better tackle supply.

Accommodation Matters was recorded on 11^th November 2022 and produced by Ed Palmer.

 

Resources

The following resources are referenced during the episode:

• Taking The Hit report (2018): https://www.release.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/Taking%20the%20Hit%20-%20Student%20drug%20use%20and%20how%20institutions%20respond%20-.pdf
• Student gambling research commissioned by YGAM and GAMSTOP (2022): https://www.ygam.org/new-survey-shows-students-use-borrowed-money-to-gamble/
• Student Sex Work: International Perspectives and Implications for Policy and Practice (2022): https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-07777-7
• The English Collective of Prostitutes: https://prostitutescollective.net/resources/
• Sex Worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement (SWARM): https://www.swarmcollective.org/

 

Support

This podcast covers some sensitive topics. If you or someone around you needs support for these issues, the following organisations can help.

 

Drugs:

• Talk To Frank: 0300 123 6600 https://www.talktofrank.com/get-help/find-support-near-you

Alcohol:

• Drinkaware: https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-services
• NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/find-alcohol-addiction-support-services/

Gambling:

• Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM): https://www.ygam.org/support-and-advice/
• GamCare: 0808 802 0133 https://www.gamcare.org.uk/get-support/

Sex work:

• Support For Student Sex Workers: https://www.supportforstudentsexworkers.org/support/
• National Ugly Mugs: https://nationaluglymugs.org/

S05E01: Student accommodation: home or hotel?

Welcome to the fifth series of Accommodation Matters – bringing sector experts together to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation. We’re kicking off the new series by looking at the intersection between student accommodation and the hospitality sector.

Host Jenny Shaw is joined by a very special panel made up of student accommodation practitioners with hotel experience - discussing how they’ve applied their hotel experience to the world of student accommodation, whether students should be considered customers, and hotel trends that might emerge in PBSA.

This month’s expert panel is:

• Vikki Welch, Associate Director of Student Living at University of Nottingham
• Karan Khanna, Chief Customer Officer at Unite Students
• Paul Watson, Central Operations Director at Unite Students

The panel is also joined by guest contributor David Marr, Head of Operations for Scotland and the North at Unite Students. He shares his personal experience of leaving home at 18 to work in the hotel sector, and how that’s shaped his view on supporting students as they make the transition to university life.

Accommodation Matters was recorded on 3^rd October 2022 and produced by Ed Palmer.

In Conversation with... Victoria Tolmie-Loverseed

The final episode of our In Conversation mini-series stars Victoria Tolmie-Loverseed, Assistant Chief Executive - Standards at student housing charity Unipol.

Victoria plays a major role in overseeing Unipol's national codes and standards for student accommodation, and now she shares her insights from 15 years in the student accommodation sector with host Jenny Shaw, Higher Education External Engagement Director at Unite Students. 

Topics covered include the affordability of student accommodation, student mental health in accommodation, and health and safety in buildings.

More information about Unipol's Codes can be found at the Unipol website.

‘Accommodation Matters: In Conversation’ is a 3-episode podcast mini-series, showcasing in-depth discussions with 3 Higher Education sector experts about their experiences, sector insights, and what they anticipate for the future.

Accommodation Matters: In Conversation is produced by Ed Palmer and was recorded on 19th May 2022.

S04E06: Preparing for the class of 2022

Accommodation Matters brings sector experts together to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation.

It’s almost time for a new group of freshers to arrive at universities across the country, and the Higher Education sector is hard at work preparing for their arrival – so this month’s Accommodation Matters panel weighs in on who this group of students are, what stands out from previous cohorts, how the sector will have to adapt to their needs, and what they themselves are doing to prepare for this year’s new student arrivals.

Host Jenny Shaw is joined by an expert panel made up of:

• Nick Hillman, Director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI)
• Melissa Browne, Head of Operations at University College London (UCL)
• Jo Blair, Regional General Manager for Scotland at Unite Students

Talking points include supporting the transition to university, cost of living challenges, sustainability and behaviour change, the evolution of the student accommodation sector over time. Panellists also share their tips for what advice they would share with new students.

You can find the Unite Students 2022 Applicant Index Report, previous applicant survey results and our Living Black at University report at the Unite Students website.

HEPI’s 2022 Student Academic Experience report is available at the HEPI website.

Accommodation Matters was recorded on 26^th July 2022 and was produced by Ed Palmer.

In Conversation with... Dr Alexis Brown

The latest episode of our In Conversation mini-series stars Dr Alexis Brown, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Higher Education Policy Institute.

Speaking to Jenny Shaw, Higher Education External Engagement Director at Unite Students, Dr Alexis shares her thoughts on what the Higher Education sector's current challenges are, part-time and lifelong learning opportunities, and student wellbeing, as well as her own experiences of studying in the US and the UK.

You can find the UCAS data for international applicants here.

More information about the Office for Students (OfS)'s short course trial is available from their website.

‘Accommodation Matters: In Conversation’ is a 3-episode podcast mini-series, showcasing in-depth discussions with 3 Higher Education sector experts about their experiences, sector insights, and what they anticipate for the future.

Accommodation Matters: In Conversation is produced by Ed Palmer and was recorded on 11th May 2022.

S04E05: Postgraduates’ accommodation needs

Accommodation Matters brings sector experts together to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation.

This month, we’re exploring the postgraduate accommodation market, asking: who are the UK’s postgraduates? What do they want from their accommodation? And what are the challenges they face in accessing it?

Host Darren Ellis is joined by an expert panel made up of:

• Rebecca O’Hare, Assistant Director (Residence Life & Accommodation Office) at the University of Leeds
• Fiona Maingi, Digital Marketing MSc student at Royal Holloway, University of London
• James Ballard, Innovation Manager at Unite Students

We’re also joined by special contributors Dr Diana Beech – CEO at London Higher – to give us a picture of postgraduate numbers, trends and motivators, and Caroline Persaud, Registrar at Goodenough College, to share a case study on Goodenough College’s specialist postgraduate accommodation offer.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)'s data on postgraduate numbers is available here.

Unite Students' postgraduate building trial is outlined in further detail at the Unite Students website.

Accommodation Matters was recorded on 21^st and 27^th June 2022 and was produced by Ed Palmer.

In Conversation, Episode 1: Hillary Gyebi-Ababio

This summer, Unite Students is sharing ‘Accommodation Matters: In Conversation’: a 3-episode podcast mini-series, showcasing in-depth discussions with 3 Higher Education sector experts about their experiences, sector insights, and what they anticipate for the future.

Hosted by Jenny Shaw, Higher Education External Engagement Director, this first episode features Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, outgoing Vice President for Higher Education at the National Union of Students (NUS).

Hear Hillary's thoughts on community-building, student accommodation, student-led initiatives, and reflections on her time at the NUS in this thoughtful and insightful conversation.

You can learn more about Unite Students' Living Black at University research report here, and about Black People Talk at their website here.

Accommodation Matters: In Conversation is produced by Ed Palmer and was recorded on 11th May 2022.