The UK Government Spending Review announced on Wednesday (25 November 2020) has made January’s Scottish Government budget a critical event for Scottish higher education. The Scottish block grant will increase by an additional £2.4bn in 2021/22 as a result of core and COVID-19 expenditure. Within UK Government spending priorities, an extra £400 million expenditure per…
News
November
24
2020
New guidance published to help universities tackle racial harassment on campus
Our sister organisation Universities UK (UUK) has today [24 November 2020] published a series of recommendations aimed at supporting universities to tackle racial harassment in higher education. Tackling Racial Harassment in Higher Education is the product of an advisory group convened by UUK in October last year and responds to many of the recommendations in…
November
13
2020
Universities Scotland response to UUK’s Fair Admissions Review
Responding to Universities UK’s Fair Admissions Review recommendations, which aim to make university admissions fairer and more transparent, Universities Scotland Director Alastair Sim said: “Moves to make the university admissions process fairer, more consistent and transparent at UK level are most welcome. The next stage of consultation is crucially important: the devolved nations must be…
November
11
2020
Universities Scotland respond to Ministerial Statement on Supporting Students to Return Home Safely at the End of Term
Responding to the Ministerial Statement on Supporting Students to Return Home Safely at the End of Term from the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Richard Lochhead MSP and after coordination between the four governments of the United Kingdom, Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland said: “Student welfare has guided our decision making…
October
27
2020
Universities Scotland responds to the Scottish Government’s new Inward Investment Plan
Responding to the publication of Shaping Scotland’s Economy, Alastair Sim, Universities Scotland Director, said: “We’re pleased to see the report recognise higher education’s important role in attracting inward investment into Scotland. Bar London, Scotland has been the top performing nation or region of the UK in attracting inward investment for each of the past seven years and…
October
23
2020
Universities Scotland response to Scotland’s Strategic Framework
Responding to the Scottish Government’s new Strategic Framework and five-tiered approach to managing COVID-19, a spokesperson for Universities Scotland said: “Students, staff and universities need as much clarity as its possible to give in a global pandemic so we’ll take full opportunity of this very short period of consultation to work with Government to define…
September
30
2020
Scotland’s universities launch Consistent Core of Care for students during the pandemic
Scotland’s 19 universities and higher education institutions have today [Wednesday 30 September] confirmed a package of ten measures they are using to support student wellbeing, as students adjust to a different learning and wider student experience in the first semester of the academic year, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This will ensure that…
September
27
2020
Principals respond to additional Scottish Government guidance on student households
The Scottish Government has today (Sunday 27 September) issued further guidance relating to the application of the restrictions on household visits, as it applies to students living in university accommodation. The guidance on visits home follows the new restriction, announced by the First Minister last week, that the general public should refrain from indoor visits…
September
27
2020
We asked more of students than is asked of anyone else; a group we know is caring, responsible and socially minded
Our Director, Alastair Sim, explains the context to our announcements relating to student socialisation and the management of COVID-19 over recent days: “This weekend, we asked all students not to go out to pubs, restaurants and cafes. It was a request, not a ban. It was never a ban. But we know it was a…
September
24
2020
Preventing spread of coronavirus in universities
Following the outbreak of positive cases of coronavirus in student accommodation in parts of Scotland, university Principals met with the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Richard Lochhead, to discuss what further measures and messages could be emphasised to stop the spread of the virus. A set of FAQs has been developed to…