UPP Foundation

Looking back at our memorable 5th birthday and new strategy launch – Belonging to the Future. Thank you to our speakers Elaine Hewitt, Alex Burghart, Chris Skidmore and Richard Brabner. Watch the highlights of the evening: https://lnkd.in/g7uwtp_t   Read our new strategy: https://lnkd.in/gb4D4uB5   #5yearsofUPPF #highereducation #university

"We should be clear that university students are significantly less – not more – likely to experience homelessness than young people of similar age in the general population. Nevertheless the scarcity, poor quality and cost of student housing should concern university leaders when they face pressure to widen participation in higher education." In his recent Kerslake Collection essay, Greg Hurst, director of communications at the Centre for Homelessness Impact, says that higher education institutions can play more of a role building structural solutions to homelessness, not least because university cities and larger towns have higher homelessness, both in absolute numbers and per head of the population. To read the full Kerslake Collection, with essays from leading thinkers across different sectors outlining the economic and social benefits universities have on their local communities, visit our website: https://bit.ly/3XbtMWg Greg Hurst's essay has now been published in the Big Issue; we hope policymakers and the sector will take note. https://bit.ly/3MbSnnE

We hope that all those who have received results this week have achieved what they wanted, and we know many will be thinking about the transition to the next stage. The UPP Foundation have been proud to work with The Brilliant Club and Villiers Park Educational Trust on the transition in to higher Education. We have supported pilot projects with each organisation on this vital work. 'Join the Dots' is the Brilliant Club's project, developed in collaboration with the Reach Foundation and the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham. It brings schools and colleges together with universities to support students who are most likely to face barriers during the transition to higher education, undertaking activities in the build up to university. After results day, eligible students are matched with a PhD Coach who will support them throughout the six-month transition programme. Meanwhile, 'Bridge to Your Future' from Villiers Park, aims to support young people from under-represented backgrounds through coaching and information sessions before and during their transition to university. The course was co-created with two universities and initial findings have underscored the importance of pre-transition preparation and ongoing support during the university experience, incorporating a flexible approach to personalise support and connection to already existing university support systems. The UPP Foundation is proud to support these organisations and continues to look at ways it can continue to help them develop these initiatives.

"You need to make a big, open and comprehensive offer to those who are growing up in your cities. That offer is easy to explain and can be plastered all over the bus stops of your city: ‘Get the grades, get a place.’ In our groundbreaking new essay collection, former Downing Street, Treasury and DfE advisor Dr Tim Leunig explains what a civic university should be. He says civic universities "should open their doors completely and unambiguously to local people. They should make a blanket offer of a place to any local child who gets the relevant grades for the relevant course, without the need to write a personal statement and the other stuff that is currently required." Dr Leunig's radical challenge to universities is one of 25 essays in the Kerslake Collection, our new publication celebrating the life of Lord Kerslake, chair of the UPP Foundation's Civic University Commission. The collection brings together experts like Dr Leunig from across public life, with reflections on everything from the future of English devolution to the role of universities in tackling homelessness. The Kerslake Collection discusses what it means to be a civic university and the role they have in shaping places today. Read Tim Leunig's essay and the whole collection on our website:  https://bit.ly/4c5LRJL

We are delighted to be making a donation of £10,000 to the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association which funds research, improves care and provides support for people living with motor neurone disease (MND), their families and carers. UPP recently chose the MND Association as a charity partner for the year and the company is planning more employee fundraising at sites across the country, building on mountain climbs of Snowdon and Scafell Pike. We have decided to support this effort with an additional £10,000 donation from the UPP Foundation. This donation will help the MND Association support more people with MND and their families. £10,000 could provide four text to speech devices, giving someone with MND the ability to continue to communicate with their loved ones. Richard Parris, the MND Association’s Corporate Partnerships Development Manager said: “We are extremely grateful to UPP for its partnership and this incredible donation, which will do so much to improve the quality of life of people who are living with this devastating disease. “With UPP’s support we will be able to continue funding cutting edge research, while doing everything we can to help people who need our support right now.”

Last week it was announced that Becky Francis CBE, CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and member of the UPP Foundation's Advisory Board has been appointed by the new Government to lead its independent curriculum and assessment review. The review is one of several commitments made as part of Labour’s pledge to raise school standards and support young people of all backgrounds to thrive. As a result, Becky will be stepping down from our Advisory Board. She has made a big contribution to the Foundation, including as a key member of our #StudentFutures Commission. Becky is a fabulous appointment and we wish her all the best for the review. https://lnkd.in/e4Ym7Paz

Last week saw the launch of the Kerslake Collection, our groundbreaking new essay collection celebrating the life of Lord Kerslake, chair of the UPP Foundation's Civic University Commission. The collection brings together experts from across public life, with reflections on everything from the future of English devolution to the role of universities in tackling homelessness. The Kerslake Collection discusses what it means to be a civic university and the role they have in shaping places today. In this brand new video, essayists and guests at the launch reflect on what a civic university means, what the sector can learn from Bob Kerslake and what the legacy of this essay collection will be. The full collection is available from https://bit.ly/3y24EHL #kerslakecollection #trulycivic

“It has been an honour to orchestrate this collection to celebrate the legacy of our late great friend Bob Kerslake. It was the privilege of my career to work closely with Bob, his passion, insight, and hard work were crucial to the success of our Civic University Commission, and I know that everyone involved in the collection has benefitted from Bob’s wisdom over the years. We hope that this collection provides the inspiration to the new Government to build on Bob’s work to ensure the civic role is truly recognised.”   Following the publication of the Kerslake Collection last week, its editors Richard Brabner and Chris Husbands have written in Wonkhe, reflecting on Lord Kerslake's legacy. Lord Kerslake's wide ranging public impact is reflected in the breadth of the essays brought together in the collection, with reflections on everything from the future of English devolution to the role of universities in tackling homelessness. The Kerslake Collection discusses what it means to be a civic university and the role they have in shaping places today. The full collection is available from https://bit.ly/3y24EHL. #kerslakecollection #trulycivic

What a night! Thank you to all of our essayists, university leaders, policy experts and guests from the worlds of local and national government, housing, health and culture. We were proud to bring together a passionate and insightful group to celebrate the life of Lord Bob Kerslake and launch the collection of essays in his name. We heard from Lady Kerslake, Richard Brabner, Professor Sir Chris Husbands, Polly Mackenzie and Baroness Alison Wolf about the importance of place, and how better policymaking could incentivise the contribution universities make to their towns, cities and regions. The Kerslake Collection discusses what it means to be a civic university and the role they have in shaping places today. The full collection is available from https://bit.ly/3y24EHL

"We hope that this collection provides the inspiration to the new Government to build on Bob Kerslake's work to ensure the civic role of Universities is truly recognised.” Today we launch a new collection of essays from leading thinkers outlining the economic and social benefits universities have on their local communities. The collection is published in memory of Lord Bob Kerslake, Chair of the UPP Foundation’s Civic University Commission (2018-19), who sadly died last year. The collection features over 40 essayists from across the political spectrum and across different sectors – including education, business, healthcare, local government, think tanks, charities and the arts – who all advocate for universities to have a stronger voice in place-making. Each essay includes policy ideas for the new Government to enable the local civic role to thrive. The collection touches on a number of issues of vital importance to towns, cities and regions, including local economic growth, raising educational attainment and opportunity for disadvantaged groups, the local supply of the NHS workforce, improving the local environment, and access to culture and the arts. The full collection is available from https://bit.ly/3y24EHL #kerslakecollection #trulycivic