Unite Students Accommodation Matters

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.

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)

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 26th July 2022 and was produced by Ed Palmer.

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.

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

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 21st and 27th June 2022 and was produced by Ed Palmer.

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.

This summer, Unite Students is bringing you brand new mini-series In Conversation.

Host Jenny Shaw speaks to sector experts one-on-one for an in-depth discussion about their Higher Education experience, insights and future predictions. We'll be bringing you three episodes over the summer in addition to our monthly Accommodation Matters episode.

Tune in to Episode 1, an interview with the National Union of Students' Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, launching on Tuesday 21st June!

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 going around the world to hear about what student accommodation looks like across different markets. Discussion points include the differences between student accommodation provision in the UK, United States and Australia, how each market caters to significant international student numbers, and the preferences of domestic students.

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

• Marion Bayley, Chief Executive Officer at Deakin Residential Services and President of the Asia-Pacific Student Accommodation Association (APSAA)

Accommodation Matters was recorded on 23rd May 2022 and produced by Ed Palmer.

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of sensitive topics including suicide, eating disorders and domestic violence. 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.

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 looking at the future of student mental health, including current student mental health trends, the latest thinking in the student support sector, and what this means for the future of student mental health.

Talking points include the legacy of Covid-19 on student mental health, how universities and accommodation providers are collaborating on matters of student support, student suicide prevention, and the future of student mental health provision.

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

• Professor Jo Smith, Professor of Early Intervention and Psychosis at University of Worcester

You can find the resources and organisations mentioned in the episode below:

• R;pple, a suicide prevention browser tool: https://www.ripplesuicideprevention.com/

Unite Students is the UK’s largest provider of PBSA, housing around 74,000 students in our 172 properties, which are based in 25 leading university towns and cities. We currently partner with over 60 universities across the UK.

Accommodation Matters was recorded on 27th April 2022 and produced by Ed Palmer.

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 looking at the cost of living crisis: how it’s affecting students, what this means in the context of student accommodation, and what it might mean for the future.

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

• Vivi Friedgut, Founder and CEO of Blackbullion

You can read more about our cost of living research here, as well as our ‘Climbing Cost of Living’ guide for parents and students – produced with Blackbullion – here.

Unite Students is the UK’s largest provider of PBSA, housing around 74,000 students in our 172 properties, which are based in 25 leading university towns and cities. We currently partner with over 60 universities across the UK.

Accommodation Matters was recorded on 22nd March 2022 and produced by Ed Palmer.

Accommodation Matters is back for a new season, bringing sector experts together to discuss the Higher Education sector’s key issues through the lens of student accommodation.

In February, Unite Students launched Living Black At University, the first report into the experiences of Black students in student accommodation; you can download the report here. This episode of Accommodation Matters features the highlights of our launch event, including an overview of findings, panel discussion and Q&A session.

Introduced by Jenny Shaw, Higher Education External Engagement Director at Unite Students, and chaired by HEPI director Nick Hillman, the panel features sector experts:

• Sam Kingsley, Senior EDI & Wellbeing Manager at Unite Students

The Living Black at University launch event was run in partnership with the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) on 3rd February 2022 and can be viewed in full here.

Unite Students is the UK’s largest provider of student accommodation, providing homes to 74,000 students across 172 properties in 25 leading university towns and cities. We currently partner with over 60 universities across the UK.

Accommodation Matters was produced by Ed Palmer.