2021-22 has been an extraordinary year for students and students' unions. With the return to campus, new free-speech legislation, the cost-of-living crisis, and increased loan repayments, we have had to tackle a lot of challenges, with many still on-going. Despite the challenges, we’ve pulled together and achieved some amazing things, and we want to share them with you. 

 

The NUS family has been here with our members throughout the year and we're proud of the positive impact NUS has had and the value NUS Charity has delivered.

 

For NUS Charity it's meant continuing to deliver value to your SU:

• We submitted written evidence to the committee for the HE (Freedom of Speech) Bill. We used the written submission to set out many of the concerns that students’ unions have about the Bill. 

 

• Spiking Guidance within 48 hours of the release of the National Demands from Girls Night In, to help our members improve their policies and procedures around spiking.  

 

• 38 Members completed our Employee Engagement Survey, the results of which helped our members to measure and gain real insight into the engagement, experience, and satisfaction of their staff.  

 

• We trained over 540 officers in leadership skills at our training events across the UK. At Lead and Change 21, over 90% of officers agreed that they broadened their networks by attending, and 85% said they learned skills relevant to their role. Look at more feedback here.  

 

• We returned over 100 elections, this is a unique elections support service we provide to our members, we ensure your elections are free and fair through the support of an independent national body, with experience of the distinctive nature of students’ union elections.  

 

• 378 responses to our candidate demographic survey. As part of our elections support service, we collected candidate demographic data, helping our members address issues and barriers to elections by understanding who is currently engaging in their elections process. 

 

• We continue to offer associate membership of NCVO for all NUS Charity members.  

 

• The latest people management and salary benchmarking data for our sector, all in one place for our members. We also provided bespoke research for 6 SUs to help them analyse and make changes to the way they pay and reward their staff.  

 

• Our work on Race Equity continues, with over 140 delegates attending our Creating Equity at Work and Leadership on Race Equity training this year, helping our members to make those important strategic decisions, promoting understanding and equity within their SUs/SAs. 

 

• We are also extremely proud of the work that went into conducting our review of Leadership on Race Equity Training, making the training more accessible and impactful, outlining clear next steps for senior leaders/decision-makers to take back into their SUs/SAs.  

 

• Over 850 Jobs posted this year, through our SU Careers site, with significantly reduced cost per listing for our NUS Charity members. Over 66% of people who were directed to our job board were from outside the sector, widening the reach for roles and attracting the external talent, as well as the best talent from within the sector. 

 

• Our exciting new version of the Quality Students’ Unions (QSU) framework has been developed in consultation with members, with changes made to better suit the needs of SUs/SAs using the programme.  

 

• In November, we welcomed CEOs and Presidents from across the movement to Strategic Conversation 2021, with productive discussions on officer support and strategy development, which resulted in the creation of a future Officer Residential and Strategic Planning Group.  

 

• We partnered with Koreo, one of the leading consultancies for people and organisations with a social purpose in the UK, to provide a year-long radically personal learning and development programme tailor-made for students’ union/association officers. Putting officers at the heart of their own learning and development.  

 

• We launched an updated version of the SU Governance Code. Unique to NUS Charity, we created this code to help other charities and their trustees develop high standards of governance. We worked with unions to adapt this Code and underpin it with a relevant governance improvement offer for students’ unions.  

 

For NUS this has meant achieving a lot for our campaigns:

 

New Vision for Education 

 

• We mobilised thousands of students and 50 SUs in a national student strike on 2 March. Almost 1000 gathered to Walk Out/Teach In in central London, with further 1000 attending 6 regional events place across the UK​. At the London event, over 20 student groups led workshops and content for us to collectively reimagine education ​ 

• Campaign WIN: Following our campaign against changes to student loan repayments, the Unis Minister u-turned on lowering the threshold this year. ​ 

• Augar campaign: Stop Attacking Student Opportunity & supported SUs to respond to government consultation​ 

• Led narrative in media; landed opinion pieces and coverage across the political spectrum; The Times Red Box, the Guardian, Telegraph, Express, Independent and Huck. 

 

Decolonise Education 

 

• Delivered #DivestToDecolonise Open Letter to UUK with 800 signatories and visible support from 40 SUs. Letter called on institutions to break their links with companies upholding colonial and imperialism. ​ 

• Expanded the Decolonisers Library with new resources on divestment, fossil free and the arms trade.​ 

• Created the #DivestToDecolonise Toolkit, in partnership with SOS UK, People & Planet, Deducation and CAAT Unis. Has been viewed online 2500 times and 200 paper copies have been distributed. 

• 15 Regional Decol hubs 

 

In Scotland 

 

• Student Poverty Report surveyed 3500 students. ​ 

• Rally for Education outside Scottish Parliament with UCU Scotland, fighting for action on student poverty and fair pay for lecturers.  ​ 

• Campaign WIN: got SG to announce a £350 increase in the student support package for the poorest students​ 

• Student Housing Rally with 200 students outside SG demanding tenancy rights & rent controls.​ 

• Secured over £3 million of additional funding for digital poverty for college students​ 

• Held consultation meetings with 44 % of our membership on our vision for education and the future of SAs and NUS Scotland. 

 

In Northern Ireland 

 

• No Keys No Degrees Housing Protest at Stormont in reaction to housing crisis in Belfast, covered in press and on BBC Radio Ulster. 

• Students Deserve Better Townhall event, launching candidate pledge for prospective MLAs.  

• Student Healthcare Heroes Protest at Stormont calling for more support. 

• Student House of Horror stories, 200 stories shared and 1.2 million impressions on twitter. 

• ‘Stop the cuts’ campaign in reaction to proposed budget cuts, met with the Economy Minister and Finance Minister to raise concerns, secured campaign support from politicians on #InternationalDayofEducation. Belfast City Council passed stop the cuts motion. Spoke at People Before Profit Stop the cuts rally. 

• Votes at 16 actions partnered by leading youth organisations.  

• Launched Students Deserve Better microsite in advance of the election. 

• 7 members actively supported the campaign and almost 3000 supporters took campaign actions. 

• Campaign WIN: Student Deserve Better manifesto asks included in 5 party manifestos 

 

In Wales 

 

• Student Housing Report with Shelter Cymru surveying 300 students. Exclusive coverage on BBC Wales. 150 student housing horror stories shared in response to social media campaign.​ 

• Report on Student Housing Regulations.​ 

• More than 200 supporters of 'Stop the Freeze' campaign action opposing freeze to student loan repayment threshold.​ 

• Education Minister pledged to seek powers to set student loan conditions differently in Wales following political pressure.​ 

• Up to 100 students from Wales travelled for student strike in London – including College and University students.​ 

• ITV Wales coverage of Wales Conference as part of student cost-of-living package. 

 

Check out last year's full timeline of achievements for 20/21 view in full screen here.

Full timeline for 21/22 TBC.