The Higher Education Policy Institute has published the first
holistic picture of small and special-focus universities in
Size is Everything: What small, specialist and practice-based
providers tell us about the higher education sector (HEPI
Report 160). This makes the case for major policy, structural and
regulatory changes to increase competition, innovation and sector
diversity in higher education.
Small and special-focus universities now represent 40% of
providers in England and 15% in Scotland, and are the key
providers of practice-based education in Britain. Specialism is
essential to institutional responsiveness for vital sectors, such
as medicine, agriculture and the creative industries. But
special-focus institutions face resource scarcity, a hostile
operating environment with diseconomies of scale and barriers to
stability and growth.
Report findings include:
- Small and special-focus providers need help to overcome
diseconomies of scale, capital investment and research
requirements.
- Policymakers need a firmer grasp of size, specialism and
practice-based education, as the sector broadens with new market
entrants and access to degree-awarding powers.
- Specific aspects of higher education should be de-regulated
to address barriers to entry and growth for small providers and
overlooked disciplines.
- Mergers are a major risk to identity and specialism. Small
provider clusters need structural support for lower risk
alliances, including shared services, managed networks,
consortia, strategic alliances and joint ventures.
Edward Venning, author of the report and Partner at Six
Ravens Consulting LLP, said:
‘Britain’s small and special-focus universities are the magic
ingredient in UK higher education. This is the scale at which
almost every great institution got its start. These universities
are a mainstay of global expertise in key fields. But today, they
face major barriers to growth and expertise, mocking claims to
sector diversity and dynamism.’
Professor Simon Ofield-Kerr, Vice-Chancellor of Norwich
University of the Arts, who supported the publication,
said:
‘This is an important report because it’s time to change the
rules of the game. Special-focus institutions must be valued for
the focused ecologies they create and the different approaches to
learning and teaching they pursue, rather than for a
predetermined collection of subjects.
‘In terms of creativity, a practice-based, experimental and
industry-engaged approach is evidently one of the most effective
ways to understand, interpret and produce the worlds in which we
live.
‘This vital part of the sector needs to build common cause across
institutions that may look very different but share core
interests in new technologies, economies and global challenges.’
Sandra Booth, Director of Policy & External Relations
at Council for Higher Education Art & Design, said:
‘This excellent report highlights the distinctive nature, value
and agency of practice-based education in “small and specialist”
institutions while advocating for better understanding of the
distinctiveness of practice-based pedagogies, resource-intensive
provision and opportunities for enhanced research impact. The
analysis can be equally applied to specialist provision within
large and multi-functional providers, particularly in studio
based Creative Arts and Design higher education, where, despite
differences in scale across the sector, there are many shared
aims, challenges and discipline-specific missions.
‘My hope is that the recommendations within the report enable the
collaborative efforts of those with a “quieter voice” in the
sector to be “understood on their own terms” as potential policy
makers rather than policy takers.’
Dr Diana Beech, Chief Executive Officer of London Higher,
said:
‘London has the largest concentration of small, specialist
providers of any UK region and many are world leading in their
fields. It is, however, right to ask whether these providers are
merely surviving, rather than thriving, under the current weight
of regulation.
‘Small, specialist institutions represented by London Higher face
some of the highest course delivery costs in the country and are
unable to cross-subsidise due to their narrow disciplinary focus.
They also have fewer professional service staff, leading to a
disproportionate regulatory burden. To ensure these providers
remain a jewel in the crown of UK higher education for
generations to come, it is high time we create a regulatory
system that appreciates their distinctiveness and needs.’
Carol Rudge, Partner at HW Fisher, who sponsored the
report, said:
‘This report showcases the character, collective challenges and
opportunities of specialism and small size in the sector.
Anchored in a culture which places great emphasis on the nurture
of the individual, they have tremendous innovation potential,
balanced by the challenge of delivery in similar ways to large
institutions with greater resources at their fingertips.’
