Latest news with #UniversityofChichester
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Brain drain: Top universities are hoovering up more students, sparking fears lower-ranked colleges may have to merge to survive
Elite universities have hoovered up a larger share of students this year, putting lower-ranked institutions at risk of mergers, data suggests. New analysis by Times Higher Education shows that the top third of universities recruited two-fifths of school-leavers, leaving fewer for the others. These top establishments – mainly made up of the Russell Group – were looking to fill spaces left by a dip in international students. However, if the trend continues, the lower-prestige institutions will become unviable due to lack of numbers, experts warn. Bob Savill, head of student recruitment at the University of Chichester, told THE: 'For the rest of the sector, it's going to be very challenging and... one would imagine we'll see mergers, and so on, in the coming year.' Analysis of Ucas data released on A-level results day show 'higher-tariff' universities – those ranked in the top third for how demanding their entry requirements are – took a disproportionate share of the students this year. Of the total 255,130 UK 18-year-olds accepted on to degree courses, they took 41 per cent. This left 'medium-tariff' ones with 32 per cent of the share and 'lower-tariff' ones with just 27 per cent. The share taken by the top universities is a rise from 40 per cent last year and 37 per cent in 2023. Mark Corver, former managing director of dataHE, said: 'It will widen the effective resourcing gap between universities and mean things are not going to get any easier for lower-tariff [institutions].' The situation has been partly enabled by a rise in top grades, meaning more pupils hit the entry requirements for top universities. Overall, 28.3 per cent of entries got A/A* this year, compared with 27.8 per cent last year, and 25.4 per cent in 2019. Bar the Covid years of 2020-2022, when grades were vastly inflated due to teacher assessment when exams were cancelled, this is the highest proportion on record. The scramble for students has been caused by an overall drop in lucrative international applicants, after a change in visa rules. It meant three quarters of Russell Group universities entered clearing this year, including Durham, Bristol and King's College London. Between them, they had 3,492 courses available – 13 per cent of the 26,000 courses on offer across all universities. The Russell Group was contacted for comment. It comes as a report for Buckingham University found boys were 'chronically underperforming' at GCSE level, with results out on Thursday. Last year, 24.7 per cent of female entries achieved at least a grade 7 (the old A) – compared with 19 per cent of male entries.
Daily Mail
27-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Woman in her 20s 'raped' at seaside holiday spot - as police hunt alleged attacker
Police are hunting a man who allegedly raped a woman in her twenties in a UK seaside holiday hotspot last week. The reported attack took place at Hotham Park in Bognor between 11.10pm on Sunday April 20 and 00.45am on Monday April 21. The large 22 acre park is only minutes walk from the waterfront promenade, Butlin's holiday resort and the University of Chichester. The woman is being supported by specially-trained officers while police investigate the crime and track down the alleged perpetrator. Detective Chief Inspector Steve Cobbett said: 'Officers have been carrying out enquiries, and the public can expect to see a heightened police presence in the area while this matter is investigated. 'We are in the early stages of this investigation, however it is believed to be an isolated incident. Anyone with concerns can approach officers to speak with them. 'Reports of rape are taken extremely seriously, and we urge anyone with information to come forward, including witnesses in the area or those with CCTV, doorbell, or dashcam footage.' District Commander William Keating-Jones said: 'We understand the public's concern and we are working hard alongside partner agencies to tackle crime in the town. 'Officers will continue to carry out high-visibility patrols in Bognor to provide reassurance, to catch offenders, and to prevent new offences being committed. 'We continue to encourage anyone who is impacted by crimes to report them to us.' Anyone with information about the incident in Hotham Park on 21 April is asked to report it to Sussex Police online or call 101, quoting Operation Westbeach. Further guidance on support available for victims of rape and serious sexual offences is available on the Sussex Police website.
BBC News
02-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Chichester student plays American Football for Sealand micronation
A university student said his love of American Football had led him to represent a micronation off the coast of Milner balances his maters course at the University of Chichester with playing for the Sealand Seahawks – a team which represents the Principality of Sealand, a self-proclaimed independent state located on a former World War Two sea fort in the North recently represented the Seahawks in February, with the next match in Brno, Czech Republic, in November."I started playing age 14. I got into it as me and my dad used to watch it on TV," he said. "I started playing age 14. I got into it as me and my dad used to watch it on TV," he said."I did a quick Google search and found a local youth team, where I fell in love with the game and progressed until I made it on the under-19 GB squad." The physiotherapy student has been involved with the Seahawks since 2022 when he made my debut in France, and also played for the Solent Thrashers in Southampton."My university has been very accommodating to allow me to travel, play and train, as long as I was able to maintain a good work-life balance as a student athlete," he said."They provided additional one-to-one sessions if I needed help."He urged other student athletes to prioritise their health and mental wellbeing."By doing this, you will ensure your workloads aren't too much - but if they are, chat to someone," he added."The biggest thing for me was to ensure you get enough time with your family and friends," whilst doing the things you love."Dr Connor Nyberg, senior lecturer in physiotherapy at the University of Chichester, said the institution was proud of what Mr Milner had achieved, on and off the field.
The Guardian
20-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
African history students awarded compensation after master's axed
An independent adjudicator has ruled partly in favour of students who challenged the University of Chichester after their African history course was abruptly terminated in 2023. The University of Chichester suspended recruitment to its research master's (MRes) in the history of Africa and the African diaspora without warning, and made the course leader, Prof Hakim Adi, an academic and expert in African history, redundant. Thirteen students took legal action against the university after it terminated their programme while they were partway through their studies. The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) for Higher Education found the complaint made by students against the university was partly justified, ruling that the students had a legitimate expectation to be taught by an expert under whom they had specifically enrolled to study. The OIA determined that the university advertised its programme based on the promise that students would be able to 'learn directly' from Adi, whom the university described as the 'only professor of the history of Africa and the African diaspora in Britain'. The university has been ordered to pay compensation to the affected students. Jacqueline McKenzie, human rights partner at Leigh Day, who represented the students, said: 'The OIA's ruling is a significant victory for the students who were left in academic limbo after their course was unjustly terminated. The decision acknowledges the fundamental principle that students should receive the education they were promised, taught by the experts they signed up to learn from.' Timi Okuwa, CEO of the Black Equity Organisation, said: 'We welcome the decision by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education, which has ruled partly in favour of the African and Caribbean students affected by the University of Chichester's termination of the programme. This decision is a significant step in the fight for racial justice and educational fairness.' Adi had worked at the University of Chichester for more than a decade and founded the MRes in 2017. The decision came amid a crippling financial crisis affecting higher education across the UK. It sparked outrage, with thousands of supporters signing a petition demanding the course and Adi be reinstated. The course was credited with paving the way for successive historians of African descent in the UK. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Chichester was among several universities in England to implement cost-cutting measures. But critics argued that the cuts disproportionately targeted lecturers and courses dedicated to addressing racial disparities in higher education, raising concerns that Black scholarship in the UK was at serious risk of being wiped out. A University of Chichester spokesperson said: 'Like all universities, the University of Chichester periodically reviews its course portfolio in response to enrolment trends and financial pressures. 'The MRes in the history of Africa and the African diaspora regrettably closed to new applicants in 2023, but we are making every effort to work with continuing students so that they can complete their studies. We refute any suggestion of discrimination and note that the OIA claim was only partially upheld on the basis of procedural issues.'
