David Willetts, the Minister for Higher Education and Science, recently laid out his ambition for Britain to be the best place in the world to do science. After a tough 2011 battling over undergraduate funding and being accused by some of neglecting post-graduate researchers, the Minister clearly hopes to start 2012 on a more positive... Read on

(This blog post resulted from a partnership with YouGov-Cambridge and is also available at The Huffington Post, with coverage on the BBC, the Daily Mail and the FT) Higher education (HE), especially here in England, seems to be experiencing unprecedented attention, scrutiny and debate at the moment. Late in 2010 the Browne Report, combined with... Read on

As I’ve followed the tectonic shifts throughout the British education system over the past year I’ve become increasingly concerned about the issue of debt. In particular I wonder if we are preparing all young people to deal with it appropriately in the future, especially those that already face other disadvantages. My fears about debt mainly... Read on

As a declaration of interest, other teams within Pearson are currently thinking about the provision of degrees but this is not a part of my job here in the Centre. If nothing else, the last few months have shown that the attention and passion focussed on higher education seems to have reached unprecedented levels. A... Read on

I was kindly asked to speak at the annual Linking London conference recently on the above topic, below is a summary of my thoughts on this timely issue. Firstly I don’t think it’s a question with easy or simple answers – and that you should be suspicious of anyone who tries to tell you otherwise. Overall,... Read on

A few argue that HE in the UK, and beyond, will cope with all the current changes as it always has – by focussing on what it does best, by continuing its great tradition of independence and by responding in a careful and considered way to new opportunities. Personally, I think that the degree and... Read on

Today saw a flurry of activity across Government around David Willetts’ statements on financing ‘off-quota’ university places. Keen to allow institutions to meet surplus demand for places he seemed to suggest that companies, charities and even wealthier families could essentially buy these ‘spare’ places. The latter point was picked up by Jeevan Vasagar the Guardian... Read on