NUS UK officer team stood smiling with UK Minister for Skills, Jacqui Smith, after a meeting in the Department for Education
Yesterday, we met with Jacqui Smith, Minister of State for Skills.
We discussed all things post-16 education, our Fair Deal for Our Future campaign, and making our campuses and society a place that everyone can thrive 🩵
White text on a black background. The NUS UK logo is at the bottom of the page below a statement. The statement reads: We are heartbroken and outraged by the violence that took place in Pahalgam, Kashmir, where 26 innocent civilians, mostly Indian tourists, lost their lives. We strongly condemn this horrific attack and send our love, solidarity, and support to everyone affected - especially our Kashmiri students and the wider Indian and Pakistani communities grieving at this time. We also strongly condemn the growing Islamophobia and xenophobia being directed at Kashmiri students across India. No one should have to live in fear because of their identity. Reports that Kashmiri students are being intimidated, physically attacked, and forced to leave their homes or go into hiding by far-right Hindu nationalist groups is appalling, and it cannot be allowed to continue without accountability.Today we have written to Foreign Secretary David Lammy to express our concerns and to ask what the British Government are doing to facilitate peace in the region, ensure the safety of Kashmiri students, and dispel rising intercommunity tensions in the UK. We have also reached out to student leaders in the region, as well as impacted student leaders here in the UK to offer our support. As diplomatic tensions escalate we encourage students’ unions to read up on what’s happening so impacted students can be supported.
The UK's student movement sends love and support to those grieving following horrific violence in Kashmir, and stands in solidarity with Kashmiri students experiencing intimidation, harassment and violence.
A group of 16 student leaders stood in front of the London eye, outside of Portcullis House, where they had just spent two hours hearing and investigating expert's ideas for the future of maintenance funding
A huge thank you to our speakers, members and all the MPs and Lords who attended! Together we’re creating a strong voice for students in parliament.
A group of 75 people in a room in UK Parliament for the meeting of the APPG for Students on Funding. At the front of the room are the conveners of the APPG including Dr Jo Grady, Alex Sobel MP, Abtisam Mohammad MP, NUS VPs Alex Stanley and Saranya Thambirajah
Yesterday we were in Parliament for another meeting of the APPG for students with a focus on funding for home undergraduates.
Students and parliamentarians heard from four experts on how best to reform student maintenance and student leaders then had an opportunity to feed back
@ucu.org.uk
Graphic for the TASO Annual Conference promoting a breakout session titled “Engaging students meaningfully.” The background features a deep blue gradient with a faint overlay of an audience in discussion. At the top, the TASO logo appears in teal and green gradient alongside white text. Beneath, the session title is highlighted in white and teal. Centred below are circular portraits of two speakers: on the left, Alex Stanley, a smiling man with light brown hair and a beard, is identified as Vice President of Higher Education, National Union of Students (NUS); on the right, Sammi Li, wearing glasses and a suit with a purple tie, is titled Assistant Director of Student Affairs (Postgraduate and EDI), AMOSSHE.
Session spotlight: Engaging students meaningfully
How can we better reach and involve students in our work? Join Sammi Li (AMOSSHE) & Alex Stanley (@nus-uk.bsky.social) at #TASOCon2025 as they explore practical ways to embed student voice in projects.
Book: app.tickettailor.com/events/taso/...
A group of 11 student officers stood smiling at the camera. Behind them is a presentation titled "Fair Deal for Our Future"
Yesterday, we were in Birmingham for our West Midlands campaign day to meet with our members and get their direct feed in to our national campaigns on funding and housing, as well as help them design their own regional campaign on transport.
thank you UCB Guild of Students for hosting!
A group of 8 student officers smiling at the camera. They are in a room with teal walls, stood in front of a presentation thats titled "Transport: next steps."
Earlier this week, we were at UCEN Manchester for our North West Campaign Day, where we designed campaigns on housing, funding and transport. Thank you to all the wonderful student officers who came along!
A group of 14 student officers smiling and laughing
A group of student officers smiling and pointing to the camera
We are back on the road! Starting this week we will travelling up and down the country to get our wonderful members' feed in to our campaigns, and also have some fun!
Earlier this week, we spent time with our members from the North East and South East. Today, we are on our way to the East Midlands
If you could change on thing about Education what would it be? Have your say at WhatStudentsThink.org.uk
We want to know What Students Think!
7,500 students and apprentices fed into our General Election manifesto using our interactive website, and now it's back!
Any UK student and apprentice can take part to influence the future of student campaigns.
www.whatstudentsthink.org.uk/have-your-say
Last week, we were in Parliament for the APPG for Students, talking to politicians about the need for more accessible, affordable and secure student housing.
You can now read the speech given by our wonderful student panellist, Mihita Parekh, here: www.nus.org.uk/mihita-parek...
We love to hear politicians supporting apprentices and talking about why apprenticeships are so good for our country, especially with National Apprenticeship Week (England and Wales) starting Monday @andrewpakes.bsky.social
We are so lucky to be able to represent apprentices as well as students!
An exciting development for the Votes at 16 campaign!
Thank you @chriswardmp.bsky.social for listening to students and amplifying their voices in Parliament!
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
same pay for same work!
there should be one minimum wage for everyone: students, apprentices and young people included. that minimum wage should be enough to actually pay for rent, bills and food, and so should students’ maintenance support
agree? sign here: www.nus.org.uk
Add your voice to our new campaign, demand a Fair Deal for our Future: www.nus.org.uk/fair-deal-fo...
Our asks: 2. Maintenance funding in line with the Living Wage Students are working longer hours because our loans no longer cover basic living costs like rent and bills. We demand that every student is funded in line with the Living Wage - so they can get on with studying.
Student maintenance funding has lagged behind inflation during the cost-of-living crisis.
Student foodbank use has doubled and we're working longer hours to make up the shortfall.
Every student deserves funding up to the Living Wage so they can get on with studying.
Our asks: 1. The minimum wage for everyone, regardless of how old you are. The UK Government has said it will abolish the 18-20 wage band, meaning that just under-18s and apprentices will be paid a lower minimum wage. We demand one minimum wage for everyone - regardless of age.
Right now, young people aged under 21 are paid a lower minimum wage than everyone else.
And some apprentices are paid as little as ÂŁ6.40 and hour regardless of their age.
We all have the same expenses - so we all deserve the same minimum wage.
An NUS UK graphic with three prominent campaign slogans reading: Fair Pay, Fair Education and Fair Future.
We're demanding a Fair Deal for our Future.
Our new campaign launched today demands:
1) The minimum wage for everyone, regardless of age
2) Maintenance funding in line with the Living Wage for every student
Add your voice to our student movement demanding change: www.nus.org.uk/fair-deal-fo...
This is a huge win for students in Northern Ireland! Well done @nus-usi.bsky.social
Great to be in Westminster last night at the first 2025 meeting of @nus-uk.bsky.social’s APPG on Students. @alexsobel.co.uk chaired a vital, and at times heartbreaking, discussion on student housing, looking mainly at the impact of guarantor schemes to further improve the Renters’ Rights Bill.
a photo of people sat around a u shaped table in parliament. the group in the middle is the panel for the APPG for Students on guarantors: Abtisam Mohamed MP, Alex Sobel MP, Amira Campbell, Jess Corrier, and Mihita Parekh
A special thank you to our wonderful panel: Mihita Parekh from Middlesex SU, Jess Corrier from Unipol, Abtisam Mohamed, MP for Sheffield Central, and our Chair, Alex Sobel, MP for Leeds Central and Headingley.
a photo of 50 students in a room in parliament. in front of the group is 4 MPs sat at a table
Yesterday, we had our first APPG for Students of the new government, and our members made it one to remember!
We had 10 MPs and even a Lord come to hear over 50 of our members talk about student housing and what politicians need to do to improve it for students.
