Monday 23-02-2026 - 10:15

 

 

 

 

 

At Senate on Wednesday 11th February, several major changes to the Curriculum Transformation Programme (CTP) were approved. 

 

Your representatives at Senate on Wednesday 11th February

 

In March 2025, previous Education Officer, Harrison Stewart, published an open letter to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) calling for the University’s approach to student consultation in CTP to be reconsidered, with an emphasis on shifting students from being periphery stakeholders, to becoming integral parts of the new module approval process. Since this open letter, students have been given a seat on the Cross-Faculty Approvals Panels (CFAPs).

On Wednesday 11th February, University Senate met for the first time under the new Vice Chancellor, Steve Decent. Students were excellently represented in this forum by Faculty Reps, Niamh, Jess, Navyah & David, and of course, Liz and me. New University leadership afforded a new set of eyes on CTP, a key observation being that not all aspects of the project were ready to implement for the 2026/27 academic year. Following extensive discussion around the room, large changes were approved, balancing the time and work academics and students had put into CTP over four years, with a pragmatic view of the project’s ability to work given what was currently ready. Senate agreed:

 

1. to defer the introduction of semesters until the 2027/28 academic year, meaning we will continue to operate on a three-term system for the next year. 
2. the start of the academic year 2026/27 will be Monday, October 5, 2026, running through to Friday 25 June 2027.
3. the introduction of an additional, University-wide, winter exam period will take place as soon as possible, but not until after the 2026/27 academic year.

We approved of these changes, as it is beneficial to everyone that CTP is implemented properly and not rushed through. This being said, we are of course disappointed that the decision has been made so late in the process, and after so much warning from us over the years. 

The new Vice Chancellor’s approach was notably welcomed however, with a strong emphasis on student voice in Senate and in other spaces. These changes to CTP will have impacts to the student experience, so it is vital that we continue to work with the University to involve students as meaningful participants in decisions going forward.
 
As a first step towards this approach, your Academic Reps were invited to a meeting with the Vice Chancellor on Monday 16th February to find out more about the changes to CTP and to have the opportunity to ask questions. Your departments and your Reps will be the most equipped people to keep you informed about the changes you will see at a course level, and we will be keeping you up to date where we can as well.

We will also be supporting the University to assess the lessons learnt, and what steps need to be taken to avoid similar situations in the future.