Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about our London campus.
Why have a campus in north east London?
We want to make available our world leading and high quality education to a growing number of students who can benefit from it with London a natural hub for student recruitment. We are an island city on the South Coast and wish to extend our geographic and demographic reach. We have experienced a decline of Portsmouth-based full-time undergraduate applicants, which we have been dependent on, which has contributed to us operating a deficit budget. If we did wish to significantly expand our activities within Portsmouth City this could be very challenging considering the space constraints in the Island. Our first strategic imperative to meet our 2030 vision is to reverse the ongoing decline in applications and boost conversions including plans to diversify student recruitment in other areas.
A north east London campus in Waltham Forest will:
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help us overcome our geographic and demographic limitations by moving into an area of growing demand and population growth, especially amongst the 18-24 age range who are most likely to consider university. It is also a natural hub for the recruitment of overseas students.
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low level of local competition - Waltham Forest is the only north east London borough without a Higher Education Institute
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extend our reach without cannibalisation i.e. recruiting local students who would already have chosen Portsmouth. Only 50 students come to Portsmouth from the 50 constituencies that make up the 40-minute 'travel to' radius around the London campus
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enhance our reputation domestically and internationally, particularly as an attractive destination for international postgraduate and undergraduate students
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support our civic ambitions by working with the London Borough of Waltham Forest (LBWF) to widen participation and raise aspirations whilst addressing skills shortages and securing excellent graduate outcomes.
Who are the partners and what do they bring to the London Campus?
There are three partners:
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Northchild - providing all of the facilities, estate, much of professional/support services and a pipeline of international students, including a pathway college
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University of Portsmouth (UoP) - responsible for students and academic staff, the courses, quality and student experience
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London Borough of Waltham Forest (LBWF) - access to their networks, secondary and further education and provide space in their library to set up the Admission and Recruitment Centre (ARC)
There is a legal contractual relationship between Northchild and the University of Portsmouth. There will be no legal contract with the Council, other than the leasing of buildings.
Which courses will be taught from the London Campus?
The initial courses are set out in our Plan and Timeline.
How do we avoid competing with the Portsmouth campus for students?
Waltham Forest is the only borough in north east London without a Higher Education Institute.
Only 50 UoP students come from the 50 constituencies that make up the 40-minute 'travel to' radius around the London campus.
International student recruitment may see some overlaps but there will be targeted activity by Northchild and our existing recruitment agencies to minimise this. Additionally, there will be a clear distinctive offer between the two locations as the tuition fees and cost of living in London will be noticeably higher than in Portsmouth.
My course or module will be delivered in London - what happens next?
As the campus grows and more courses and modules are added, the campus learning design team will be in touch to discuss it with the course leader.
All courses and modules in London will have gone through the enABLe process to validate the high-quality teaching for the course running in Portsmouth. In London we will be using a block teaching method so there may be some extra enABLe work to prepare for this.
All teaching in London will be done by academics recruited to teach there, but we want the two campuses to be connected so there will be opportunities to collaborate.
What support is required from the University of Portsmouth?
Firstly, it’s important to say the London campus will not distract from our focus on existing Portsmouth-based students.
Secondly, while there may be some adjustment using the enABle process, the London-based courses will be UoP courses, delivered to UoP students - in a different city. This means that they will need to be supported like all of our courses with some services delivered onsite and some to be provided from Portsmouth.
For example, we will need some support from faculty colleagues to get the London courses ready and aligned through the enABLe process, apply for the relevant accreditation and recruit academics for the London campus.
We will need continuing input from professional services to capture existing processes to inform our Operational Handbook for the London Campus. Additional staffing in certain areas over time will be needed to support the London campus.
How will we avoid mistakes made by others who have closed down their London Campus?
Many universities operate very successfully in London and we have undertaken detailed research to learn the lessons from others. We have had confidential meetings with senior leadership and directors of finance at several universities that were pulling out of London branches, to hear about their experience and make sure we reflected on that in our approach.
Our partners have been selected with great care and diligence and we are confident that we will deliver the best student experience, reflecting UoP's hallmarks and values in our new London campus.
What are the benefits for the Portsmouth campus?
There are multiple benefits:
- Innovation testbed - London Campus provides the University with a testbed to innovate learning and teaching, resonating with the digital transformation project which is currently being designed. The benefits of this innovation could be realised at the Portsmouth campus, with minimal additional effort.
- Enhanced reputation - the London Campus will deliver a flexible offer that is learner-centred, with an agile curriculum that meets the needs of both the learner and local businesses.
- Additional student exchange opportunities - There may be opportunities for Portsmouth students to study in London and abroad, utilising the two-way exchange programme offered by Northchild, thereby promoting a global mindset for Portsmouth home students.
- Financial sustainability - London Campus is financially sustainable by design and the surplus generated by it can be used to support major, whole-institution projects.
How will we support our students to ensure we meet B3 metrics?
The Office for Students (OfS) has set minimum thresholds for all universities for student continuation and completion rates, as well as for professional level employment/further study fifteen months after graduation. These are known as B3 metrics. We must meet these minimum thresholds.
Our block teaching method has proven effective in increasing engagement, achievement, reducing attainment gap and reducing claims for extenuating circumstances. We are also scheduling for students to study in two blocks of four hours on different days with an extra two hours for all face-to-face activities, supported by blended online activities so they can schedule work or caring activities with the timetable published months in advance.
What is our civic commitment to Waltham Forest?
Whilst each partner has a strong self-interest in the success of the project, all partners have a diverse range of stakeholders who must buy into and understand the mutual benefits that will be delivered. There is a strong civic focus to the project that complements the University’s civic ambitions. The civic element will be focussed on our commitment to Waltham Forest for the long term to deliver lasting benefits for local learners and the local community, including business. For example:
- Raising the aspirations and outcomes of the local and 'travel to' population
- Provide achievable routes for lifelong learning that are accessible
- Be focussed on employment, not employability through engaging and integrating with local businesses and the third sector, to enhance the curriculum offer. For example, there are 10,000 businesses registered in Waltham Forest, 90% of which are micro-businesses that currently have no way of training people to upskill the workforce.
- Enable and support students so they can work on interactive, live briefs that benefit the local community.
- Enable real recovery and economic growth for businesses
- Truly partner with Schools and Colleges to provide a seamless, mutual transition of learners through lifelong education and CPD, without competing with the existing local provision
- Provide iconic facilities and international exchange opportunities and become part of the community and Borough, for the long term.
- Therefore it is crucial that the London Campus is tailored to meet the needs of the local community and economy.