Speak Week 2025
During Speak Week, we ask students, “What would you do if you ran the University?”
This year's Speak Week saw 471 points raised by a cross-section of 204 students.
- Facilities and resources were the most frequently mentioned area for change across all demographics except London, where it came second to course delivery. For students in Stafford, comments mainly concerned a lack of comfortable seating and parking space; in Stoke, the most common concerns are evening and overnight access, followed by access restrictions and the condition of buildings and equipment.
- Cost is the second most common topic, with the majority of comments raised around on-campus catering, accommodation, and hidden course costs (printing, parking, and materials for art courses). Students' perception in the comments received was that these are unnecessarily expensive, and a handful of responses framed costs as consciously unfair.
- Concerns were raised regarding the timeliness and effectiveness of formal processes. These are three times more prevalent than in last year’s comments.
From the tone of responses, the most frequently occurring factor that led to negative perceptions is the financial burden placed on students. This was followed by process and policy, then dissatisfaction with the rebrand (driven mainly by or reinforced by its perceived cost).
Several comments on communication involve calls for the university to be more transparent, particularly in communicating the reasons for process outcomes and financial and policy decisions.
A significant positive to take away from this year’s Speak Week is the drop in suggestions or concerns regarding student support services, which saw comments drop from 89 in 2024 to 23 in 2025.
So, what happens now?
- This data has been presented to the university to inform them of what students are saying.
- They will be shared with the candidates in the leadership race and may influence topics included in their manifesto.
- The union will assess how and if we could implement any changes that we have influence over.
Watch this space for further updates.