On 19 January 2021, the Office for Students received a guidance letter from education secretary Gavin Williamson setting out the allocations for the Higher Education Teaching Grant for 2021-22.
It was this letter that in one fell swoop knifed creative arts education in the back, gave a good kicking to London institutions and put the boot into the Uni Connect programme.
With some fairly uncompromising words, Williamson informed the sector of the “strategic reprioritisation” of what was and wasn’t important:
…reprioritise funding towards the provision of high-cost, high-value subjects that support the NHS and wider healthcare policy, high-cost STEM subjects and/or specific labour market needs.
…remove weightings for London providers from across the T-Grant, including the students attending courses in London supplement, and weightings within the student premiums.
The reduction of London weighting will enable the OfS to invest in other priorities such as high-cost subject funding, which is offered to providers in all regions of England, supporting the levelling-up agenda.
