How Winchester connected student representation, partnership and policy

Updated Sep 07, 2026

Updated, 7 September 2026: We checked the complete paper and made its institutional setting and limits explicit. The account describes changes and participant reflections; it does not establish their causal effect on engagement or trust.

Three connected changes at Winchester

Sarah-Louise Harder-Collins, Georgia Pepper, Tiffany Jones, Ben Robson and Sal Fox describe work by the University of Winchester, its students’ union and students in 2023–24.

The revised Student Voice and Representation Policy distinguishes opportunities to contribute from formal representation in decision-making. A revised Student Charter sets out responsibilities for all three parties. The Student Experience Collaborators scheme replaced a more formal advisory council with themed discussions feeding into the Student Experience Committee.

The authors report 29 collaborators in the first year and 40 in the second. The roles were unpaid, with development opportunities and other recognition. Examples of contributions include accessibility alerts, orientation materials and attendance-policy design. These are the authors’ implementation accounts; the paper does not establish how representative participants were or quantify an improvement in trust.

Formal representation continues alongside the collaborator scheme. Themes are allocated through the Student Experience Committee, so describing the scheme as entirely student-directed would overstate its design. The authors also acknowledge resistance and the need for continuing review.

What another institution could examine

Our suggested starting point is to compare the purpose of each route. An elected representative, open discussion and survey can each contribute different evidence. Make clear who can take part, how issues reach decisions and how participants hear the response.

If a new route aims to widen participation, assess who actually uses it and what barriers remain. Increased membership alone does not show that a previously unheard group is now represented. Consider the demands of unpaid participation alongside the support and recognition offered.

Trace a small number of issues through the process before making wider claims about its effectiveness. The comment-analysis governance checklist can help document responsibilities and reporting. These are our evaluation suggestions, not outcomes demonstrated by the Winchester case or by a particular analysis product.

Reference

Harder-Collins, S.-L., Pepper, G., Jones, T., Robson, B. and Fox, S. (2026). Revitalising student voice through a trilateral partnership approach: How a university and students’ union sought to refresh practice and re-boot student engagement and representation. Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal, 7(3). Open paper.