Strategic Review Update

The University of Leicester Strategic Review has now begun its consultation phase. As your Students’ Union we are committed to trying to keep our members informed as to what is happening and to provide students with an opportunity to be heard.

The proposed changes the university are considering are:

Chemistry and Geography, Geology and the Environment:For the university to create a new school combining the disciplines and focusing on high-demand areas.

History: For the University to reshape and reduce the size of the department, maintaining a core of research-active staff via the Voluntary Severance Scheme. 

Modern Languages and Film Studies: For the university to close programmes to new entrants from 2026/27, supporting current students to completion. 

College Operations: For the university to create an “expert, consistent service environment across colleges, providing specialist local and corporate service support to enable academic excellence.”

The university has not reached a final decision, but the above forms the basis of conversation for staff to engage in the consultation period. This will consist of townhalls and informative sessions that staff can attend. 

The Officer team continues to meet with the School Reps of the affected areas to discuss any arising issues within the student body, and to ensure that communication is kept consistent with students. Additionally, student feedback is continually collected and defines the work of the SU during these times. 

 

Leicester 100 Industrial Action Proposal

The Students’ Union Executive Officers recently took a proposal to the Leicester 100 meeting on Tuesday 5th November. This proposal had the goal to assess and agree the student body’s stance on recent industrial action related to the strategic review.

Whilst the vote did indicate a majority of students preferring a neutral stance the proposal did not reach a passing majority which represented the ongoing, complex and broad range of views and opinions of our student body. It was raised that the issue could go to referenda to seek wider opinion for the neutral stance.

Recently, an idea has been submitted to the SU’s ideas system by a student regarding showing support for strike action. This idea has reached the necessary amount of upvotes to be considered for debate and therefore will be taken to Leicester 100 during the next term.

As part of our Leics Chat survey we gathered over 1000 pieces of feedback in regards to industrial action and the results can be found HERE

The results echo the views of the Leicester 100 and mirror the difficult and divided nature of opinion on campus, again with a majority of students indicating a preference for the students’ union to remain neutral and to continue to advocate for students with both the university and the trade unions.

As such the Officers are continuing to keep on working alongside students to offer support to those affected by the Strategic Review, and those affected by the industrial action. The SU communicates regularly with the University and UCU, and this page will continue to be updated with relevant updates around the situation.

We urge students to continue to provide us with feedback in regards to the impact of both the strategic review and associated industrial action to inform our lobbying work.

Below you can see the most recent issues we have raised with stakeholders and we will update it as regularly as possible

Feedback taken to University Executives

The following summarises the main feedback taken to the University recently:

 

Topic	Student Feedback	SU Action	University Response
PGR concerns	PGR students have voiced their concern regarding the review and how it can impact their supervision, meetings and overall degree.	We have asked for a mitigations plan and review timeline to be communicated to PGR students in order to reduce their worry and stress.	They have planned communications to be sent to every PGR students addressing the review and common concerns.
Communication	Students have expressed frustration regarding communications from the University on the strategic review and strike action.	We have asked for the University to lead clearer and more transparent communication for students, for examples through emails outside of newsletters.	The University has pinned to the SharePoint home page two pages with FAQs on Industrial Action and the Strategic Review.
Student Support Staff	The SU has found that some students who are utilising student support services were sometimes left without support when staff went on strike.	The SU asked for a process to be put in place to ensure those students are referred to another staff member while their main contact is striking.	Student Support Services implemented a triage process during the industrial action period.  It also operated advertised additional “drop in” sessions for students who needed support.
Assessment irregularities	Students have pointed out the issue of assessments still covering not-taught content. Lecturers have been saying they will ‘take it into consideration’, however this does not regulate marking as it is subjective.	We have taken this feedback to the University and have asked for a closer and more consistent approach to be taken when assessments cover content missed during industrial action.	This is being carefully managed through University quality assurance processes.  Meetings have taken place with all schools, EQED and PVC Education to ensure assessment and marking processes remain fair for all students.
Dissertation Supervision	We have been contacted by some students including postgraduate researchers who have been impacted by the industrial action in regards to dissertation supervision or on courses where access to specific facilities require certain staff to be present.	The SU has requested that contingency plans be shared with all students undertaking  a dissertation within affected departments	Feel free to send individual concerns to industrialaction@le.ac.uk so that cases can be followed up individually.

 

Student Feedback

During the new year, the Executive Officers (Matt, Cleo and Aishwarya) will be holding stalls on campus to gather student feedback and thoughts on a more personal level. 

 

LeicsChat Survey

Recently, the SU’s LeicsChat survey gathered some data regarding the strikes and Strategic Review. Below is a breakdown of some of the data:

 

This feedback helps guide our representative and support work as an SU. Thank you to everyone who has filled out the LeicsChat survey recently! If you have any more/other feedback, please email su-exec@leicester.ac.uk

 

Website updated on 16th December 2025

 

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The University of Leicester embarked on a strategic review of a number of subject areas and professional services as a way of addressing underlying financial challenges. The commencement of this review process resulted in a ballot being held by the trade union for predominantly Academic Staff called “University and Colleges Union”. The outcome was strike action for a three-week period in October with the aim of applying pressure on the university in relation to the ongoing review.

Throughout this strike action period, we have received a lot of student feedback. This has enabled your Students’ Union work towards protecting the student experience and support you effectively. Thank you for sharing your feedback around the strategic review and strikes.

 

Developing Union Policy Position

The Students’ Union’s Academic Council (consisting of our lead academic representatives) is currently preparing a proposal with the Executive Officers (three full time elected representatives), to take to Leicester 100. The Leicester 100 consists of a representative sample of 100 students who reflect the student population demographics at Leicester. This representative body will be responsible for the Students’ Union’s formal position on the situation. 

To help inform their decision making we need more students to provide us with feedback on their current experience on campus, in classrooms, labs and lecture theatres. This democratic mandate will shape our campaigning and lobbying work with all parties. To do so, we encourage you to email SU-EXEC@leicester.ac.uk

So far, student feedback has highlighted some key areas of concerns facing our members. The executive officers have taken these issues to the university to ensure the right processes were in place to minimise the negative impact on student experience. 

A summary of the feedback and the relevant actions can be found below:

 

Topic	Student Feedback	SU Action	University Response
Strategic Review	It is clear that some students have strong feelings on the strategic review and believe that the University should look at alternative solutions to address the challenges instead. They have also asked that the Students’ Union opposes the review, opposes any potential course closures or staff redundancies and supports the strike action undertaken by UCU.	The Students’ Union Executive Officers have communicated these views to Senior University leadership for consideration. In addition, the Students’ Union continues to be in active conversations with UCU and with the university. The President of the Students’ Union continues to advocate at the university council to safeguard and protect the academic experience of all students to the best of their ability. The SU has requested for the University to continue to update all students with information around the strategic review.	The review is essential for the university to address the underlying challenges.
Optional Modules	Students were concerned about the deadline to change their optional modules having passed without any teaching having been completed.	As such, the students’ union made the request to the PVC Education that deadlines should be extended to occur after teaching has commenced.	The University has confirmed that it will take the request on board, review it at a local level with the schools and where possible will accommodate.
Assessments & Coursework	Students raised issues regarding assignments and coursework being set on content that has not yet been taught because of the industrial action.	This issue was raised with the university Secretary, academic registrar and PVC education.	The issue will be addressed at a school level to ensure that students receive appropriate teaching before being assessed.
Attendance	International students have raised that their attendance has been marked as absent for lectures and teaching that hasn’t happened due to industrial action. This has specific implications under the terms of their Visa requirements.	The SU has raised this directly with the academic registrar and PVC education.	We have been assured by the University that attendance missed due to the strike action will not be reported as missed and as such the implications on the visa are not an issue. Students who have received warnings over low attendance should contact their department and/or the SU advice team by emailing advice@le.ac.uk
Dissertation Supervision including PGR Students	We have been contacted by some students including postgraduate researchers who have been impacted by the industrial action in regards to dissertation supervision or on courses where access to specific facilities require certain staff to be present.	The SU has requested that contingency plans be shared with all students undertaking  a dissertation within affected departments.	The request is under consideration.
Compensation	We have received feedback from students in regards to the financial compensation that will be offered to students for any missed lectures. It was unclear whether this included seminars, tutorials and other teaching methodologies.	The Students’ Union asked for clarity on this issue with clear communications to be issued to student on compensation.	The university provided assurance that all teaching provisions are also included in the compensation scheme.
General Communication	There has been a great deal of feedback from students who are unclear on what is happening within their schools.	We have requested that the University to work towards clearer communication on a departmental level to ensure students are kept updated.	The university will be issuing further communication as solutions are developed to address issues currently being faced by students.

 

UCU has informed the Students’ Union that it intends to ballot members on further strike action. We will keep you informed on any relevant developments.

 

Website updated on 30th October 2025

 

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We are writing to update you on the strike action which will be taking place until 17th October. As your Students’ Union, we are doing everything we can to safeguard and support our student community throughout this period.

The review of departments and professional services may impact student experience across the University and we also understand that the industrial action can affect the academic journey of our students. As your Students’ Union, we represent our student body and want to do so accurately and radically to ensure that every student gets the most out of their student experience.

We are working with the University, University and College Union (UCU), and our students to support their studies and wellbeing. We continue to press UCU and the University to meet and come to a resolution which benefits everyone, ensuring maximum protection for the academic and student experience.

We are independent from the dispute, and our mission is to support students, whether they are impacted by the strategic review, or by the industrial action. 

We encourage students to engage with and share their opinions about the strikes. If students would like to take action, they are welcome to reach out to the Students’ Union for support and guidance. Additionally, students can utilise the Ideas System, Leicester 100, or can contact the Students’ Union Executive Officer Team at su-exec@le.ac.uk.

Please share your thoughts and feedback here. 
 

Details about the strike action:

Strike action will take place from Monday 29th September 2025 to Friday 17th October.

In addition to strike action, UCU have a mandate for Action Short of Strike (ASOS). This will start on Monday 29 September 2025 and will be continuous until Saturday 28 February 2026 and will consist of:

· Not working beyond contractual hours;

· Not covering for absent colleagues or unfilled posts;

· Not rescheduling or sharing materials from strike-affected sessions;

· Not performing voluntary or out-of-grade duties;

· Not using personal devices for university work;

· Not participating in student recruitment activities;

· Not participating in graduation related activities;

· No admin work related to REF, Course reviews, University rankings, Timetabling, Financial year end.

 

The Students’ Union wishes to alert students that staff participating in industrial action are not required to let students know that they will be on strike. The local UCU committee has told members that they may wish to inform students in advance, while explaining the reasons for the strike action and asking for their support. If your lecturer isn’t present within 10 minutes of a scheduled start and they haven’t notified you they will be running late for a lecture or teaching session, you may assume they are participating in the strikes, and you are free to leave the lecture. Please ensure that you have signed in on the attendance monitoring system upon arrival to ensure that there is a record of your attendance.

 

Please find the student guide to formal complaints about industrial action here.

Please find the University and College Union official communication here.

Please find the University of Leicester official communication here.

 

*Website updated on Wednesday 1st October , 16:30*

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We are extremely disappointed that after further talks with University and College Union (UCU) requesting them to avoid strike action due to impact to both the academic and overall student experience, the proposed strike action will continue to go ahead.

We continue to urge the trade unions and university to continue to negotiate to bring about a resolution that ensures maximum protection for the academic and student experience.

Strike action has now been confirmed, with 15 days of discontinuous action planned from Monday 29th September until Friday 17th October. Discontinuous means staff may choose to participate in one, multiple or all dates.

In addition to strike action UCU are planning, Action Short of Strike (ASOS). This will start on Monday 29 September 2025 and will be continuous until Saturday 28 February 2026 and will consist of: Not working beyond contractual hours; Not covering for absent colleagues or unfilled posts; Not rescheduling or sharing materials from strike-affected sessions; Not performing voluntary or out-of-grade duties; Not using personal devices for university work; Not participating in student recruitment activities; Not participating in graduation related activities; and No admin work related to REF, Course reviews, University rankings, Timetabling, Financial year end.

The Students’ Union wishes to alert students that staff participating in industrial action are not required to let students know that they will be on strike. However, they have been asked to do so by the local UCU committee. If your lecturer isn’t present within 10 minutes of a scheduled start and they haven’t notified you they will be running late for a lecture or teaching session, you may assume they are taking part of the strike action, and you are free to leave the lecture. Please ensure that you have signed in on the attendance monitoring system upon arrival to ensure that there is a record of your attendance.

 

If you have been affected by the industrial action, please fill out this feedback form

Please find the student guide to formal complaints about industrial action here

Please find the University of Leicester official communication here

 

*Website updated on Tuesday 23rd September 2025 at 16:00*

 

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As many of you may be aware, the university sector is under significant financial pressure nationally. As a result, the University is undertaking a strategic review which has identified 6 academic areas and 5 professional service areas with a plan to reduce costs.

These are:

Academic:

• Chemistry
• Education
• Film Studies
• Geography, Geology, and the Environment
• History
• Modern Languages

Professional Services:

• College Business Operations
• IT/Digital Services and Support
• Research Infrastructure and Technical Services
• Student Support and Programme Administration
• Transactional Finance

So far, the university has undergone a pre-change engagement. They have collated thoughts from academics and professional services staff from all departments and provided key feedback and summaries to all staff from affected areas.

The Students’ Union is continuing to engage with the University on the absolute need to protect the student and academic experience whilst ensuring the students enrolled on courses with us continue to receive high quality of education.

We are engaging with our course, school and college reps, and we will continue to support them in the coming weeks and months to ensure that they are equipped to advocate on behalf of their coursemates.

We have met with University and College Union (UCU) multiple times and intend to work with staff representative bodies throughout this time. We are aware that UCU members have voted in support of strike action and we will continue to engage with UCU and University to minimise any detrimental impact on Student Academic Experience.

We will continue to update this page with information when we can.

If you’d like to get in touch, feel free to email SU-EXEC@leicester.ac.uk

 

*Website Updated Wednesday 3rd September 2025*