Guide to: Student Voice Forum Policy (for staff)
This guidance supports staff responsible for establishing, facilitating, and contributing to Student Voice Forums. It should be read alongside the Student Voice Forum Policy and provides practical advice to help Schools and Graduate Schools implement the policy effectively and consistently.
The aim of Student Voice Forums is not simply to collect feedback. They are a structured partnership between students and staff that enables discussion, problem-solving, enhancement, and communication about the student experience.
Please Note: The guide includes summarised information and therefore, it is essential that you read the related policy and/or regulation in full. To search for specific information, you can use CTRL+F and search for keywords throughout the page.
To be read in conjunction with: Student Voice Forum Policy
Contents
1. The Role of Staff in Student Voice Forums
2. Establishing Your Student Voice Forum
4. Supporting Class Representatives
5. Planning Effective Meetings
6. Managing Discussion Effectively
7. Action Tracking and Accountability
9. Using the Student Voice Framework
10. Using the sparqs Student Learning Experience Model
12. Annual Review and Reflection
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Guidance
1. The Role of Staff in Student Voice Forums
Staff play a critical role in creating an environment where students feel confident that their feedback is welcomed, valued, and acted upon.
Staff involved in Student Voice Forums should:
- Foster a culture of openness, respect, and partnership.
- Encourage constructive discussion and active participation.
- Ensure issues raised are appropriately considered and followed up.
- Be transparent about what can and cannot be changed.
- Communicate outcomes clearly to students.
- Support Class Representatives in fulfilling their role effectively.
- Maintain an appropriate balance between operational issues and enhancement-focused discussion.
- Encourage students to share positive feedback and examples of good practice, as well as identifying areas for improvement.
The success of a Forum is measured not by the volume of issues raised but by the quality of dialogue and evidence of impact.
2. Establishing Your Student Voice Forum
Selecting the Appropriate Forum Structure
Schools have flexibility in how programme-level forums are organised, provided the policy requirements are met.
Examples may include:
- A single programme forum.
- A forum covering several related programmes.
- Separate undergraduate and postgraduate forums.
When determining arrangements, Schools should consider:
- Student numbers.
- Programme complexity.
- Delivery modes.
- Opportunities for meaningful discussion.
- Representative coverage.
The structure should be easy for students to understand and should have clear escalation routes.
Required Forum Levels
The policy requires Student Voice Forums to operate at more than one level. Schools retain flexibility in how programme-level Forums are grouped. The composition of Student Voice Forums should allow sufficient granularity in discussion to ensure programme-wide issues are surfaced and not lost with a too wide a grouping.
The following minimum structure applies:
- Programme-level Forums must be established for every programme, or an equivalent grouping of courses. This is where most Forum activity should take place.
- Each School must also hold at least one School-level Forum meeting per academic year, bringing together Class Representatives from across the School's programmes to consider cross-cutting matters, School-wide initiatives, and issues escalated from programme-level Forums.
- Where a Graduate School operates distinctly from the School, typically for postgraduate research students, a separate Graduate School Forum must also be maintained.
- Schools and Graduate Schools may run additional Forums beyond this minimum, provided reporting and escalation routes remain clear.
3. Membership and Governance
The composition and leadership of a Student Voice Forum shape how genuinely it operates in partnership. The following requirements apply to every Forum.
Composition
- Students must form the majority of Forum membership. A student majority is not, however, required for a meeting to proceed; local quorum arrangements determine whether a meeting can go ahead.
- Membership should cover every programme, level of study, and mode of attendance within the Forum's scope, so that no significant student cohort is left unrepresented.
- At least one Class Representative should be included for every major programme or year group, alongside at least one relevant academic or professional services staff member. Every Class Representative in a School should be a member of at least one Forum.
Chairing Arrangements
- The preferred model is for the Forum to be chaired or co-chaired by a student, but students are under no obligation to take on this role.
- Students willing to chair should be identified, and agreed or elected by student members, before the first meeting of the academic year, normally from among Class Representatives.
- Where a student chairs, a named member of academic staff should act as Vice-Chair, providing continuity and support.
- School-level meetings should also be chaired or co-chaired by a Class Representative from within the School.
Secretary
- Students must not act as Secretary, to avoid a conflict between their representative and administrative roles.
- An appropriate member of staff should be designated to support administration, minute-taking, and action tracking.
Staff Membership
Staff membership should normally include:
- An appropriate academic lead for the programmes covered by the Forum, for example a programme convenor or subject lead, or, for School-level Forums, the School or Graduate School academic lead for Learning and Teaching.
- Appropriate academic staff representation from across the programmes within scope.
- Staff with responsibility for student support.
- Representation from Professional Services, for example Library, Careers, Employability and Opportunity, or Student Learning Development, where relevant.
4. Supporting Class Representatives
Class Representatives are central to the effectiveness of the Student Voice Forum process. Staff should:
Before Meetings
- Make early contact with representatives, supporting them to engage with their peers and gather feedback in advance of Forum meetings.
- Explain how the Forum operates.
- Inform student representatives of SRC training requirements for HEAR recognition.
- Help representatives understand local structures and decision-making processes.
- Clarify how issues should be raised and escalated.
During Meetings
- Encourage representatives to contribute.
- Ensure all representatives have opportunities to speak.
- Avoid allowing discussion to be dominated by staff.
- Seek clarification where concerns are unclear.
- Focus discussion on solutions as well as problems.
After Meetings
- Update representatives on progress.
- Support communication with the wider student body.
- Share outcomes and actions in accessible formats.
5. Planning Effective Meetings
Pre-Meeting Engagement
The most productive Forums begin well before the meeting itself.
- Circulate agendas in advance.
- Invite agenda items from Class Representatives.
- Provide sufficient notice of meetings.
- Share relevant papers ahead of time.
- Encourage representatives to gather student views beforehand.
A pre-meeting or introductory session must take place at the start of each semester, bringing together Class Representatives and the academic lead or Vice-Chair. This session should welcome representatives, build rapport, agree the format and priorities for the semester, and begin co-creating the agenda for the first meeting.
Creating Effective Agendas
Agendas should create opportunities for genuine discussion rather than simply reporting information.
Schools must use the standard University templates for agendas, minutes, and action trackers, with flexibility for local additions to the standing structure. Agendas should allow sufficient time for discussion of student-raised issues items.
The template agenda includes the following:
- Welcome and introductions
- Minutes and actions from previous meeting
- Class Representative feedback
- Student survey findings (if relevant)
- Learning and teaching matters
- Student support and wellbeing matters
- School or University initiatives
- Good practice and successes
- AOB
6. Managing Discussion Effectively
Encouraging Partnership
Staff should approach discussions with the assumption that students bring valuable insight into the learning experience.
Helpful approaches include:
- Asking open questions.
- Seeking examples and evidence.
- Exploring solutions collaboratively.
- Recognising positive feedback as well as concerns.
For example:
Instead of:
“We'll take that away and see what happens.”
Try:
“What outcome would students ideally like to see, and what options might help us achieve that?”
Focusing on Issues Within the Forum's Remit
Forums should focus on matters affecting cohorts, programmes, or groups of students.
Issues are suitable for discussion where they relate to:
- Assessment and feedback.
- Teaching and learning.
- Curriculum.
- Timetabling.
- Learning resources.
- Student support.
- Sense of belonging and community.
- Communication and administration.
- Wider learning experience.
Individual personal cases should not be discussed within the Forum and should be redirected to appropriate support or complaints processes.
7. Action Tracking and Accountability
One of the most common causes of disengagement is when students do not see progress following feedback.
Each issue raised should have one of the following outcomes:
- An agreed action.
- A clear decision.
- A justified explanation of why no action is possible.
Good actions should:
- Be specific.
- Have a named owner.
- Include target dates.
- Be reviewed at subsequent meetings.
Example
|
Less effective |
More effective |
|
Improve assessment feedback. |
Programme Convenor to review turnaround times with the teaching team and report proposed actions by 15 November. |
The focus should be on ensuring actions are deliverable and visible. The template for the Action Tracker is linked below.
8. Closing the Feedback Loop
Students consistently report greater satisfaction when they understand how feedback has been considered.
Staff should actively communicate:
- What students said.
- What action was taken.
- Why decisions were made.
- When changes will be implemented.
A simple “You Said, We Did” approach can be highly effective.
Examples of communication channels include:
- Moodle or VLE announcements.
- Programme newsletters.
- Student meetings.
- Digital noticeboards.
- School web pages.
- Microsoft Teams channels.
Communication should happen regularly, not only after Forum meetings. The template for the “You Said We Did” document is linked below.
9. Using the Student Voice Framework
The University's Student Voice Framework sets out the principles that should underpin all Student Voice Forums. Staff should use the Framework to support how conversations are conducted, not just what is discussed.
The Framework is built around five principles:
Co-created by students – students are active partners in shaping Student Voice mechanisms, not simply consulted on them.
Inclusive and participatory – feedback pathways are visible, equitable and reach students at different points in their journey.
Ongoing dialogue – listening and communication are timely, responsive and two-way.
Effective feedback mechanisms – feedback is constructive, consistently gathered and, where possible, anonymous.
Actionable and measurable – feedback is recorded, analysed and reported on so that outcomes are visible.
Each principle is accompanied by a set of reflective questions, which staff can use when planning or reviewing a Forum to check it is meeting good practice.
10. Using the sparqs Student Learning Experience Model
The policy aligns Student Voice Forums with the sparqs Student Learning Experience (SLE) model. Staff should use this framework to ensure discussions cover the breadth of the student experience rather than focusing solely on operational concerns.
Forum discussions should periodically consider:
- Curriculum.
- Learning and teaching delivery.
- Assessment and feedback.
- Community and belonging.
- Support and guidance.
- Organisation and management.
- Resources and technologies.
- Progression and achievement.
- Student partnership.
Not every area needs to be discussed at every meeting; however, all areas should be considered through the academic cycle.
11. Escalation of Issues
Staff should ensure concerns are addressed at the lowest appropriate level wherever possible.
However, issues should be escalated when:
- Resolution requires School-level action.
- The matter affects multiple programmes.
- Significant resources are required.
- The issue remains unresolved and reported into the next academic year.
- The matter relates to institutional policy or systems.
Representatives should be informed when issues have been escalated and provided with updates on progress.
12. Annual Review and Reflection
At the end of each academic year, staff should work with Class Representatives to review:
- Key themes arising from the year.
- Actions completed.
- Positive developments.
- Outstanding issues.
- Lessons learned.
- Areas for future enhancement.
This review should inform the annual summary report and wider quality enhancement activity.
13. Training and Support
Training is a policy requirement, not an optional extra, and applies to both students and staff involved in Student Voice Forums.
- Class Representatives should normally complete SRC-provided training before their first Student Voice Forum meeting of the year. Where timing does not allow this, representatives may attend their first meeting but must complete training at the earliest available opportunity.
- Academic leads and Professional Services staff must complete Student Voice Forum training, and all staff serving on a Forum should complete refresher training at least once every two years.
- Training for all Forum members, staff and students alike, should cover the sparqs Student Learning Experience model and its reflective questions, the Student Voice Framework and its principles, partnership principles, inclusive and anti-racist practice, and working with data.
14. Quick Checklist for Staff
Before each meeting, ask:
FAQs for Staff
This section supports academic leads, programme convenors, School administrators, and other staff involved in Student Voice Forums by addressing common implementation questions.
1. What if no Class Representatives attend a meeting?
A meeting may proceed if it is quorate according to local arrangements; however, a Student Voice Forum is most effective when student representatives are present and actively contributing. The academic lead should make reasonable efforts to maximise attendance, including scheduling meetings in consultation with Class Representatives and offering online participation where appropriate. If attendance is persistently low, Schools should review communication, timing, representative support, and engagement approaches.
2. Can a Student Voice Forum be combined across several programmes?
The expectation is that the majority of Student Voice Forums will be at programme-level. The policy allows Forums to operate at programme level or an equivalent grouping of cognate programmes, provided that all student cohorts remain appropriately represented and students have meaningful opportunities to contribute. Reporting lines and escalation routes must remain clear.
3. What should we do if a Class Representative raises an individual complaint about a student or staff member?
Individual cases should not be discussed within the Forum, particularly where individuals could be identified. The Chair should explain that such matters fall outside the Forum's remit and signpost the student to the appropriate University procedure, support service, adviser, or complaints process. The Forum may discuss broader systemic issues if they affect multiple students and can be considered without identifying individuals.
4. What if students raise an issue that cannot be resolved locally?
The Forum should discuss the concern and identify the most appropriate route for escalation. Issues requiring School, College, or institutional action should be escalated through the agreed reporting structure and tracked until a response is received. Students should be kept informed throughout the process.
5. What if we disagree with the students' proposed solution?
Student feedback should always be considered seriously, but staff are not required to implement every suggestion. Where an alternative solution is more appropriate, staff should explain the rationale transparently and explore options collaboratively. The key principle is that feedback receives a clear response and reasoning rather than being dismissed without explanation.
6. What kinds of issues should be discussed at Student Voice Forums?
Forums may consider any matter relating to the learning, teaching, research, or wider student experience, provided discussion focuses on cohort-level or programme-level matters. Common topics include:
- Assessment and feedback.
- Curriculum and programme design.
- Learning resources and facilities.
- Timetabling and administration.
- Student support and wellbeing.
- Community and belonging.
- Digital learning environments.
- Student survey outcomes.
The sparqs Student Learning Experience (SLE) model can be used to ensure a broad and balanced discussion of the student experience.
7. Do we have to discuss all nine SLE building blocks at every meeting?
The SLE model should inform Forum discussions across the academic year, but it is not expected that every meeting will cover every building block. Instead, the Forum should ensure that, collectively, discussions address the breadth of the student experience over time.
8. How detailed do meeting minutes need to be?
Minutes should provide a concise and accurate record of discussion, decisions, actions, and outcomes. They do not need to be verbatim transcripts. The emphasis should be on documenting:
- Key issues raised.
- Agreed actions.
- Named action owners.
- Timescales.
- Decisions and rationale.
Minutes should support transparency and action tracking using the templates provided.
9. What happens if no action can be taken on an issue?
Not every issue will result in change. However, every issue should receive a clear outcome. Where no action is possible, the Forum should record the reasons and communicate them to students. Explaining constraints, regulations, resource implications, or external requirements often helps students understand the decision-making process.
10. How should we demonstrate that student feedback has made a difference?
Schools should actively “close the feedback loop” by communicating actions and outcomes to students. Examples include:
- “You Said, We Did” updates.
- Moodle/VLE announcements.
- Newsletter articles.
- Programme updates.
- Student-staff meetings.
- Digital displays or Teams channels.
Visible communication is essential to maintaining student trust and engagement.
11. What if Class Representatives only raise operational problems?
Operational matters are often important and should be addressed. However, staff should also encourage discussion of broader enhancement themes such as curriculum development, assessment approaches, belonging, employability, learning resources, and student partnership. The SLE model can be used to broaden conversations and promote enhancement-focused dialogue.
12. Who is responsible for ensuring actions are completed?
Responsibility sits with the individual assigned to the action, supported by the Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary. Good practice is to review all outstanding actions at the beginning of each meeting and update students regularly on progress.
13. What if we have very small student numbers?
Schools may adopt proportionate arrangements where cohort sizes are small, provided students still have meaningful opportunities to provide feedback and participate in dialogue with staff. The focus should remain on achieving the aims and principles of the policy rather than creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
14. How do we manage difficult or challenging discussions?
The Chair should:
- Maintain a respectful and constructive tone.
- Focus discussion on evidence and shared solutions.
- Give all participants an opportunity to contribute.
- Summarise areas of agreement and disagreement.
- Clarify next steps before moving on.
A challenging discussion can still be productive when participants feel heard and understand how concerns will be addressed.
15. What does good Student Voice Forum practice look like?
Indicators of effective practice include:
- Strong Class Representative engagement.
- High-quality dialogue between students and staff.
- Clear action tracking.
- Timely communication of outcomes.
- Evidence of improvements resulting from student feedback.
- Meaningful discussion across the breadth of the student experience.
- A culture of partnership rather than consultation alone.
The most successful Forums are characterised by trust, transparency, responsiveness, and visible impact.
Top Tips for Academic Leads
- Build relationships before the first meeting.
- Focus on dialogue, not reporting.
- Be honest about what can and cannot change.
- Record actions clearly and assign owners.
- Communicate outcomes quickly.
- Celebrate successes as well as addressing concerns.
- Use student feedback as an enhancement opportunity, not a compliance exercise.