SU Education Officer - Helen

We're so back!

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:40:19 +0100

Diary of an Education Officer | Entry 05 | 20 August 2026 |

Coming back for a second year has made this summer quite a different one. Last year was all introductions, inductions, and trying to figure out how everything worked. This year, instead of starting from scratch, I’ve been able to pick up where I left off, get stuck into some new projects, and spend a lot of time looking ahead to what this year might bring. It’s been a while, so before I get too far into the new term, I thought I’d say hi, and yap a bit about what’s gone on over the summer!

A big part of my summer has been watching the new Officer team settle into their roles. There have been plenty of questions and lots of learning on the go, and they’ve all thrown themselves into their new roles, which has been so amazing to see. There’s something really exciting about being around people who are full of ideas and enthusiasm for the things they want to change, and it’s definitely rubbed off on me a bit. Angus has been no exception; we've known each other for a while, but now that he's stepped into the President role we've been working much more closely together, and it's been lovely seeing him make the role his own. Somehow, though, I think it's only made his ability to mog even stronger?

One of the most significant things we’ve been getting stuck into is choosing our Top 10 priorities for 2026/27. While we haven't finalised the list quite yet, we're all super excited to share it with you soon. As I learned from last year, choosing the Top 10 is a lengthy process with many consultations and deliberations. We’ve been going through surveys, TWST, SUmmit standpoints, all the things you've been telling us over the last year, and, heck, even the things we’ve overheard on the bus, trying to work out what issues really matter to students most.

For education, turning all of that into just two priorities has been a challenge. There’s so much going on, and plenty of things I’d happily spend another year fighting for. A lot of my summer has therefore been spent catching up with university colleagues, finding out where different pieces of work have got to, and going back through your feedback. This has inevitably involved spending a concerning amount of time with far too many tabs open, with our assessment regulations, codes of practice, sector guidance, examples from other universities, committee papers, meeting notes... all while trying to piece together what’s changed over the last year, where the opportunities are now, and how all of those different pieces can connect.

I've found myself coming back to deferred assessment and late submission penalties a lot in the process. They might not have the shiny Top 10 branding anymore, but they certainly haven't lost my attention. Both issues touch so many different parts of University policy and practice that meaningful change was always going to take time. Going back through them over the summer has given me a much clearer sense of how far those projects have come and what still needs to happen next. After a few conversations, I'm feeling more positive about deferred assessment. Late submission penalties, on the other hand, are looking like they'll need a bit more persistence; one positive development, though, has been some academic staff getting in touch following last year's campaign because they want to be part of the conversation. There's still plenty of work to do, but I'm excited to see where we can get both of them this year.

Anyway... education policy might have taken up a fair chunk of my summer, but it hasn't been the whole story. Tash set up an Officer Minecraft server, which has become a surprisingly regular part of our evenings. As someone who spends at least part of every summer playing Minecraft anyway, it wasn't exactly a difficult sell for me. If nothing else, it's been a very literal interpretation of "team-building", and is certainly a welcome change from this time last year, when pretty much all of my free time was dedicated to dissertation writing.

If you want the full DL on what I’m working on this year (on education, not minecraft xoxo), you can have a nose at my priorities page. I’ll be keeping that updated as things develop, and I’ll also be doing some more detailed blogs throughout the year on the bigger bits of work, so I won’t try and cram everything into this one post!

I can’t wait to see what we can get done this year. Thank you for giving me the chance to come back and do it all again <3

With love,
Helen xoxo

6WS Glow Up: Say Hello to Woodland Lounge!

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 15:30:29 +0100

Diary of an Education (and Community!) Officer | Entry 04 | 27 January 2026 |

Hey y’all! Izzy & Helen here to update you on all things ~~6 West South~~ Woodland Lounge!

Following Izzy’s Top 10 on Accessibility for Neurodiverse Students, we’re so happy to announce this project has officially begun. Over the next few weeks, 6WS will be transforming into the new Woodland Lounge, a neuroinclusive study lounge made for calm study and restoration. Having listened to student feedback, we advocated for this space to be somewhere all students can come to unwind and relax. A chill space for you to simply exist.

So… What is changing? To make it a space for all students, Woodland Lounge has been designed with accessibility at the forefront. We worked closely with Campus Services and Keren MacLennan from Centre for Applied Autism Research (CAAR), using research carried out by University of Bath Psychology students* to ensure neuroinclusivity. Our amazing Disability Action Group (DAG) also got involved, helping ensure the space is inclusive and accessible.

Key improvements include:

Making the west side accessible entrance the main entry point, improving access for everyone.
Creating comfortable, flexible spaces for study and relaxation with thoughtful sensory design.
Installing adjustable lighting, enhanced noise absorption and cosy, supportive seating.
Adding amenities such as hot and cold-water facilities to support longer stays and student wellbeing.

This work truly emphasises the power of student voice in creating positive, lasting change with the University! So much went into this, and we can’t wait for you to see it. Stay tuned for more!

Signing off (with love),
Izzy & Helen xoxo

IMC-ing some changes...

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 15:30:22 +0100

Diary of an Education Officer | Entry 03 | 19 December 2025 |

If you haven't come across them before, Individual Mitigating Circumstances (IMCs) are conditions which temporarily prevent a student from undertaking an assessment or significantly impair their performance in that assessment – students can submit an IMC if they experience such circumstances; more info can be found on the University website.

IMCs are one of the areas I came into this role super keen to work on. I’ve seen firsthand – and continue to hear from students – how stressful and inaccessible the process has felt, particularly around things like evidence. HOWEVER !! Recently, I had the opportunity to work with the university on the IMC policy, and got to feed into some of the new guidance ; this was about reducing unnecessary barriers, and making the process clearer and more compassionate. These updates are now officially live, and with the winter assessment period approaching, I wanted to share the key changes with you, and explain what they actually mean in practice!

1. Evidence requirements

The wording in the policy has changed from:

“IMC claims require evidence”

to:

“Depending on the nature of the claim, the University may require evidence.”

In practice, the new approach is:

If you have evidence, you should submit it.
If your claim is more complex, you may be asked to provide evidence.
If you don’t have evidence, but something significant happened, you should still submit an IMC.

Your written statement is a form of evidence, and students shouldn’t be discouraged from applying just because they don’t have documents.

2. Clearer IMC deadlines for exams

Previously, deadlines for submitting an IMC for exams were… not very clear! So this has now been updated.

For exams taken during Assessment Periods, there are now set deadlines published on the University website. This means the deadline is now the same regardless of whether you’re submitting a claim for one or multiple exams. The dates for the 2025/26 academic year are:

Semester 1: 28 January 2026
Semester 2: 3 June 2026
Summer Supplementary Assessment: 26 August 2026

Hopefully, this makes the process much clearer and less stressful.

Just be aware that this is only for exams in Assessment Periods. For all other assessments, e.g. coursework, you still need to submit your claim within three working days of the affected deadline!

3. Late IMCs

There is now clear guidance on when late IMCs may be considered. The policy states:

“A claim for individual mitigating circumstances submitted after the appropriate deadline may exceptionally be considered where a student could not reasonably be expected to submit on time. This is at the discretion of the University. Claims must in all cases be submitted in time for consideration by the appropriate Boards of Examiners.”

In practice, this means:

You should always try to submit an IMC before the deadline if you can.
However, if something genuinely prevents you from doing so – for example hospitalisation, or disability-related barriers – the panel may still decide to consider your claim.

This gives more flexibility in situations where meeting a deadline just isn’t realistic.

4. Translation of evidence

The wording around translated evidence has also been updated. It has changed from:

“If your evidence was not originally produced in English, then an official translation must be provided.”

to:

“If your evidence was not originally produced in English, then an official translation may be required.”

This means that students may still be asked to provide a translation, but it is no longer an automatic requirement in every case. Hopefully, this helps reduce unnecessary barriers and costs for students!

While these changes are important and really positive to see, they’re not the end of the conversation... There is a lot of work still going on behind the scenes!

Good luck with revision, and take care of yourselves <3

With love,
Helen xoxo

A wild BOOK NOOK appeared!

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 15:30:14 +0100

Diary of an Education Officer | Entry 02 | 2 October 2025 |

If you clocked the Pokémon reference in the title, gold star – the library’s new "Nook" has officially appeared! It’s a quiet corner at the back of level 2 of the library, with comfy seating and shelves of fiction and casual reading – basically the perfect spot to unwind, take a breather, and forget about deadlines for a bit.

I got the chance to be at the official launch (I even cut the ribbon y’all !!), and it was a lovely moment to celebrate how important these kinds of projects are. For me, it ties directly to my manifesto: building a culture that puts wellbeing first. Spaces like this show that wellbeing matters just as much as academics, and that uni life should give us the room to connect, recharge, and feel part of something bigger than just our courses.

The SU has been backing this project for a while now, with previous officers helping toward getting funding approved. It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes stuff you wouldn’t necessarily expect officers to be involved in, but it’s pretty cool that we are! Our Activities and Sport Officers sit on the Alumni Fund Committee, and our SU President sits on the Student Experience Fund Committee, so the student voice was right there when those decisions were being made.

Something I find amazing is that the design came from a student – Annie Tang – through a competition run with placement students from Architecture & Civil Engineering. On top of that, there’s some lovely artwork from students in the space too. The collaboration in this project is what makes the Nook feel like it really belongs to us!

I'm excited to see how y'all use the space – with all the furniture being moveable, it's really functional and can be used for anything from independent quiet moments to book clubs led by our student groups! And of course, you also can do a grab 'n' go dealio, as you can borrow books from the nook just as you would with everything else in the library. It really does make reading for pleasure more accessible, which is so great to see.

So next time you’re in the library, go have a lil' look. Grab a book, switch off for a while, or just enjoy the fact that the Book Nook is here – a cosy little corner that’s ours, and for everyone <3

With love,
Helen xoxo

Babe, wake up! New Education Officer just dropped!

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 15:30:05 +0100

Diary of an Education Officer | Entry 01 | 23 July 2025 |

Soo… somehow, it’s already been one month since I officially started as your SU Education Officer – it's flown by, which is wild considering how much has happened! We kicked things off with a two-week handover (chaotic, slightly overwhelming, but genuinely lovely), and then I fully stepped into the role on the 23rd of June. Since then, it’s been non-stop!

Handover was a whirlwind – but in the best possible way. I’ve had the chance to meet so many brilliant people across the SU and university, and it’s been fascinating to learn about everything they’re working on. There's been a lot to take in – and a lot of acronyms to memorise (seriously… why are there so many?) – but the energy has been great, and I’ve come away feeling really excited for what’s ahead. Hugest of thanks to the lovely Amber, who prepped me so well and made sure I felt genuinely supported every step of the way. Starting something like this can feel like jumping into the deep end, but all the SU staff have made it feel like I always have someone in my corner, and I truly feel so welcomed.

The last few weeks have been filled with that weirdly surreal feeling of doing things you never imagined yourself being able to do, then realising: oh wait, I can do this!

Like speaking at graduation ceremonies (!!). As someone who’s still very new to public speaking, standing on stage and addressing literally hundreds of people felt terrifying, kind of insane, but also ridiculously special. I got to speak at two ceremonies – including my beloved Social & Policy Sciences pookies – and attended a few others too! I nearly cried every time... the buzz, the joy, the sheer relief on everyone’s faces; it was such a privilege to be part of it.

I also attended my first University Council meeting with Benji. A space where major decisions about the university are made, and being in that room means wearing a different hat – thinking long-term, and critically. It’s a big responsibility, but also an opportunity to help shape the bigger picture of where we’re heading as a university.

Something I’ve been reflecting on over the past month is how much of this role happens behind the scenes – especially over summer, when there aren’t as many students around. From the outside, it might seem like it’s all meetings and formalities (and don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of those), but there’s also so much learning, planning, and thinking that goes on quietly in the background. Even without the day-to-day student buzz, I’ve already seen how much of this job is about holding onto the bigger picture while keeping student experience at the heart of it all. And doing it alongside such a beautifully passionate officer team? What a treat!

So, what’s next? Honestly… A lot. This is only the beginning, and there’s so much great work already underway for the next academic year. The officer team are currently figuring out our “top ten” key priorities for the year, which is super exciting stuff! More to come on that soon…

I want to keep sharing the journey – not just the polished wins, but the messy bits too. Because this role is about you. Your voices, your experiences, your weirdly niche course complaints, and your brilliant ideas – I want to hear all of it.

If there’s something on your mind, or you’re curious about how to get involved, come find me! My inbox is open, and over the next year I’ll often be wandering around campus looking overly caffeinated on tea :)

With love,
Helen xoxo