This year’s National Student Survey (NSS) results saw our Students’ Union score fall from 79.6% in 2025 to 77.5% in 2026. We’re disappointed by that, and we know it’s not where we want to be. For context, this year’s score is 0.1 percentage points below the sector benchmark.

Last year marked the start of a ‘New Era’ for the Students’ Union, including a significant review of our democratic structures. From the outset, we knew that introducing changes on this scale would involve a period of transition. We expected the first year to be one of learning, listening and refining our approach as we understood what worked well and where we needed to improve.

Throughout the year, we listened to feedback from students, staff and University colleagues and made changes to strengthen our democratic model. Those improvements will now begin to be delivered throughout the 2026–27 academic year.

As part of that, we'll be introducing Academic Community Representatives to strengthen the connection between students, academic communities and the Students' Union. They'll play an important role in helping us listen more effectively, identify issues earlier and ensure students' voices continue to shape the decisions that affect them.

We're confident that the changes we've made, and the lessons we've learnt over the past year, will put us on the right track. Stay with us. We're looking forward to seeing these improvements take shape over the coming year and, ultimately, reflected in next year's NSS.