Friday 30-05-2025 - 10:04

On Tuesday, your Bristol SU Full Time Officer Team proudly presented their end of year report to the University Executive Board (UEB), highlighting the impactful work they've led on over this past year.  This presentation was a chance to celebrate their achievements and showed how much can be done when students and the University work together. This collaborative approach was made possible through the UEB agreement, which was signed in October 2024. 

A year of partnership 

The UEB Agreement has been a big part of this year’s success for Bristol SU, providing a shared framework that enabled officers and university staff to work together more effectively. The officers highlighted how tools developed to track progress have helped maintain momentum and accountability across all priority areas, making sure promises were acted upon.

This collaborative approach has led to real changes across the officer priorities for the year: Student Poverty, Academic Satisfaction, and Collective Wellbeing.

Officer Wins at a Glance

Bristol SU Full Time Officer Team (from left to right): Gurvin Chopra (Postgraduate Education Officer), Lucy Pears (Student Living Officer), Bakhtawar Javed (International Students Officer), Linlu Ye (Equality Liberations and Campaigns Officer), Mia Stevens (Undergraduate Education Officer), Katie Poyner (Union Affairs Officer), Ella Lovibond (Sport and Student Development Officer). 

Academic Satisfaction

• Feedback Fellows Pilot: Nine student fellows were recruited to enhance peer-to-peer engagement with assessment feedback, helping students reflect more effectively using the Bristol Skills Profile.
• Clearer Marking Criteria: Officers collaborated with the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Oversight Board and School Education Director (SED) Network to co-create more accessible and student-friendly marking language.
• Co-Creation in Assessment: Over 130 students participated in workshops and focus groups to shape feedback and marking practices.

Tackling Student Poverty

• Exam Bus Pilot: Over 1,000 students made use of the Exam Busses, which helped ease the stress and cost of travelling to exam venues 3.5 miles away in Coombe Dingle. The service was a real success after 99.1% of students surveyed said they’d use this service again. 
• Laundry Fund: A £15,000 fund was established to ease the financial burden of laundry costs in halls.
• Free Period Products: A three-month trial was launched to combat period poverty and support student wellbeing.
• Borrow a Blazer Scheme: Provides professional clothes for students attending job interviews.
• Housing Advice Service: Soft launched this year in response to overwhelming demand highlighted in the 2024 SU Housing Report.

Collective Wellbeing

• Injury Support Group: Created to tackle the isolation that comes with injuries, helping injured students stay connected with their sport and the wellbeing that it provides. This is accessible for students across all sports and abilities. 
• International Students Week: Engaged over 600 students across five events to combat isolation and build inclusion while at university.
• Derby Day 2025: Developed the large-scale multi-sport event with over 3,000 students from 10 universities taking part.
• Harm Reduction & Consent Awareness: Regular drop-ins and a dedicated Sexual Violence Awareness Week raised awareness and support for students.

Looking Ahead and Officer Plans for 2025/26

As the academic year draws to a close, the Officer Team is already beginning to shape their priorities for 2025/26. While plans are still in the works, the team is committed to building on this year’s progress and continuing to work in close partnership with the University through the UEB Agreement.

Tansy Jessop, the Pro Vice Chancellor for Education was pleased to see the impact our officer team has made; "Congratulations to our Students’ Union Officer Team on their exceptional progress, and the positive impact this has had on the student experience. These achievements really show what is possible when we work together in genuine partnership and co-creation."

We’re also excited to welcome Jessie (new International Students’ Officer) and Sharan (new Postgraduate Education Officer), who will be joining the team at the end of June! 

The 2025/26 Officer team will be rejoining with the UEB in September to talk about their priorities for the year ahead and sign a new agreement to commit to their ongoing partnership.