Student Consultation

Leeds Conservatoire views student consultation as a cornerstone of our Access and Participation strategy. Here is a breakdown of how students are represented and how their insights have shaped the current plan.

Student Representation Structure

The conservatoire has established a multi-layered representation system to ensure student voices are heard at all levels:

Student Union (SU) Leadership

Led by a sabbatical Student Union President, supported by a Student Union and Engagement Manager and a Student Engagement Officer.

Two Representative Strands

Course Representatives: Represent specific year cohorts within each study programme.
Diversity Representatives: Specifically represent Access and Participation target groups and those with protected characteristics under The Equality Act 2010.

These representatives form the Student Union Council, which advises and challenges the SU.

Student-Staff Forums

Bi-annual meetings where the SU Council engages directly with senior leaders, academic heads, and heads of services.

The Consultation Process for the Access and Participation Plan

The development of this plan involved several collaborative stages between the conservatoire and the student body:

Direct Engagement: The Access and Participation Manager attended SU Council meetings to introduce the submission and clarify the students' role.
Data Consultation: Students were consulted on the development of Annex A (Assessment of Performance) via a survey.
Full Plan Review: The Student Union and Council received the complete plan for consultation before internal approval.
Support for Student Submissions: The conservatoire provided the SU with the necessary data and guidance to compile their own independent student submission for the OfS.

Redefining Student Involvement

We have also undertaken a significant piece of work to redefine our approach to Student Insight. This approach has Access and Participation and EDI at its core and has been approved to commence from September 2026.

You can see this in the student information section of our policies page.