New year, new fear

Playbook returns with universities facing an array of challenges old and new

We’re back! And what a time to make our return. This academic year gets underway with the spectre of industrial action and the ongoing cost of living continuing to hang over the sector.

In addition, the fabric that holds the UK’s education sector together is literally crumbling to the ground. Among the universities to have confirmed that the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or Raac, will lead to disruption is the University of Sussex, which says five of its buildings contain the material.