Join us in London for a collaborative forum that will bring together leaders from government, higher education institutions, investors, and operators. Our mission at this event is to build robust public-private partnerships to address the student housing crisis, setting a visionary agenda and developing actionable plans to ensure student communities in the UK are resilient and future-ready.
Ticket information:
The General Admission price for this event is €495.
The Partner Admission price is €320.
For inquiries about alternative admission options or to check if your organisation qualifies for a special rate, please contact us at info@theclassfoundation.com.
The United Kingdom remains one of the world’s top destinations for higher education, attracting over 2.9 million students annually, including more than half of all postgraduate enrolments from abroad. But beneath this global strength lies a deepening student housing crisis.
Demand is accelerating by 2030, the number of UK university applicants is projected to surpass 900,000 annually. Yet new Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) delivery has slowed to under 10,000 beds per year, down from over 30,000 pre-pandemic. JLL forecasts a national core unmet demand of 190,000 student beds by 2030.
Affordability is a common challenge across the UK. 70% report anxiety over rent, and 59% say they struggle to pay. At the same time, regulatory complexity, difficulty in acquiring prime or strategically positioned sites, and rising construction (to name a few hurdles) have pushed rents, investment and operational costs to record highs. Without systemic coordination, the sector risks falling short — both in meeting student needs and in sustaining the UK’s competitive edge in global education.
The Student Living Forum UK is a strategic convening of the sector’s public and private leaders — to shape the National Action Framework (NAF): a roadmap to unlock delivery, support ESG-aligned investment, and ensure long-term sector viability. The NAF is grounded in four strategic pillars: Availability, Accessibility, Student Experience, and Collaboration — each essential for market growth and impact.
Agenda.
Registration and Site Tour at Scape Canada Water
Welcome and Data Insight on Student Experience
Speakers:
Kelly-anne Watson, The Class Foundation
Arunima Dey, The Class Foundation
Workshop: Building Healthy Student Communities
Moderators:
James Greenwood, Head of Residential Life and Communications | LSE
Kirstie Looms, Co-founder and CRO | WAU Agency
Ben Chittick, Head of Asset Management | Harrison Street
Nysa Pradhan, Executive Director | CUBO
David Chadderton, Marketing Director | Homes for Students
Robin Walsh, Head of Residential Services | Bournemouth University
11:20 – 11:40 | Group Task 1:
What services, amenities, and support systems are essential to foster healthy student communities in the next generation of student housing?"
11:40 – 12:00 | Group Task 2:
What is one actionable, realistic recommendation the sector can adopt to better support vulnerable student groups?
Lunch & Networking
Registration at LSE Shaw Library
Vision for Student Living and Learning in the UK
Speakers:
Frank Uffen, Co-founder | The Class Foundation
Julian Robinson, Director of Estates | LSE
Ian Spencer, Director of Accommodations | LSE
Data Insight: UK Housing Supply & Student Demand
Moderator:
Frank Uffen, Co-Founder | The Class Foundation
Speakers:
Tuely Robins, Director of Strategic Partnerships | Student Crowd
Dominika Mocova, Research Associate, EMEA Living Research & Strategy | JLL
Amy Dimond, Partner | Osborne Clarke
Unlocking Investment: Next Gen Capital: Opportunities and Bottlenecks to deliver unmet demand
Moderator:
Richard Valentine Selsey, Director, Head of European Living Research & Consultancy | Savills
Speakers:
Matt Walker, CEO Student Housing | Mapletree
Nicholas Garrett, Portfolio Manager | GSA - Global Student Accommodation
Piotr Lisowski, Director of Finance (Campus and Investments) | University of Bristol
Amy Dimond, Partner | Osborne Clarke
Student Experience – The Sector’s Takeaways
NAF UK: Delivering Through Policy, Investment & Collaboration
Moderator:
Stuart Henderson, Director of Operations | LUNA Students
Speakers:
Simon Griffiths, Senior VC of Operations | Yugo
Rose Stephenson, Director of Policy and Advocacy | HEPI
Sunday Blake, Policy Manager: Education & Parliamentary Engagement | GuildHE
Nada Jarnaz, Director, Deal Origination | Maslow Capital
Closing Session
Speakers:
Kelly-anne Watson, Managing Director | The Class Foundation
Frank Uffen, Co-founder | The Class Foundation
Matt Walker
CEO, Student Housing
Mapletree
James Greenwood
Head of Residential Life
LSE
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Rose Stephenson
Director of Policy and Advocacy
Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI)
Simon Griffiths
SVP Operations Europe
Yugo
Tuely Robins
Director of Strategic Partnerships
StudentCrowd
Richard Valentine-Selsey
Head of European Living Research & Consultancy
Savills
Nicholas Garrett
Portfolio Manager, UK & Ireland
GSA
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Dominika Mocova
Research Associate, EMEA Living Research and Strategy
JLL
Nysa Pradhan
Executive Director
CUBO
Stuart Henderson
Director of Operations
Luna Students
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Julian Robinson
Director of Estates
LSE
Kirstie Looms
Co-founder, CRO
WAU Agency
Piotr Lisowski
Director of Finance (Campus and Investments)
University of Bristol
David Chadderton
Marketing Director
Homes for Students
Ben Chittick
Managing Director, Asset Management, Europe
Harrison Street
Sunday Blake
Policy Manager: Education & Parliamentary Engagement
Guild HE
Robin Walsh
Head of Residential Services
Bournemouth University
Amy Dimond
Partner
Osborne Clarke
Nada Jarnaz
Director, Deal Origination
Maslow Capital
Laura Wollard
,
Lavanda
Jaime Caruncho
,
Micampus Residencias
Emily Sims
,
Yugo
Henri Vuong
,
INREV
Brian Welsh
,
Nido
Jacob Chai
,
Common
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