As part of the Council’s new strategy, a review has been undertaken with members to ensure our Strategic Policy Groups (SPGs) reflect their priorities.

Following extensive consultation, the Council has arrived at its conclusions:

• The SPGs are working well and continue to remain relevant to members’ policy interests and so will largely remain the same but the Pedagogy and Innovation SPG will be renamed the Innovation in Education SPG and incorporate the reference group on Simulation.

• The Regulation SPG will incorporate the reference group on Advanced Practice

• Each SPG will now have a Deputy Chair to complement the Chair role. This will help with SPG resilience and institutional memory as well supporting a wider array of perspectives at this senior level, providing a further opportunity for members to get more involved.

• SPG Chairs and Deputy Chairs will have renewable terms of 2.5 years to allow continuity in a work plan as well as a period of reflection and renewal half way through the period of the new strategy.

• Nation Group convenors will join SPG Chairs and the Chairs of the new Remote and Rural and Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories networks as part of a new Oversight Group to help coordinate Council policy, facilitate closer join-up between localities and policy areas.

There will be a transition into the new system for a full switch by the start of 2026. This allows existing work streams to be concluded as well as opening up vacant roles for SPG Chair and Deputy Chair roles.

As part of this change, there are now member role vacancies for the following SPGs:

• EDI: Deputy Chair
• Regulation: Chair and Deputy Chair
• Research: Chair and Deputy Chair

Members wishing to apply for any of these roles can do so via the attached form by the 28 November 2025. Positions will be appointed by the Council on the basis of the statement submitted with an aim to be reflective of the professions, geography and composition of our membership. The Council policy team would be happy to have a conversation with any member thinking about applying.

The Council would like to thank all outgoing and incumbent SPG Chairs for their work and encourage other members  to consider the vacant positions and the roles they can play in furthering the Council’s policy and influencing work.