Sir Martin Harris, Director of Fair Access, today (7 December 2010) issued the following statement: “Ministers at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have released, in draft, a letter of guidance to me as the Director of Fair Access, setting out the Government’s expectations in respect of fair access to higher education.
“Clearly this draft may change but its release at this point means I am able to start discussions with the sector on the proposed more demanding new arrangements. Once I have final guidance I will write to the sector, working with them to develop policies that promote access to higher education for all those with the potential to benefit, regardless of their background.
“At the forefront of my thinking will be the need to secure investment in well targeted outreach that both widens participation in higher education and improves access to the most selective universities. I also look forward to working with others on the design of the National Scholarship Programme which will be integral to universities’ access agreements.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
- The draft letter of guidance can be found on the BIS website at www.bis.gov.uk/news/topstories/2010/Dec/new-rules-for-high-charging-universities
- The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) is an independent, non-departmental public body established under the Higher Education Act 2004 to help promote and safeguard fair access to higher education. Our main remit is to regulate the charging of higher tuition fees by English universities and colleges offering full-time undergraduate higher education courses. As a condition of charging higher fees, institutions must have an ‘access agreement’ approved by OFFA setting out their bursary provision for students from low-income backgrounds and any additional outreach work. It is therefore reasonable to describe us as the ‘fair access regulator’ or the ‘fees and bursaries regulator’.
- For more about OFFA, please see our website www.offa.org.uk, particularly the Quick Facts and FAQ in the Press section.
- For further information, contact Zita Adamson, Communications Manager at OFFA, on 0117 931 7272 or 0117 931 7171.