The diverse set of creative financial packages being offered by universities and colleges is a significant step forward in the evolution of student support according to Director of the Office for Fair Access, Sir Martin Harris. But much still remains to be done by institutions to prepare for the changes to next year’s student finance arrangements.
Speaking today as OFFA’s Annual Report and Accounts 2004-05 are published, Sir Martin Harris said:
‘It is clear from our Annual Report that the achievements of OFFA over the past year have been made possible by a real determination from institutions to provide a range of financial measures to encourage applications from a diverse student population. The most important thing now is for institutions to build on this success by making sure prospective students have access to the relevant information to help them make well informed choices.
‘The £3.5 million student finance communications initiative launched this week by the Government and other sector bodies has my whole-hearted support and should, with the support of institutions themselves, go a very long way to making things easier for all those thinking about going in to higher education in 2006.
‘As I have said in the Annual Report, I hope that OFFA will play a major role in evaluating what actually happens as the new regime of fees and student support takes affect during 2006. In particular we plan to work with other bodies to ensure widest dissemination of the support available for students; to carry out further analysis of access agreements; to work on the development of monitoring arrangements; and to promote good practice in the sector, particularly around bursaries.’
Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education Bill Rammell said:
‘The OFFA Annual Report clearly sets out why 2006 will be an excellent year for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter higher education. The £300 million extra bursaries from higher education institutions, plus an end to up-front fees and an improved student support package including the return of maintenance grants, will make a real difference. We have made clear that we will work hard with our Universities and our partners to communicate these messages to prospective students. I thank OFFA for their report and congratulate both them and institutions on the outcomes they have achieved.’
Notes
Hard copies of the OFFA Annual Report and Accounts 2004-05 are available free of charge upon request. Contact the OFFA press office on tel. 0117 931 7272 or press@offa.org.uk