The programme, which will support 20 widening participation practitioners in England to write up an aspect of their work for publication in academic journals, will take place through a series of writing workshops held in London, Bristol and Sheffield between November 2016 and October 2017. The programme in England will be mirrored in Australia, with a selection of the papers produced in both countries to be published in special issues of widening participation journals and presented at international conferences.

Commenting on the launch of the programme, Professor Les Ebdon, Director of Fair Access to Higher Education said:

“I am delighted to launch this programme today. It is important that academic staff and those on the front line of widening participation work closely together to understand what works. And by sharing this knowledge throughout the sector, everyone involved in widening participation can improve their own work and keep striving to narrow the gap between the most and least advantaged students.

“This programme will be of huge benefit to both the practitioners and academics involved, developing their knowledge and skills in new arenas and giving them an opportunity to share some of the excellent work they are doing on a global stage. But it will also help universities and colleges increase the impact of their work to widen access, making a real difference to the lives of people who have the talent to benefit from higher education.”

Professor Jacqueline Stevenson is the head of research at Sheffield Hallam University’s Sheffield Institute of Education and lead for the programme.

Professor Stevenson said: “Widening participation practitioners are at the forefront of successful outreach, access and retention work. However, these initiatives are not always known about within the academic community, in part because their modes of dissemination are quite different.

“To ensure that best practice can be shared more widely this project will bring together practitioners and academic mentors to develop and publish papers in academic journals.

“Through the project WP practitioners will receive focused support to help them develop their writing skills, academics will get to work closely with those involved in innovative WP activities, and the higher education sector will be better informed about best practice in facilitating the access to higher education of those from under-represented groups. It is a win-win for everyone.”

ENDS

For further information contact Aislinn Keogh (Press and Communications Adviser) at OFFA on 0117 931 7171 or press@offa.org.uk

Notes to editors

1. Applications for the one year programme are open to those in attendance at a launch event today.
2. Sheffield Institute of Education (SIOE) is a national centre of education, recognised for its excellence and innovation in teaching and learning, whilst also investing its expertise and resources in a wide range of education studies. More information about SIOE

The post New programme to link WP practitioners and academics appeared first on OFFA.

“While universities and colleges rightly have autonomy over their admissions policies and procedures, I welcome the announcement that they are responding to concerns about possible bias in offer making by trialling name-blind admissions processes. UCAS is quite right to point out that it is vital that the universities in this trial carefully evaluate its effectiveness to establish whether a name-blind approach complements existing approaches to fair admissions.

“I look forward to seeing the results of this trial, and hope it will contribute to reducing inequality and ensuring that admissions are fair across the board. Higher education is a life changing experience that should be available to all who can benefit from it, regardless of background.”

ENDS

For further information contact Aislinn Keogh (Press and Communications Adviser) at OFFA on 0117 931 7171 or press@offa.org.uk

The post OFFA welcomes ‘name-blind’ applications trial appeared first on OFFA.

Universities and colleges have pledged to increase both the work and the investment that they put in to improve fair access to higher education for under-represented groups.

This includes predicted future investment of £833.5 million under 2017-18 access agreements which is an increase of over 10 per cent in cash terms compared to 2016-17 access agreements.

Much of this extra investment comes from the increased income that some universities will receive from charging fees of up to £9,250 per year. During the negotiation and approval process, OFFA’s expectation was that investment should remain proportionally the same where fees rose.

Professor Les Ebdon, Director of Fair Access to Higher Education, comments:

“The Government has set ambitious aims for fair access to higher education so I am very pleased to see universities and colleges rising to the challenge. These agreements will direct increasing effort and resource into improving access for disadvantaged students. Those increases are very much needed.

“There are already more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education than ever before, which shows the impact that previous access agreements have had. But there is still a long way to go and the Government has clearly indicated that fair access is a priority, so we must all keep pushing forwards.

“I am pleased that we have been able to achieve agreement in all cases again this year. This is always what we aim for. But in many cases, it took tough negotiation to get to a point where I could approve the agreements. More than half of the access agreements originally submitted to us needed changes before I could approve them.

“OFFA’s robust negotiations ensured improved targets at 94 institutions, increased investment at 37 and refocused investment at 24 institutions. As a result, life-changing opportunities will be opened up to many more people from all backgrounds, up and down the country.”

The £833.5 million planned investment through access agreements includes:

• £171.1 million on pre-entry activities to raise attainment and aspirations (2016-17: £149.5 million) – for example, outreach work in communities, homework clubs, summer schools
• £185.7 million on supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed to their full ability (2016-17: £148.4 million) – e.g. pastoral support and study skills training
• £68.0 million on helping to prepare students from disadvantaged backgrounds for employment or postgraduate study (2016-17: £54.7 million) – e.g. mentoring or help with the costs of internships
• £408.7 million on financial support (2016-17: £399 million) – for example bursaries, fee waivers and or accommodation discounts.

Professor Ebdon continues:

“Fair access is not just about getting in, it is also about getting on. As well as breaking down barriers so that talented people from disadvantaged backgrounds can get into higher education, all students need appropriate support so that they are able to achieve to their highest potential and go on to a good job or further study. Anything else is a waste of talent and a disservice to hard working, fee paying students.

“So I am pleased that under this set of access agreements, universities and colleges have committed to increase their efforts to close the gaps in retention and attainment between students from different backgrounds, and to ensure that disadvantaged students are well supported throughout their studies and as they prepare for life after graduation.” 

For further details and key statistics see 2017-18 access agreements: institutional expenditure and fee levels; you can also download the data tables in Excel format: data tables for 2017-18 access agreements.

ENDS

For further information contact Sean Beynon (Head of Communications) or Sophie Mason (Communications Manager) on 0117 931 7171, or email press@offa.org.uk

Notes to editors

1. 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 for people from under-represented groups. All English universities and colleges that wish to charge higher fees must make plans to promote and sustain fair access, including outreach (e.g. summer schools, mentoring, after-school tuition, links with schools and colleges in disadvantaged areas), activities to improve retention and success, and financial support such as bursaries and scholarships. The plans are called ‘access agreements’ and must be agreed with OFFA, which then monitors their implementation and can apply sanctions where agreements are not honoured.
2. Universities and colleges predict ‘steady state’ expenditure of £833.5 million in under their 2017-18 access agreements. This is 10.3 per cent more in cash terms than under 2016-17 agreements (£755.6 million). 
3. The £833.5 million steady state investment under 2017-18 access agreements corresponds to 24.6 per cent of the universities’ and colleges’ income from charging fees above the basic level (2016-17: 24.7 per cent).
4. A total of 111 agreements were not approvable in the form in which they were originally submitted.

The post 2017-18 access agreements: tough negotiation yields increased commitment appeared first on OFFA.

“I welcome this important report, which highlights the shocking gaps in outcomes for various groups of students. We know that students from most Black and Minority Ethnic groups and those from disadvantaged areas face worst outcomes. This remains the case even when accounting for factors such as entry qualifications which might affect your future prospects.

“Universities are working to address these unexplained outcomes gaps. Through the access agreements institutions wishing to charge over £6,000 must agree with me, they are committing significant funds to ensure students from disadvantaged backgrounds are supported through their studies and as they prepare for life after education. [note 1] Universities, Government and employers should continue to work together to tackle these problems.”

ENDS

For further information contact Sean Beynon (Head of Communications) on 07795 257374 or email press@offa.org.uk

Notes to editors

1.    In their 2016-17 access agreements, universities and colleges predict that they will spend £148 million to support disadvantaged students through their studies and a further £55 million to support these students as they prepare for employment or postgraduate study.

The post “Shocking gaps” in outcomes must be addressed – OFFA comment on HEFCE report appeared first on OFFA.

“Congratulations to everyone receiving their A level results today. This is an exciting time for thousands of students across the country. I would particularly like to applaud those students who have overcome difficult circumstances to achieve excellent results and secure their place at university.

“We’ve seen a significant increase in the number of students from the least advantaged backgrounds making the grade this year. This is a very welcome acceleration in progress. Universities and colleges are investing significantly in raising aspirations and achievement among young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and their hard work is paying off. These are not just statistics – these numbers represent real young people who are often the first in their family to go to university, and now have the opportunity to experience the life changing benefits of higher education. 

“However, the gap in participation is still too wide. The most advantaged young people are still 2.5 times more likely to enter higher education than their more disadvantaged peers. While we celebrate the achievements of thousands of talented young people today, we must not forget that there are many more who have the talent to excel in higher education but are being held back by their background. I will continue to challenge and support universities and colleges to make faster progress to ensure that no one is put off going to university because of where they come from.”

ENDS

For further information contact Aislinn Keogh (Press and Communications Adviser) at OFFA on 0117 931 7171 or press@offa.org.uk

The post A level results: OFFA welcomes 7 per cent increase in university entrants from disadvantaged backgrounds appeared first on OFFA.

“I welcome the publication of this report, which helps continue to build evidence around fair access. The report finds that students with aspirations to attend university from a young age are significantly more likely to be accepted at universities with the highest entry requirements.

“This is a stark reminder of the importance of targeted long-term outreach in increasing participation in higher education by students from disadvantaged backgrounds [note 1]. Young people from the most advantaged backgrounds are far more likely to decide at an early age that they want to go to university than their disadvantaged peers, so it is vital that universities and colleges are working with schools in disadvantaged areas to raise aspirations and let children know that higher education is an option for everyone with the talent to benefit from it.  

“I expect universities and colleges to take this report seriously, and to consider how they can act upon UCAS’s recommendation that they should do more to reach out to a wider cohort of prospective students. By raising aspirations from a young age, universities and colleges really can transform lives.”

ENDS

For further information contact Aislinn Keogh (Press and Communications Adviser) at OFFA on 0117 931 7171 or press@offa.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. ‘Outreach’ is activity that helps to raise awareness, aspirations and attainment among people from disadvantaged backgrounds, e.g. summer schools that give a taste of university life, homework clubs for pupils who may not have anywhere to study at home, or universities forming and sustaining links with employers and communities.

The post OFFA respond to UCAS report on perceptions of higher education appeared first on OFFA.

“I welcome the continued commitment to fair access and social mobility displayed by Ministers, and MPs of all parties, at the second reading. Ministers and MPs were also clear that fair access means supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds not only to get into higher education, but also to succeed in their studies and be well prepared for life after graduation.

“The Bill, and the creation of the Office for Students, has the potential to accelerate progress on fair access. Such an acceleration is crucial if we are to meet the Government’s ambitious fair access goal to double the rates of disadvantaged students by 2020, compared to 2009 levels. It is now crucial to get the detail right – ensuring the Director for Fair Access and Participation has the tools and powers to support and challenge universities to make sure they are searching high and low for talented students, whatever their background. I look forward to working with Ministers, MPs and Peers as the Bill progresses through Parliament.”

ENDS

For further information contact Sean Beynon (Acting Head of Communications) on 07795 257374, or email press@offa.org.uk

The post Higher Education and Research Bill – OFFA respond to second reading appeared first on OFFA.

“This move puts higher education on the same song sheet as schools, colleges and apprenticeships and I hope that will enable more collaboration across the whole student lifecycle.

“The national strategy for access and student success calls on schools, colleges, universities and many others to work as a team to make further, faster progress, supported by joined-up policymaking and investment. I look forward to working closely with DfE Ministers to facilitate that.”

ENDS
For further information, contact
Sean Beynon (OFFA Acting Head of Communications) on 0117 931 7022 or email press@offa.org.uk

The post OFFA comment on move of higher education to Department for Education appeared first on OFFA.

The report, Access agreement monitoring for 2014-15: institutional evaluation and equality and diversity, which assesses evaluation of financial support and activities undertaken in 2014-15, shows that:

• almost all institutions are evaluating their work, with 14 per cent of institutions reporting that they were at an advanced stage – with evaluation fully embedded into practice, while a further 51 per cent of institutions were actively evaluating their work and seeking to continue to improve how they evaluate. Evaluation was at an earlier stage at 30 per cent of institutions
• those institutions that had embedded evaluation into practice were most likely to meet the high-level outcomes targets they set themselves through their access agreements
• many institutions have used findings from evaluation to modify their activities and programmes.

Writing in the foreword of the report, Professor Les Ebdon, Director of Fair Access to Higher Education, said:

“Universities and colleges spent £725 million on activities and programmes to support fair access through their access agreements in 2014-15, so it is hugely important that they have a considered approach to evaluation to ensure their investment is having the greatest impact. The report shows that institutions are taking heed of OFFA’s guidance, recognising that evaluation is key to improved performance.

“An integral part of OFFA’s role continues to be to undertake, commission and facilitate research to help grow evidence around fair access. So, for example, we have been working in partnership with universities to develop a set of common measures for assessing the impact of the bursaries institutions offer through their access agreements. As I write, we are seeking tenders for a joint project with The Sutton Trust which is aiming to develop similar measures for the evaluation of outreach activities. The tools developed through this research will help improve evaluation across the sector in the long-term, allowing institutions to demonstrate the impact of their work and increase their focus on those activities which are most successful.    

“This report gives real cause for optimism, but there is still more to be done. By their own assessment, only a small proportion of institutions in 2014-15 were at an advanced stage in evaluating their activities; a significant minority had only just started evaluative work. In future monitoring rounds, I expect to see every institution devoting appropriate energy and resources into effective evaluation. Ensuring that activities have impact is crucial as we seek to meet the Government’s fair access goal to double the rate of disadvantaged students by 2020, compared to 2009 levels.

“We have seen through this monitoring process that those institutions with more developed and embedded evaluation activity generally report more progress against their high-level outcomes targets [note 2]. This is not a coincidence. I am encouraged by the many examples of good practice in the sector, but it is clear that, collectively, we must continue to up our game. Nobody should be put off going to university because of their background; by investing in activities that have real impact in helping people from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter and succeed in higher education, we can ensure they are not.”

ENDS

For further information contact Sean Beynon (Acting Head of Communications) on 07795 257374, or email press@offa.org.uk

The post New report shows increased evaluation of access agreement activities and programmes appeared first on OFFA.

OFFA will support multiple projects that, in collaboration with universities, examine the most effective methods of measuring and analysing the impact of outreach targeted at various learner groups. Practical evaluation tools will be developed for all universities and colleges to use if they wish.

This will support universities and colleges in evaluating more robustly, so they can ensure that the substantial investment [note 2] of money and effort that they make in outreach is strategic and directed towards the activities that are likely to have the greatest impact.

As such this programme of work is a key aspect of how OFFA challenges and supports universities and colleges to take an increasingly strategic approach to their access agreements.

OFFA has published an invitation to tender for the first project today which seeks researchers to work in collaboration with universities over the next 12 months or more. This project, a partnership with the Sutton Trust, will focus on outreach for young people who are the first in their families to apply to university.

Professor Les Ebdon, Director of Fair Access to Higher Education, said:

“I have challenged universities and colleges to evaluate their work robustly and consistently because that will help them to make further, faster progress in improving access [note 3].

“Evaluation is key to squeezing maximum impact from every pound and every hour invested in widening participation. This is why OFFA has been so keen to understand the impact of financial support [note 4]. I am pleased that we are now able to continue to support the sector in meeting this challenge by launching this new programme of work.

“It will help everyone working to widen participation to learn more about what is likely to be most effective in their context. That improved understanding will help universities and colleges increasingly use evidence-led approaches to delivering impact through their access agreements.

“The projects will be institution-led and collaborative, which is OFFA’s preferred way of supporting research. I am very pleased that we are partnering with the Sutton Trust for the first project and look forward to forming similar partnerships with other organisations for future work.”   

Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust and of the Education Endowment Foundation, said today:

“Universities are under considerable pressure to get more disadvantaged young people into higher education but there is a severe lack of evidence [note 5] about the factors that make some approaches work better than others. With the access gap at our most selective universities still far too wide, the new research will help give us a much clearer picture of what works best.”

ENDS

For further information contact Aislinn Keogh (Press and Communications Adviser) at OFFA on 0117 931 7171 or press@offa.org.uk

Notes to editors

1.    ‘Outreach’ is activity that helps to raise awareness, aspirations and attainment among people from disadvantaged backgrounds, e.g. summer schools that give a taste of university life, homework clubs for pupils who may not have anywhere to study at home, or universities forming and sustaining links with employers and communities.

2. In 2016-17 access agreements, expenditure directed at outreach totalled £136.1 million, accounting for over 20 per cent of all access agreement expenditure.

3. OFFA is currently assessing access agreements for 2017-18. The strategic guidance for these access agreements asked universities and colleges to take account of the latest evidence and consider how they could focus their investment more strongly on activities that have the greatest impact.

4. OFFA is currently working with institutions on a research project that aims to improve the evidence around the impact of financial support and support institutions in improving evaluation of financial support. 

5. Research published by the Sutton Trust in December 2015 found that despite English universities investing £124 million in 2015-16 in increasing the number of disadvantaged students they enrol, there is too little robust evidence available to tell them what is most effective.

The post OFFA launches project to research the impact of outreach appeared first on OFFA.