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Widening participation as a positive investment in the future

Widening participation as a positive investment in the future. John Selby Director, Education and Participation. The policy context. Lower socio-economic classes are under-represented Need to raise aspiration, attainment and progression to HE for learners from under-represented groups

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Widening participation as a positive investment in the future

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  1. Widening participation as a positive investment in the future John Selby Director, Education and Participation

  2. The policy context • Lower socio-economic classes are under-represented • Need to raise aspiration, attainment and progression to HE for learners from under-represented groups • Need to continue to enhance student success rates • Need to address skill needs of adult population • Not about lowering standards.

  3. Our investment in widening participation to date • Widening participation allocation £353million in 2008-09: • Widening access: £95.4million • Improving retention: £243.7million • Widening access and improving provision for disabled students: £12.9million • Aimhigher - 2008-2011: • Core funding: £239.5million (jointly from HEFCE and DIUS) • Aimhigher Associates: £21million • Summer schools: £10.5million • Vocational progression: • £105million invested in 30 Lifelong Learning Networks

  4. Achievements to 2001

  5. Achievements since 2001 • Roughly 93% of school and college students are in the state sector; half the population in lower socio-economic classes; and 20% live in low participation neighbourhoods • These figures are not reflected in HE participation. • The proportion of full time first degree entrants: 2002-03 2006-07 • State sector 86.4 87.2 • Lower SECs 27.9 29.8 • LPNs n/a 9.6 Source: Full-time young participation by socio-economic class (DIUS; 2008)

  6. WP priorities for the future • Schools • Communities • Institutions.

  7. Schools • Fund a small number of projects at around £120k each, running over 2 years • Projects to develop models of good practice in linking schools and HEIs • Offer some funding for research by HEIs to evaluate their school-college links • Outcomes • We will be at centre of the debate about HE-school links, develop policy and issue advice • The HE-school link will be written into the school improvement plan.

  8. Communities • Around £200k to be invested to extend previous ‘Four Cities’ work • Encouraging a firm commitment from institutions informed by the research to embed strategic WP developments across the areas. • Research commissioned in four new communities: • East London • Cambridgeshire • Salford • Leeds.

  9. Institutions • Single strategic assessment: • Incorporating access agreement • Identifying the place of WP in institutional missions’ • Measuring success • Recording activity and WP commitments • WP team will work with institutional teams to identify a small number of HEIs that we can work with to interrogate data, understand better what institutions do, and use this to influence the debate across the sector.

  10. Conclusion • A success story • Increasing participation while • Maintaining retention and student achievement • Further investment • Building on success • Recognising the complexity of the issue • Continuing to work with the sector • Working with schools and communities.

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