Government Perspective, Priorities

1
Government Perspective, Priorities
ProgrammesThe Approach in the UK

• Greg Boone
• Department for Education Skills
• Widening Access Social Inclusion in Higher
  Education UK and India Policy Dialogue
  Workshop
• 26-28 March 2007, Kolkata

2
Introduction

• UK Government interest in widening participation
  in, and access to, HE
• Evidence
• Relevant interventions
• Challenges and Next Steps

3
Government interest

• Target remains to increase and widen
  participation in/access to HE
• Economic need and social justice
• Cross-system reform and improvement

4
Government interest

• Help people achieve their potential, including
  HE, by
• Helping them get HE entry qualifications
• Raising aspirations so understand what HE offers
  and want it
• Encouraging applications to HEI/course best
  meeting their needs abilities
• Making system of applying to HE more open and
  effective

5
Government interest

• Widening participation in higher education is
  vital if we are to equip Britain for the economic
  challenges of the future and enable more people
  to reach their potential in life, regardless of
  their background
• Alan Johnson, December 2006

6
Government interest

• A failure to improve and widen participation in
  and access to higher education would be bad
  social policy and very bad economic policy
• Bill Rammell, February 2007

7
Government interest

• non-traditional/under-represented
• Poorer backgrounds
• Lower social class
• Lower levels of parental education
• Students taking vocational routes
• People with disabilities
• Some minority ethnic groups
• People from certain neighbourhoods
• Students from certain schools

8
Evidence WP Indicators
9
Evidence Social Class 2003/04
10
Relevant interventions 1

• HE White Paper and Act
• Aimhigher
• Office for Fair Access (OFFA)
• Student Support
• Applications Admissions

11
Aimhigher

• HEWP 2003 commitment to create Unified Aimhigher
  Programme
• Flagship Widening Participation intervention
• Evidence indicates positive impact on attainment
  and aspirations

12
Student Support

• No more up-front fees, repay when earning
• Increase in level of maintenance loans
• Non re-payable grants
• Bursaries via OFFA/Access Agreements
• Student Finance Campaign

13
Applications Admissions

• Schwartz Review of Admissions 2004
• Supporting Professionalism in Admissions
• Post-Qualification Applications
• Contextual data

14
Relevant interventions 2

• School interventions
• 14 - 19
• Employer Engagement
• Progression

15
School Improvements

• Addressing Social Class Attainment Gaps
• Gifted Talented education
• Personalised learning
• Academies and Trust Schools

16
14 to 19

• Agenda will significantly change experiences of
  many young people
• Specialised Diplomas for all abilities, and for
  those progressing to HE
• A levels stretch and extended project
• Functional skills development

17
Employer Engagement

• 70 of 2020 working age population has already
  completed compulsory education
• Engage employers in SDs and in HE-level workforce
  development
• HE element of Train to Gain

18
Progression

• A level progression to HE much stronger than
  vocational
• Lifelong Learning Networks to develop progression
  routes

19
Challenges Next Steps 1

• Reform and improvement throughout the system
• But need time for recent and forthcoming
  interventions to bite
• And for HE to respond

20
Challenges Next Steps 2

• Develop more sensitive measures and indicators of
  progress
• Understand cost effectiveness of Widening
  Participation interventions
• Target existing interventions better

21
Conclusion

• Widening Participation in HE therefore about
• Attainment
• Aspirations
• Applications
• Admissions
• Affordability