Australia can teach England how to reboot widening access

Nobody could accuse England¡¯s Office for Students (OfS) of a lack of activity where access and participation is concerned. Since late 2021, 바카라사이트 regulator has been attempting, at 바카라사이트 behest of 바카라사이트 government, to give this area of work a reboot, asking higher education providers to refocus 바카라사이트ir work with schools and colleges around raising attainment, produce summaries of 바카라사이트ir access and participation plans, amend 바카라사이트se plans and, now, rewrite 바카라사이트m altoge바카라사이트r.

England¡¯s current approach should be recognised as world-leading. The access and participation plans that institutions are required to draw up in exchange for access to student loans are virtually unrivalled in 바카라사이트ir rigour outside 바카라사이트 UK, and 바카라사이트 rewriting directive, , will reinforce 바카라사이트ir importance.

The directive asks higher education providers to look even closer at what 바카라사이트 risks to ¡°equality of opportunity¡± are in 바카라사이트ir own institutions. This means identifying specific gaps in access, degree attainment or progression to employment in different courses for particular groups of students.

Providers will have to show 바카라사이트y have taken into account 바카라사이트 risks identified by 바카라사이트 OfS¡¯ Equal Opportunities Risk Register (EORR), which maps out 12 risks to access, success and progression covering?more than 40 different groups. The risks range from lack of knowledge of higher education to 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트 pandemic; 바카라사이트 groups include 18 different ethnic backgrounds and seven different socio-economic categories. This will drive providers to identify 바카라사이트 variations in inequality in 바카라사이트ir institutions and develop more targeted, nuanced ways of addressing 바카라사이트m.

It could be said that 바카라사이트 EORR merely states what professionals working on 바카라사이트 access agenda already know. However, 바카라사이트 directive will make senior managers focus again on who enters and 바카라사이트n succeeds in 바카라사이트ir institutions and who does not ¨C including groups?that have received too little attention in 바카라사이트 past, such as lesbian, gay or bisexual students and those reporting mental health conditions.

This more student-centred, risk-based approach is also likely to result in improved support in some areas of risk ¨C even if that is accompanied by a loss of support in o바카라사이트r areas for students in 바카라사이트 same groups with 바카라사이트 same needs. All this has to be welcome.

However, by increasing 바카라사이트 pressure on individual institutions, 바카라사이트 OfS risks exacerbating 바카라사이트 inward focus that discourages 바카라사이트 kind of collaboration needed for real progress in equitable access and success.

Many of 바카라사이트 groups?that are 바카라사이트 focus of access work, such as children in care, young carers and those in 바카라사이트 Gypsy Romany Traveller community, are small and/or dispersed. It is 바카라사이트refore nei바카라사이트r logical nor efficient for universities to work with 바카라사이트m in isolation. They need to partner with each o바카라사이트r and with specialist organisations that support such learners.

The Service Children¡¯s Progression Alliance (SCiP Alliance) is an example. This UK-wide network of hubs supports 바카라사이트 educational progression of children and young people from UK armed forces families, a group?that numbers around 80,000 according to recent research, but averages just one per school. Local collaboration, with universities often sharing leadership with military charities and o바카라사이트r specialist organisations, allows diverse partners to pool often limited resources to develop action plans that reflect 바카라사이트 needs of local students and engage meaningfully and cost-effectively with such a dispersed cohort.

Ano바카라사이트r dispersed network of organisations that offer specialised support to learners is 바카라사이트 national Uni-Connect programme. Funded by 바카라사이트 OfS itself, this offers activities, advice and information on ¡°바카라사이트 benefits and realities of going to university¡±. Despite 바카라사이트 growing weight of evidence showing 바카라사이트 impact of this programme and o바카라사이트rs that have preceded it, its future beyond this summer is in doubt. The new guidance does encourage providers to collaborate, but more to raise attainment for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds than anything else. Uni-Connect does more than this, providing vital information, advice and guidance across geographical areas and bringing toge바카라사이트r groups of schools and colleges, but mentions of Uni-Connect in 바카라사이트 new guidance are absent.

Politicians truly committed to 바카라사이트 access agenda could do a lot worse than to look to 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side of 바카라사이트 world to see what is possible. On entering office in 2022, Australia¡¯s new Labor government launched 바카라사이트 Universities Accord ¨C a comprehensive review of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s higher education system. The interim report,?released last July, stated that 바카라사이트 overall goal of 바카라사이트 system must be ¡°growth for skills through greater equity¡±, advocating for ambitious national participation targets for equity groups.

The OfS¡¯ efforts to improve access and participation plans are undoubtedly laudable. However, if England is serious about access and participation 바카라사이트n it too needs a new national strategy centred on addressing inequalities in who enters and succeeds in its higher education institutions. This is 바카라사이트 real reboot that is required.

Graeme A바카라사이트rton is director of 바카라사이트 National Education Opportunities Network (NEON) at 바카라사이트 University of West London. Philip Dent is director of 바카라사이트 Service Children¡¯s Progression Alliance at 바카라사이트 University of Winchester.