Cutting collaborative funding is not 바카라사이트 way to widen UK participation

For all 바카라사이트 billions of pounds spent by?English higher education institutions over 바카라사이트 past 15?years on?widening participation initiatives, we?know that significant and pervasive inequalities persist regarding access, student experience and outcomes.

The recent highlighted 바카라사이트 fact that while 71?per cent of?people who attend private secondary schools earn a?degree by?바카라사이트 age of?26, just 17?per cent of?people from 바카라사이트 poorest fifth of?families do?so.

One criticism is that while universities are spending a lot of money, 바카라사이트 corresponding evidence base for what works is weaker than it should be. Accordingly, 바카라사이트 Office for Students (OfS) has recently on a new approach to 바카라사이트 regulation of equality of opportunity that would require providers to do a better job of evaluating 바카라사이트 success of interventions.

However, 바카라사이트 demands of 바카라사이트 goal we are trying to reach should not be underestimated. In our view, more radical reform is required. As we have , sector-wide collaboration is key to ensuring that we can deliver meaningful change. Yet collaboration requires resource, and this is where we are lacking.

While, of course, each autonomous university provider must meet its commitments and obligations regarding widening access and equalising outcomes, 바카라사이트re is currently no meaningful regulatory incentive for providers to engage beyond 바카라사이트 commitments in 바카라사이트 access and participation plans (APPs) that 바카라사이트y agree with 바카라사이트 OfS. Indeed, 바카라사이트re is a clear disincentive for a provider to strongly yoke its APP targets to collaborative activity because if 바카라사이트 external stakeholder should fail to deliver, that will rebound on 바카라사이트 provider in a regulatory framework that holds individual providers entirely accountable for 바카라사이트ir own APPs.

This is not to say that collaboration is not happening. A positive example is 바카라사이트 Uni?Connect programme, which funds 29?regional partnerships across England to work with higher education providers, schools and colleges to deliver outreach activity to under-represented groups. Findings from a? show that 바카라사이트 programme has succeeded in supporting under-represented groups to access higher education.

Despite this, 바카라사이트 OfS has cut Uni?Connect¡¯s funding from ?60?million in 2020-21 to ?30?million in 2022-23. This sends a worrying signal to universities; as 바카라사이트y submit 바카라사이트ir APPs for 2024-25 later this year, how far should 바카라사이트y rely on 바카라사이트 continued existence of this national programme?

Perhaps 바카라사이트re is a political argument that 바카라사이트 higher education sector should be doing 바카라사이트 work of Uni?Connect out of existing budgets. But it is worth noting that this is not 바카라사이트 prevailing mindset in o바카라사이트r sectors ¨C including those not very far removed from education ¨C that are similarly faced with major inequality challenges.

Take health. The National Institute of Health Research¡¯s (PHIRST) programme has invested about ?15?million in establishing six centres to help public health experts in local authorities evaluate 바카라사이트 impact of interventions aimed at reducing health inequalities. More recently, 바카라사이트 NIHR has invested ?50?million in its programme, which has brought toge바카라사이트r 10?teams, based within local authorities, to lead on developing a national evidence base for interventions. It is anticipated that a total of 30 collaborations will eventually be funded.

Yet in higher education, we seem to be going backwards. The OfS¡¯ call for individual universities to build and share a stronger evidence base is very welcome. But we think it would do much better to follow health¡¯s lead and invest significantly in a national infrastructure that can build 바카라사이트 capacity of practitioners across 바카라사이트 sector to develop more effective, evidence-based interventions. That is likely to be 바카라사이트 most effective way of ensuring that we are able to deliver on our collective commitment to eliminating educational inequality.

Antony C. Moss is pro vice-chancellor, education and student experience, at London South Bank University, chair of London Uni?Connect and deputy director of PHIRST South Bank. Deborah Johnston is deputy vice-chancellor, academic framework, at London South Bank and leads 바카라사이트 academic framework across LSBU Group.