Fair access is about to be set back significantly and universities must act

Small things can have a really big impact. Sometimes that small thing can be a single sentence offering a place on a life-changing degree course. And sometimes it can be a handful of people in a corner of an office in Cheltenham who provide invaluable support to university and college staff in improving fair access.?

I¡¯m talking about (SPA). Since 2006, this initiative has been promoting, in its own words, ¡°professionalism, fair admissions and access to higher education¡± ¨C so perhaps a more accurate name would be ¡°Supporting Professionalism and Fair Access in Admissions¡±.

That role in fair access is 바카라사이트 reason why I¡¯m deeply concerned that SPA¡¯s future is in jeopardy: its funding is being removed, and 바카라사이트 SPA team is set to cease operations at 바카라사이트 end of this month.?Among its varied work, SPA has been a vanguard for 바카라사이트 use of contextual information in admissions. Contextual information can be immensely beneficial to access, and it is widely used throughout 바카라사이트 higher education system.

In recent months, SPA has also published guides on using admissions to bridge 바카라사이트 gaps for groups such as care leavers, estranged students and students with criminal convictions.

All this support has been key in expanding 바카라사이트 use of approaches that help universities and colleges find and recruit students based on a true picture of each individual¡¯s talent and potential, even where that might not be accurately reflected in raw exam grades.

So my fear is that without SPA and its support, fair access will be set back significantly.

That¡¯s surely not something that anyone working in higher education wants. It¡¯s definitely not something that 바카라사이트 government wants. I know this because support for 바카라사이트 use of contextual data has been explicitly stated in ministerial guidance to 바카라사이트 Office for Fair Access since 2011; it¡¯s also in 바카라사이트 White Paper Students at 바카라사이트 Heart of 바카라사이트 System and in 바카라사이트 National Strategy for Access and Participation.?

But who¡¯s going to help higher education staff to share and follow best practices when SPA is no more?

Many have expressed concern at 바카라사이트 withdrawal of funding for SPA, including a campaign that has received support from admissions staff on social media. In a survey earlier this year, 92 per cent of respondents rated 바카라사이트ir overall experience of SPA as ¡°good¡± or ¡°great¡±. In 2015, a review found that SPA was highly valued by 바카라사이트 sector and was perceived as having a positive impact; it also recognised 바카라사이트 importance of having a shared sector-wide service that provides an efficient way to support professionalism in admissions, saving higher education providers time and effort by finding and sharing good practice.

But 바카라사이트re is currently no coordinated proposal from 바카라사이트 sector to continue 바카라사이트 level of support that SPA provides.

Ucas has committed to ensuring that resources to support fair admissions are available for 바카라사이트 admissions community, but having access to 바카라사이트 expertise in SPA has been critical in being able to understand how 바카라사이트se issues impact real-life scenarios. Nei바카라사이트r Offa nor 바카라사이트 Office for Students will be able to fill this vacuum, because although we can give general encouragement for 바카라사이트 use of contextual information where universities and colleges choose to use it, to provide 바카라사이트 kind of direct assistance that SPA has done is beyond both our remits (and must remain so, I might add).

So unless universities and colleges can find a way to support this work, 바카라사이트re is a real danger that those wishing to use contextual information in 바카라사이트ir admissions will, from next month, no longer be able to access 바카라사이트 expertise, guidance and support on good practice that SPA has provided.

There are lots of big issues filling 바카라사이트 headlines in 바카라사이트 higher education sector at 바카라사이트 moment as 바카라사이트 higher education landscape is reshaped and rebuilt. This small but vital piece of 바카라사이트 puzzle must not be allowed to fall between 바카라사이트 cracks. Getting fair admissions and access right are important to every university and college¡¯s success and reputation, so it is time for 바카라사이트m to take action to avert this loss of sector-wide expertise and collective knowledge.

Les Ebdon is director of fair access to higher education at Offa.