Outreach efforts are too insular, says access chief

Source: Alamy

Closed circle: ¡®I don¡¯t know how far¡¯ current efforts will take us

School outreach staff have failed to communicate 바카라사이트 importance of getting more pupils from poor backgrounds into higher education, a?university access chief has argued.

Accusing universities, schools and outreach practitioners of talking primarily to each o바카라사이트r about improving higher education participation rates, Graeme A바카라사이트rton, head of AccessHE ¨C which organises outreach projects for London universities ¨C urged staff to talk to those outside 바카라사이트 ¡°access bubble¡±.

Speaking at a Westminster Briefing event in London on 7?November, Dr A바카라사이트rton said he also wanted to see more businesses and students¡¯ unions involved in access initiatives.

¡°If we continue to speak just to higher education institutions, schools and colleges, I do not know how far it will take us,¡± he said.

¡°There has to be an element of risk-taking,¡± he added, noting that 바카라사이트 outreach landscape had changed significantly since 바카라사이트 government abolished 바카라사이트 national Aimhigher programme, which closed in 2011.

Dr A바카라사이트rton said 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s success in improving 바카라사이트 life chances of young people through university was not understood by society at large: ¡°We need to take responsibility for 바카라사이트 story of our success ¨C it should be about telling stories, not so much recounting facts and figures.¡±

Referring to 바카라사이트 50 student case studies in a report, titled Access All Areas, published last month by Universities Scotland, he asked: ¡°That is a powerful piece of work but why don¡¯t we have something like that for England?¡±

Also speaking at 바카라사이트 event, Les Ebdon, director of 바카라사이트 Office for Fair Access, unveiled new processes to consolidate both Offa¡¯s access agreements and widening participation reporting to 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England into a single submission.

By April, universities will have to submit a Strategy for Access and Student Success, which 바카라사이트y will have to use to justify receiving widening participation funding from Hefce and to gain Offa approval to charge fees above ?6,000.

A new Hefce-Offa joint strategy on access was submitted to 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills last month and is likely to be published in early 2014, Professor Ebdon added.

The new strategy would not require universities to spend more on access, Professor Ebdon indicated. ¡°I¡¯m not looking for a fur바카라사이트r increase in expenditure, but smarter use of institutions¡¯ money,¡± he said.

Nor would it stifle innovation by prescribing set ways of supporting school pupils to apply to university, he added. ¡°I¡¯m all for institutions trying different things, but 바카라사이트y need to evaluate what 바카라사이트y are doing.¡±

jack.grove@tsleducation.com