universities, some are being asked to raise their targets for widening participation
Universities are doing more than ever to finance and support widening participation. Why is it, then, that just one month before the announcement of access agreements from the Office for Fair Access, we are being asked to raise our access targets again? Over the last week, Offa has been in touch with universities to discuss their draft access agreements ahead of the announcement on 12 July. Intriguingly, these discussions appear to include proposals for “nudging up” targets. What could be the rationale for this now? It is already several weeks since universities submitted their access arrangements for scrutiny. Is it to provide some unspoken target for the sector? Could it be to provide ministers with evidence that their policies will deliver increased access to higher education for young people of talent from under-represented groups by 2015-16? If it is, we should remember that in the same month, the government is to cut its funding for the Aimhigher programme that has supported widening participation activity so well in recent years. Aimhigher has had a significant impact in encouraging young people from non-traditional backgrounds to consider higher education. Even in these difficult financial times, universities like my own are strongly committed to finding the budget to continue financing this important work themselves. We’ve seen that it works and acknowledge that it has a key role in helping us to achieve access targets. We should also remember and applaud the significant efforts and commitment of the many staff in the sector who promote and widen access to higher education. Over the summer, in universities across the country, our staff will bring their creativity, flair and energy to find ever more engaging ways to raise the awareness and aspirations of young people. Outreach teams work with children, parents and schools as early as primary years. This is excellent work, but it requires a long-term commitment. In a recent briefing, Action on Access (the co-ordination team for widening participation) brought together information from a range of independent reviews and proposed a framework for embedding widening participation within institutions. These include engaging with learners at an early stage to encourage them to enter HE; preparing learners for university; working in partnership with community groups, employers and professional bodies; and, importantly, embedding widening participation and equality in institutional strategies. Over the last decade, the sector has made real improvements in access for students from under-represented groups. However, for all the nudging of the figures by Offa, and institutional change implemented by universities, the reality is that the impact of government changes to the funding of higher education will be a live experiment with young people’s futures. There are serious concerns that, by altering so greatly the balance of funding for higher education from the public purse to the individual, the government’s changes will undermine progress in widening participation, effectively “nudging” under-represented groups “out” of higher education. Another concern for those working to widen participation is the extensive public confusion about the new funding arrangements. The government appears to have had a problem in getting a simple, coherent message across to future students and their parents about the implications of the changes to fees and loans. I trust that the newly established Independent Taskforce on Student Finance Information, headed by money-saving expert Martin Lewis and the former NUS president, Wes Streeting, will be able to address this. I also hope that Simon Hughes MP, in his role as advocate for access, will be able to ensure that our work in widening participation is supported nationally. Here at Southampton, we are proud to have the highest ranking in the Russell Group for the proportion of state school students we recruit. We are committed to this continuing. I passionately hope that no student will be deterred by uncertainty about the changes coming in 2012. However, in the light of the new funding arrangements, it is clear that while Offa works to “nudge up” the ambitions of the sector in terms of access, those of us in the sector must work even harder to find ways of ensuring that young people of talent from under-represented groups don’t reject the prospect of higher education because of an over-riding fear of debt. • Professor Debra Humphris is pro vice-chancellor, education, at the University of Southampton
