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This is the May 2008 E-Bulletin from FACE (Forum for Access and Continuing Education), offered to practitioners, policy-makers, researchers and others with an interest in access, widening participation and lifelong learning. This message is sent to colleagues in the sector, members and non-members alike. This FACE e-bulletin will be sent to you each month. If you would prefer not to receive it please contact Jim Tate at James.Tate@uwe.ac.uk and your details will be removed immediately.
The Return of the Revenge of the Son of FACE2FACE Strikes Back!
Good news - the new edition of Face2Face is currently under construction.
I know it dominates your every waking hour, that you can’t sleep at night, I know the anticipation is unbearable, but be still your beating hearts - the new Face2Face is under construction. The publication you have all been waiting for will be available in PDF prior to the conference in July . . . I hope.
The format has changed very slightly as we move towards twice yearly editions. We have introduced a book review section and made it bigger. We felt that with Jim’s newsletter being so wonderful much of the up to date announcements and events aspects of Face2Face where pretty much redundant so we moved to a more lengthy and reflective format. In the next edition we have four thought pieces including of course Brian’s American piece and a piece from Stuart Billingham (our host for this years conference). The edition is loosely themed around the wider benefits of learning and there will be an announcement re: next year’s (2009) conference venue and theme . . . Not long to wait to now . . . all this will soon be yours, you lucky people.
Pete Jones, Editor, Face to Face pete.jones@staffs.ac.uk
Countdown to Conference . . . FACE 2008
Play the FACE Conference Quiz ! ! Its online now!!
Have you booked your conference place yet? There's only five weeks to go and places for FACE 2008 are filling up fast. To be guaranteed accommodation and preferential package at either the Park Inn or at York St John University, you must book your place by Monday 2nd June 2008. "The best networking event of the year with great keynotes, workshop sessions and an excellent social programme. It's in my diary from one year to the next. The programme for York looks as good as ever. Glad I booked early." |
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Don't want to have to sign your name on paper workshop lists five minutes before the workshop starts?! We would like delegates to book your workshop sessions before you arrive at the conference and to make this easier we have set up an online booking system. |
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| The conference programme is now confirmed and includes Ms Odile Quintin, Director General of Education and Culture for the European Commission as one of our keynote speakers. Download the Conference Programme and the Programme of Workshops from the FACE Conferences page | |
As you know, FACE gala nights are simply legendary (and sometimes they're quite good!) and this year, the FACE Gala Dinner will be held at the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington, the home of a unique collection of over 40 internationally recognised aircraft and fascinating displays all combined on an historic site, and a fantastic location for a memorable evening. Coaches will take guests from York St John University and the Park Inn York to the museum, where you will receive drinks upon arrival before taking a seat in the NAAFI for the evening meal. The meal will be followed by a performance by Mr Swing's Dance Orchestra, a popular local swing band who will entertain with renditions of both old and modern classics. There will also be a charity raffle held on the night. Check out a musical slideshow of last year's Gala dinner - these people are enjoying themselves! |
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Annual General Meeting The AGM will take place during conference as usual. This year it will be on Thursday 3rd July at 13.40 to 14.40. Further details will be sent to members shortly. |
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In addition to the ghost walk and the gala dinner, the AGM and the keynote speakers, what else is happening at conference? Here is another of the Ebulletin's advance sneaky-peeks at one of the workshops that will be included in the 2008 programme. The Step-In to HE Project This workshop will be speaking about the first year of activity on the Step-In to HE Project, an innovative new joint initiative from Aimhigher Greater Manchester and Greater Manchester Strategic Alliance (GMSA) aimed at all Greater Manchester Advanced Apprentices who have completed or are about to complete the requirements of their Apprenticeship. GMSA is the Lifelong Learning Network for Greater Manchester. The main purpose of the project is to build Advanced Apprentices’ confidence in their ability to progress to HE with the help of a new course called the Step-In Module. The Step-In Module aims:
The Step-In Module focuses on the development of higher level thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, reflection and evaluation and will give practical experience of research, personal development planning and writing techniques relevant to HE study. Materials used in delivering the module relate these skills to their application in the workplace and delivery centres play an active role in ensuring that the delivery and assessment methods used are relevant, engaging and enjoyable for the learners. The module, which is delivered over 7 weeks, is worth 10 credits at L4 and is validated by the University of Bolton. Four delivery centres for the Step-In Module have been identified around Greater Manchester, and over 40 learners are now enrolled on the first runs of the course at the four centres and all runs will be completed by early July 2008. For further details, contact Suzanne Leech ,
Step-In to HE Project Leader, Aimhigher Greater Manchester s.leech@open.ac.uk |
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You can also access the FACE Conference Quiz from the homepage or the Conferences page
Speakers Corner
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As a member-oriented organisation FACE would like to invite individual colleagues to have their say on any issue of concern in UK education policy and practice. This is a purely personal point of view and should not be thought to represent any institution, organisation, or official body. To have your say, email James.Tate@uwe.ac.uk This month's contribution is from Maggie Mclinden, who asks, School Partnerships: the exclusive love affair? |
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"Much has been written recently about higher education and school partnerships. Government has produced a raft of policy documents to persuade us to, and to advise us how to, do it more effectively. An example of this is the recently published prospectus for higher education institutions with aspirations in the area of partnering academies and trust schools. They’ve even taken away the down payment to ease the passage of starting the relationship. For those of us working in widening participation units this can, at first, seem like an interesting proposition. The prospectus offers a way into the golden egg of the academy; a formalisation of that special relationship and an attractive proposition to spreading scarce resources thinly across a number of institutions. I would argue that we need to be partnering academies for the right reasons though, to widen participation and not in an exclusive way. To take an exclusive partnership approach goes against the very grain of what we, as widening participation practitioners, are about: being inclusive. We have an obligation to maintain our relationships with all existing secondary institutions that meet our widening participation targeting criteria. Some of these may not have specialist or trust school status or be an academy. It’s an issue that we’ve been debating within my own institution. An interesting alternative has been taken by colleagues in the North East; they’re promoting a model of working across a geographical area that includes rather than excludes. The Durham model, I feel certain can also work in my patch, East London. In my own institution’s widening participation unit we’re developing borough-wide relationships based on 14-19 partnership groups where a flexible offer brings together ongoing widening participation interventions, recognises the role of key gatekeepers (teachers, parents) and takes into account 14-19 priorities. This offer can be tailored to the needs of all; schools and academies to support existing initiatives and new developments such as the emerging lines of the diploma qualifications. And, just in case colleagues in Aimhigher are getting edgy at this point, yes, you can still target, monitor and evaluate!" Maggie Mclinden, |
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A FACE response to the Education (IUSS) Committee Enquiry on OFFA
As mentioned in last month's Ebulletin, FACE has presented a written submission to the Education (IUSS) Committee enquiry to offer a FACE perspective on the performance of OFFA in promoting and safeguarding fair access to higher education for under-represented groups, and on how the effects of OFFA’s work are measured. We had hoped to make this document available online but government rules require that we wait until after the first evidence session before publishing it publicly. The first evidence session is expected to be in early June and so the document will go on the FACE website sometime after that.
FACE regularly responds to the issues of the day in UK education and welcomes contributions and initiatives from members. (see FACE Comments)
What’s in the News?
The Guardian http://education.guardian.co.uk
The Independent http://news.independent.co.uk/education
The BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/default.stm
The Times http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education
The Times Higher Education http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk
DCSF News Centre http://www.dfes.gov.uk/pns/newslist.cgi
DIUS Press Releases http://www.dius.gov.uk/pressreleases.html
LSC News http://www.lsc.gov.uk/News
If you wish to respond to anything in this E-bulletin or contribute to the June issue, please email Jim Tate at James.Tate@uwe.ac.uk