The Context

Widening participation is the attempt to make Higher Education more accessible to people who are not from the social backgrounds of traditional HE students, a part of the social inclusion agenda. It includes both outreach activities and retention activities. Examples of widening participation activities include summer schools, taster days, mentoring, HE Fairs, school visits, masterclasses, compact agreements, academic partnerships between FE Colleges and HE institutions, and the establishing of progression routes into HE from school, college, and work based learning.

The government has established a target that 50% of all 18 to 30 year olds will have "the opportunity to benefit" from HE or "some experience" of HE by 2010. At present (2003) the figure is about 43%. The government outreach initiatives Excellence Challenge and Partnerships for Progression (P4P) are from April 2004 being merged under the name "Aimhigher" to form one joined-up national outreach programme. The proposed increase in levels of tutition fees is being tied to formal "access agreements" to widen participation through the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), a proposed new independent body being created to consider and approve HEIs access agreements, receive and comment on HEIs annual reports on widening participation, etc. Widening participation also connects with the current revisions to the 14-19 curriculum.

Aimhigher P4P: Following the regionally organised "special initiatives" funded widening participation projects of 2000/02, HEFCE and the LSC introduced further, increased funding for 2003/06 under the title of Partnerships for Progression. This activity is organised regionally, with nine regions across the country, and it is directed specifically toward achieving the government target of enabling 50% of all 18-30 year olds to have experience of HE by 2010.

Action on Access: This is the body that helps coordinate the activities of the regional partnerships for widening participation, and advises HEFCE.

Education Action Zones: EAZs are one element of the Excellence Challenge initiative. EAZs are intended to enable local partnerships to target action and develop innovative solutions to raise educational standards in zone schools. EAZs have generally been set up in areas where there is a mixture of social deprivation and under-performing schools. Their main emphasis is on tackling deep-rooted local problems in partnership with parents, local authorities, business, schools, etc.

What role does FACE Play?

FACE provides a network and a forum for discussion for practitioners and policy makers. Research, best practice and experience can be shared at FACE seminars and through workshops or papers at the FACE Annual Conference or electronically through the network.