As widening access efforts come under pressure from cuts to budgets, Alex Blower reports back from a national summit to argue that keeping a focus on fairness will be essential to future support from government. The Forum for Access and Continuing Education (FACE), a charity committed to enabling opportunities across the educational landscape, held their annual summit at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. With speakers such as Public First and John Blake, Director for Fair Access at the Office for Students, the event examined how work which promoted fair access and participation could help us navigate a period of significant turbulence within the HE sector, and society as a whole. To access the article click here

Advance HE’s Innovative Practice Grants support our small, specialist, independent and college-based HE members from within the UK in sharing good practice and impactful initiatives. Grants of £500 will be awarded to successful applicants from Advance HE small, specialist, independent and college-based HE member institutions to provide short case studies of recent practice (750-1000 words) that align to one of the 4 core themes. click here to access the link

It has been reported that decision to lower the fee cap on foundation year fees may lead some providers reluctantly to withdraw from that provision, while others will continue to offer those courses at a loss.

In November, the Office for Students’ Director for Fair Access and Participation announced that the access mission would renew its focus upon “ensuring universities and colleges can play their part in giving all aspiring students the opportunity to gain the knowledge, skills and experiences they need to be confident in the choices they make on their pathway to achieving their aspirations, at multiple points along their journey”. To read the transcript click here

Our key achievements as we strive to protect against cyber attacks, save the sector money, and lead on AI. To access the review click here