UNIVERSITIES’
SUPPORT FOR
IAG IN SCHOOLS
Professor Les Ebdon CBE
Director of Fair Access to Higher Education
What is the Office for Fair Access?
We promote and safeguard fair access to higher education for people
from lower income backgrounds and other under-represented groups
•
The independent public body that regulates fair access to higher
education in England
•
Led by the Director of Fair Access to Higher Education (me) who is
appointed by Minister for Universities and Science (Jo Johnson)
•
Universities and colleges charging higher fees must have a plan for
fair access (‘access agreement’) that’s approved by me
•
If they don’t, or they break the agreement they’ve made with me, I
can fine them, or limit the level of fee they can charge.
Who are we talking about?
OFFA promotes access to higher education for ‘under-represented groups’:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
people from lower socio-economic groups or neighbourhoods where few go to higher education
people from low income backgrounds
some ethnic groups or sub-groups, including White males from economically disadvantaged
backgrounds
disabled people
mature and part-time learners
young people who have been in care
carers
people estranged from their families
people from Gypsy and Traveller communities
refugees
students with mental health problems, Specific Learning Difficulties and/or who are on the
autism spectrum.
TEN THINGS YOU MIGHT
NOT KNOW….
… about universities’ support for IAG in schools
1. Universities want good IAG in schools
Universities can only recruit from the pool of people who apply with the right
grades in the right subjects.
Effective IAG will increase the number of people from disadvantaged backgrounds
in this pool, enabling universities to improve access.
“The key reason why too few students from disadvantaged
backgrounds even apply to leading universities is that they are not
achieving the right grades in the right subjects at school … School
attainment, advice and aspirations must all be dramatically
improved if we are to remove the real barriers to fair access.”
The Russell Group
(which represents 24 universities that require very high UCAS tariffs for entry)
2. Studying the right subjects is key
“Choosing your A-level (or equivalent) subjects carefully is really
important – especially if you have aspirations to study at a
leading university.”
The Russell Group
• 30% of 18 year-olds at university wish they had chosen
different A-level subjects
• over 40% wish they had thought more about what subjects
might help them get into university
• only half feel they were suitably informed about how A-level
subject choices would affect their application to university
Source: Which? University survey, 2016
3. Challenge from OFFA
We challenge universities and colleges to make more progress on access:
• We negotiate hard over access agreements
• We only approve those that are stretching for the institution
• We expect them all to do sustained, targeted outreach work
(including information, advice and guidance)
• We put particular pressure on the universities with the
highest overall entry requirements
This challenge is a key incentive for them to work with you to provide
effective IAG and thus improve access.
4. Access agreement targets
Universities and colleges must set themselves targets in their access
agreements, not just to improve access at their own institution but to
effect change more widely across the whole sector.
If they don’t make enough effort to meet these targets they get greater
challenge and scrutiny from us – maybe even a fine or other sanction.
This incentivises them to work with you because:
•
supporting schools with IAG helps them progress towards their targets
•
your expertise can help them operate in more impactful ways.
5. Government pressure
The Government has also issued challenge to universities and colleges.
•
The Prime Minister has set two targets for increased access by 2020.
•
“We are asking universities to go further and faster than ever
before, especially the most selective institutions. We want to see
smarter spending, with more outreach and much deeper
partnerships with local schools.”
(Formal guidance from Universities Minister Jo Johnson)
•
“All universities should work with schools to ensure that outreach
programmes are provided”
(Alan Milburn, Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commissioner)
6. Universities are investing
7. Universities have expertise
OFFA also supports universities and colleges in improving access:
• We support research and knowledge sharing that helps them
understand what works best: e.g. forthcoming project on
evaluating impact of outreach with the Sutton Trust
• We highlight effective approaches: e.g. ‘A journey to medicine’
– outreach guidance with the Medical Schools Council
• We facilitate links between academics and widening
participation teams so that developments in thinking can
translate into activities that have greater impact
So universities and colleges have knowledge that they can share with you.
8. You could be in a target area
We encourage universities and colleges
to help with outreach and IAG in areas
of the country where relatively few
people go into higher education.
Some of the lowest higher education
participation areas in England are in
rural or coastal locations.
9. You can help them help you
There are many challenges for universities and colleges in
providing (and evaluating) effective outreach and IAG across many
different schools.
They are learning all the time how to improve impact.
Effective collaboration means your expertise can support them in
providing what your students need.
Fair access is a shared responsibility: universities cannot ‘fix the
problem’ all by themselves.
10. You are really important
Top sources of advice/guidance for higher education applicants:
1. Parents and guardians (87%)
2. Personal tutor (70%)
Source: The Sutton Trust/BIS/UCAS Tracking the decision-making of high-achieving
higher education applicants (2012)
Some pupils may only know one person who went to university: you.
©Newcastle University
The most effective outreach/IAG schemes:
•
involve meeting people, not just providing
leaflets or websites
•
raise aspirations – higher education is for
‘people like me’
•
include accurate information on finance and
subject choices
•
start early, before key decisions are made and
opinions formed
•
are sustained, not just a one-off intervention
in sixth form
•
are targeted
•
tailor engagement to individuals
•
include parents and other key influencers.
©University of Nottingham
What to look for
THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING
Useful resources for teachers and advisers: www.offa.org.uk/students