The NEON Programme 2014 What is NEON? The National Education Opportunities Network (NEON) was founded in early 2012 as the new professional organisation to support those involved in widening access to higher education (HE) and social mobility. At the heart of NEON is a cross-sector approach bringing together HE institutions (HEIs), schools, colleges, the voluntary sector, professional bodies and employers. NEON is hosted by London Higher, the representative organisation for universities in London. NEON is an independent non-state funded organisation. NEON grew from the need for a strong, coherent community of professionals that could support learners from underrepresented backgrounds to enter HE. NEON is shaped and led by its members. Our Objectives NEON has four objectives: •To increase the professionalisation of widening access work through the development and accreditation of practice • To be a research and advocacy resource for those working in access at the local, regional and national level •To develop and enhance practice and quality in widening access work •To offer input and support to policy-makers and government from the widening access community. For more information on NEON and how to join please go to www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk 2 The NEON Programme 2014 www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk Contents 05 NEON in 2014 06 NEON 2014 Calendar of Events 08 NEON Executive Committee and the Strategy Forum 09 NEON for Schools and Sixth Form Colleges 10 NEON for Students’ Unions 11 NEON Working Groups 14 NEON Access Academy Training 15 NEON Summer Symposium 2014 16 NEON Regional Communities of Practice 17 NEON Awards 2014 18 NEON Knowledge Hub 19 Joining NEON The NEON Programme 2014 4 The NEON Programme 2014 www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk NEON in 2014 Since the idea of a new national professional organisation for widening access to HE was first discussed in Manchester in September 2011, and then NEON launched in Spring 2012 we have made rapid progress in creating a national vehicle for the work. The level of change in access to HE work over the last two years has made it a dynamic if challenging time to begin an organisation like NEON. But the evidence of 2013 proves to us that the demand for an organisation like NEON is strong and, while it has made a valuable contribution to widening access over the last year, the potential for what NEON could do is only just being realised. It is worth reflecting on exactly what NEON has achieved in 2013 and remembering that NEON is an independent self-sustaining membership network not benefiting from the substantial state support that was once available for access to HE projects in England. It should also be acknowledged that without the pro-bono commitment of a range of organisations to the development of NEON in terms of staff time, hosting events and leading groups, an organisation like this could not exist. In 2013: •There were over 20 NEON events across the country covering a range of topics and different areas of the country •Extending our membership to include more HEIs, schools, colleges and students’ unions •Growing the Access Academy training programme •Supporting HEFCE and OFFA in the delivery of the National Access and Success Strategy and the new collaborative outreach network for 2014-15 •Taking forward our working groups as they develop resources for practice. •Over 200 people attended NEON regional events •Over 120 people attended the first NEON Summer Symposium •We elected an Executive Committee with membership from 13 different organisations. •Building on the continued success of our working groups with national events and surveys being generated by the groups •Developing our digital support for the access community with a new Knowledge Hub •Over 60 organisations joined NEON from across sectors •We produced over 40 editions of NEON News Being part of NEON is first and foremost being part of a community. The above list barely captures the real strength of being part of an access community. The conversations, sharing of ideas and experiences, relationships formed and solidarity that members experience are the real benefit of being part of NEON. We want to grow this community in 2014 both in size and in the depth of its relationships between members. Our particular goals for 2014 include: This brochure outlines the NEON programme for 2014. We shall extend and develop our offer over the year so keep reading NEON News for updates. If you are already a member we hope that you will continue to be part of our community. We welcome all those who believe that access to HE should be made fairer to join us. Dr Graeme Atherton Director, NEON www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk The NEON Programme 2014 5 NEON 2014 Calendar of Events JANUARY Access Courses and HE Progression Working Group Meeting FEBRUARY Engaging Students’ Unions in Widening Access Working Group Meeting Executive Committee Meeting followed by Strategy Forum Meeting Primary Working Group MARCH Access Academy Training – Core Skills for Widening Access (I) Engaging Students’ Unions in Widening Access Working Group Meeting Access Courses and HE Progression Working Group Meeting Evidence and Impact Working Group Meeting Access and Outreach for Disabled Learners Working Group Meeting Access Academy Training – How to Prove Widening Access Activity Works (I) APRIL Spring Regional Communities of Practice: ‘The New Landscape for Collaborative Outreach’ Mentoring to Widen Access Working Group Access Academy Training – Core Skills for Widening Access (II) MAY NEON Awards Ceremony 2014 Executive Committee Meeting followed by Strategy Forum Meeting Access Academy Training – How to Prove Widening Access Activity Works (II) Primary Working Group Establishing Evidence and Impact Working Group Meeting 6 The NEON Programme 2014 www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk NEON 2014 Calendar of Events JUNE Access and Outreach for Disabled Learners Working Group Meeting Access Courses and HE Progression Working Group Meeting Summer Symposium 2014 JULY Mentoring to Widen Access Working Group NEON Seminar - Do Universities Really Understand Schools? SEPTEMBER Engaging Students’ Unions in Widening Access Practitioner Workshop Working with Employers National Conference Establishing Evidence and Impact Working Group Meeting OCTOBER Primary Working Group HE Progression for Disabled Learners National Conference Mentoring to Widen Access Working Group Executive Committee Meeting followed by Strategy Forum Meeting NOVEMBER Autumn Regional Communities of Practice Access and Outreach for Disabled Learners Working Group Meeting Access Courses and HE Progression Working Group Meeting DECEMBER Establishing Evidence and Impact Working Group Meeting Please visit the NEON website for the up-to-date calendar of events at www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk The NEON Programme 2014 7 NEON Executive Committee and the Strategy Forum NEON is driven forward by the commitment of its Executive Committee. The members of the Executive Committee are listed below. The Committee includes those from HE, the voluntary sector and the school/college sectors. It was elected for its first two-year term in 2013. The Committee has an advisory function supporting the Executive Team based at London Higher in delivering the work of NEON. Executive Committee Members 8 Steve Kendall Chair Director of Widening Participation University of Bedfordshire Garmen ap Garth Widening Access Manager Birkbeck, University of London David E. Berry Partnership Co-ordinator Sheffield City Region Higher Education Progression Partnership – HEPP Dave Brockington Trustee Strategy Advisor ASDAN Will Cooling Widening Participation Policy Officer University of Leicester Sally Cushing Widening Participation Manager Buckinghamshire New University Felicity Dunworth Director Kent and Medway Progression Federation Inder Hunjan MBE Head of Access & Widening Participation Leeds Metropolitan University Sarah Kerton Higher Education Consultant National Union of Students Stephanie Lee Head of Widening Participation & Outreach The University of Manchester Suzanne Maskrey Director Brightside Carole Nairn Acting Head of Widening Participation University of Sussex Peter Riley Widening Participation Manager Manchester Metropolitan University The NEON Programme 2014 www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk NEON for Schools and Sixth Form Colleges Widening access to HE is a challenge that can only be addressed by sectors working together. NEON is very aware that at present policy and funding encourage HE to drive the work forward and that while there is huge commitment from the school and sixth form college sector, it has to sit alongside a range of other priorities. The whole of the NEON offer is available to all of those in schools and sixth form colleges who join. But many in these sectors find it difficult to attend events and working groups. NEON is piloting a bespoke element of its work in 2014 that focuses specifically on the needs of schools and sixth form colleges. The offer will be launched in 2014. We are working with a number of partners in this area including ASDAN and the Church of England. Schools and sixth form colleges will be able to join NEON without cost in the 2014 academic year. The offer will include: •Our monthly schools E-bulletin highlighting opportunities for your learners to work with our HEIs, advice on how to support your students to get to university and examples of HE progression activities you can deliver •Our online ‘HE for Schools Guides’ covering Admissions to HE, Financing HE, Understanding the HE system and Subject Choices at Key Stage 4 for HE • Up to 25% reduction for NEON events and training. We will be delivering up to 20 different events in 2013-14 at locations across the country •The opportunity to nominate your projects and learners for the first annual NEON Awards in 2014 •A copy of ‘Working with HE 2013-14’. This publication, exclusive to NEON school members, will include profiles of many of our member HEIs and key contacts, how schools can best work with HEIs to benefit their learners, who to approach, how to do it and when. www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk The NEON Programme 2014 9 NEON for Students’ Unions Students have constituted the labour force for access to HE work in the past 10 years. However, the potential for students to shape our work and to also reach deeper into the student body remains largely untapped. Working with the National Union of Students (NUS), NEON will build on the foundations it put in place in 2013 and offer a set of activities focused on engaging students’ unions. Over 20 students’ unions joined NEON in 2013. We are looking to substantially increase this number in 2014. Students’ unions will be able to join NEON without cost in the 2014 academic year. By joining NEON they will be able to participate in a series of training events for staff in students’ unions to build their capacity to engage in widening access work. These will include workshops in 2014 on: • How the Access Agreement is implemented and how students’ unions can support this • How Student Volunteering and Outreach Work in schools/colleges can come together • Working with your Institution on Access and Widening Participation. Student union members will also be able to work closely with other members, in particular HEIs, via the Engaging Students’ Unions in Widening Access Working Group. For full details regarding the group and its plans for 2014 go to page 12. 10 The NEON Programme 2014 www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk NEON Working Groups NEON Working Groups are led by members and focus on bringing individuals/organisations together to establish and take forward an agenda in different areas of access practice. These groups share practice and shape the national agenda across the widening access landscape. Attendance at Working Group meetings is free to NEON members. Access Courses and HE Progression Working Group – University of Bedfordshire Recent falls in the participation of mature and part-time students in HE prompts a renewed focus on Access Courses as a critical mechanism to enable the progression of such students. We need new alliances between FE colleges, HEIs and others to underline the importance of Access Courses, to defend their essential character and to shape and support their development. This working group is envisaged as the kernel of a new, national, practitioner-led network which can foster the development of new partnerships between HE, Access Course providers and other agencies. Please join us and help us build the network. Access and Outreach for Disabled Learners – The University of Manchester & Manchester Metropolitan University This working group brings together practitioners from Outreach teams as well as those from Student Support to discuss their current practice and experiences of supporting disabled learners into and through HE. In 2014 the group will be examining issues such as the respective benefits of targeted events versus inclusive events and the best approaches to making these events a success. It is hoped that models of best practice can be shared which will assist members in developing new activities within their own institutions and in refining activities they currently deliver. The group will also look at running a national event to examine the barriers to success for disabled learners and showcase examples of best practice in supporting access, retention and employability. Meetings will be held on: 15 January 2014 11 March 2014 2 June 2014 18 November 2014 For further information / to sign up for this Working Group contact Paula Page at [email protected] Meetings will be held on: 19 March 2014 June 2014 November 2014 For further information / to sign up for this Working Group contact Peter Riley at [email protected] www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk The NEON Programme 2014 11 NEON Working Groups Engaging Students’ Unions in Widening Access Working Group – NUS & Buckingham New University Good practice and OFFA guidance suggest there are benefits to HEIs collaborating with their student bodies in their efforts to widen access to HE. This working group has been set up to explore opportunities for on-going collaboration by considering current practice and evidence; identifying areas for future development; and considering how the group might act as a vehicle for change. Widening access practitioners, with a clear commitment to developing their collaborative activity and Students’ Union officers and staff with an interest/responsibility for widening participation and access are encouraged to join this group and contribute to on-going dialogue in this area. Two meetings are scheduled in 2014 and it is proposed that a third event will be held in the Autumn in the form of a practitioner workshop. Establishing Evidence and Impact Working Group – AccessHE & Leeds Metropolitan University Establishing the impact of access to HE work is the biggest challenge facing the access community in the 2010s. It is also too big a challenge to be addressed by one-day events. This working group is an on-going forum that is actively trying to support and shape how we prove the worth of our work. In 2014 the group will be continuing to advocate to policymakers, in particular HEFCE and OFFA, regarding how they can support those tasked with evaluation, undertaking a survey of NEON members looking at how they deliver their evaluation and identifying the leading practice in this area and showcasing it regionally and nationally. How can we Widen Access to HE STEM Disciplines Working Group The NEON central team, with the support of NEON member the Royal Society of Chemistry, led two roundtable discussions in 2013 with professional bodies, HEIs and policymakers looking at the particular challenges associated with the progression of those from under-represented backgrounds into STEM-related disciplines. In 2014 NEON will use these discussions to launch a new working group looking at access to HE STEM. This is an area where there is significant potential for collaborative discussion and developing unified messages for policymakers and the group hopes to explore this, as well as bringing together the innovation in subject-themed access to HE work. 12 The NEON Programme 2014 www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk Meetings will be held on: 7 February 2014 7 March 2014 September 2014 For further information / to sign up for this Working Group contact Sarah Kerton at [email protected] Meetings will be held on: 12 March 2014 21 May 2014 17 September 2014 3 December 2014 For further information / to sign up for this Working Group contact Inder Hunjan MBE at [email protected] For further information / to sign up for this Working Group contact NEON at [email protected] NEON Working Groups Mentoring to Widen Access Working Group – Brightside Meetings will be held on: In 2014 our working group plans to explore mentoring as a sustained intervention to help widen access to HE. Through discussion of topics relating to the delivery and evaluation of mentoring projects, we will develop a set of useful resources for dissemination throughout the sector. We will aim to establish how mentoring can most effectively be used to widen access, what are the pitfalls and top-tips for running mentoring projects, and how to use student ambassadors to best effect. 7 April 2014 7 July 2014 6 October 2014 Primary Working Group – The University of Liverpool Meetings will be held on: The NEON primary working group will continue to promote the importance of working with primary age children and schools as part of the widening access agenda. The group will provide a network for practitioners to meet and discuss issues of common concern, share best practice, develop joint initiatives and partnerships. It is hoped that during 2014 a more formal network will be developed and a steering group formed that can address the challenges that will be faced over the coming years. 24 February 2014 20 May 2014 October 2014 Working with Employers Working Group For further information / to sign up for this Working Group contact NEON at [email protected] The NEON central team has been working with the UNITE Foundation, PUSH and Pearson to initiate a strategic dialogue with policymakers, institutional leaders and also employers on the connections that can be made between widening access work and employers. In 2013 a Widening Access to HE and Employers National Forum was launched. With the increased focus on access across the student lifecycle and the growing importance of a broader agenda on social mobility in the UK, there is significant untapped potential for greater collaboration here. The Forum will be working towards a national event bringing together HEIs, employers and others in late 2014. NEON members will be asked to shape the input of the organisation here and be part of this vital event. For further information / to sign up for the Working Group contact Sue Maskrey at suzanne.maskrey@ thebrightsidetrust.org For further information / to sign up for this Working Group contact Paul Adams at [email protected] www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk The NEON Programme 2014 13 NEON Access Academy Training Core Skills for Widening Access Work This course is intended for practitioners who are relatively new to access and outreach work and who would welcome the opportunity to reflect systematically on their practice and enhance their skills. It will consist of two practical, hands-on sessions to explore the core skills for successful access and outreach work. Participants will be able to use the course to refresh and re-invigorate their outreach plans. It will cover: •Planning an effective and imaginative programme to engage learners across the progressive stages of their educational career •Working with data to target, log and track learner participation •Working with HE student ambassadors and associates to deliver outreach •Navigating, negotiating, communicating and mobilising consent within your own workplace and developing and delivering effective presentations demystifying student finance. This one-day course will be held in central London, split over two half-days: Day I – 3 March 2014 (1:00-5:00pm) Day 2 – 30 April 2014 (1:00-5:00pm) How to Prove Widening Access Activity Works This course will be led by Professor Stephen Gorard from Durham University. Professor Gorard is one of the world’s leading authorities on educational evaluation, and the lead author of the 2007 landmark review of widening participation work ‘Addressing the Barriers to Participation in Higher Education‘. It will give delegates the essential skills needed to design and implement evaluation strategies that can produce real, methodologically robust evidence regarding the impact of their widening access work. Delegates will be challenged to use what they learn in their own context to do some practical research in between the two half-days, reporting back on their findings. It will cover: •How to evaluate approaches to widening participation, from the initial design to reporting the results and implications •How to design a research strategy, construct hypotheses and understand how to measure impact and commissioning research •Understanding qualitative and quantitative techniques with particular emphasis on how to construct randomised control trials •Understanding data analysis and how to interpret results and to produce robust research reports. This one-day course will be held in central London, split over two half-days: Day 1 – 24 March 2014 (1:00-5:00pm) Day 2 – 16 May 2014 (1:00-5:00pm) 14 The NEON Programme 2014 www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk NEON Summer Symposium 2014 The inaugural NEON Summer Symposium was held in June 2013 at the University of Bedfordshire. The event was a resounding success with over 100 delegates and keynote speakers from politics and HE with over 30 sessions on offer across the two days. The event was also featured in the educational press receiving coverage in the Times Higher. The 2014 Summer Symposium will be hosted by the University of Wolverhampton on 24–25 June 2014. Bill Rammell, Vice Chancellor, University of Bedfordshire speaking at the NEON Symposium in 2013 The Programme The aim of the Symposium is to be an interactive space where attendees can work together to improve their own practice and also shape the direction of NEON over the next year. In assembling the programme for the Symposium we work hard to advance the traditional conference format and offer something more dynamic for those who attend. We want everyone to be active participants in the Symposium. As this brochure goes to press we are in the process of finalising the programme: Professor Les Ebdon Director of Fair Access to Higher Education (confirmed) Rt Hon Alan Milburn Chair – Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission (invited) Professor Geoff Layer Vice Chancellor, University of Wolverhampton (confirmed) Professor Joy Carter DL Vice-Chancellor, University of Winchester (confirmed) Sarah Howls Head of Student Opportunity, Higher Education Funding Council for England (invited) Working Group Showcases, Best Practice Sessions, Papers for Discussion and the NEON Declarations As it did in 2013, the Symposium will include the opportunity to engage with leading innovative practice from across sectors in access to HE work. The NEON Working Groups will also be showcasing their activities at the Symposium in the form of roundtable discussions and presentations. There will also be the opportunity to revisit the NEON Declarations from the 2013 Symposium. At the end of the 2013 event there were 10 Declarations that brought together the priority areas for NEON work that emerged through the Symposium. www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk The NEON Programme 2014 15 NEON Regional Communities of Practice The widening access to HE challenge is not a uniform one across England. NEON recognised this in its formation, and has delivered a series of regional supporting practice events since 2012 to support cross-sector dialogue on widening access practice. NEON delivered two rounds of regional supporting practice events in 2013. In April we worked with HEFCE and OFFA to support consultation around the new National Access and Success Strategy. In November and December 2013 we facilitated regional discussions launching the NEON regional Community of Practice (CoP) series. In 2014 we will look to continue to strengthen this dialogue through the NEON regional CoP series. The overall aim of the series is to: •Examine the specific challenges and opportunities in widening access to HE in different parts of the country from the perspectives of HE, FE, schools, students and employers •Look at case study examples of how cross-sector collaboration works in practice in different parts of the region • Continually review what the data tells us about HE participation in that region • Act as a mechanism to enable members to keep on shaping what NEON is doing. There will be two regional CoP series in 2014: Spring 2014 This series will look at the implications of regional policy changes on those working across sectors in access different regions. These policy changes include: • National Access and Success Strategy • Strategy for Access and Student Success (SASS) • The 2014-15 government funded collaborative outreach network in England. Autumn 2014 This series will showcase the activities of the NEON Working Groups with themed CoP events looking at: • Primary Access Work • Supporting Progression for Mature Learners • Establishing Evidence and Impact • Engaging Students in Access Work. Members receive up to 25% reduction for attendance at the NEON Regional CoP Series. 16 The NEON Programme 2014 www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk NEON Awards 2014 NEON is launching its first annual awards for 2014. The purpose of the awards is to celebrate success in widening access work and, in particular, to recognise the students who have progressed to HE from widening access backgrounds and how they made this journey. The NEON awards are a key part of the work of the organisation. The transformative power that HE can have on the lives of learners is best captured by individual stories and it is these the awards aim to share. There will also be awards to recognise the work of organisations and individuals in the professional widening access community. The awards ceremony will be held on 13 May 2014 at the Houses of Parliament. We are delighted to be able to announce that Rt Hon Liam Byrne, MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Shadow Minister for Universities, Science and Skills will be presenting the awards. Nominations for the awards will open in January 2014 when the judging panel will also be announced. The categories for the inaugural NEON awards event will include: NEON Student Ambassador of the Year: an identified student who has made an innovative and distinctive impact to widening access to HE NEON Widening Access Initiative: this category will be voted for by the NEON community itself. It will be the initiative that practitioners themselves feel leads the way in our practice NEON Role Models: this is the most important category. It will celebrate the achievements of learners who have entered HE from under-represented groups and are role models for the access community NEON Outstanding Access School or College: celebrating the school or college that has done the most to enable their learners from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter HE NEON Outstanding Contribution to Widening Access Award: recognising the work of an individual in the access community who has taken the work forward in a special way. www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk The NEON Programme 2014 17 NEON Knowledge Hub NEON has supported the advancement of knowledge in the access to HE field on a number of fronts since its inception in 2012. We will issue our 100th edition of NEON News in 2014 (!) and we have produced several reports including: • Riding the Storm: Maximising the Value of the Widening Access Investment • Student Opportunity Funding: Why it counts. In 2014 we want to bring together our work in this area and extend what we do. The continued evolution and development of access to HE work is dependent on how we develop our knowledge base. In 2014 we will launch our new Knowledge Hub on the revamped NEON website. It will include: NEON News NEON News is the weekly E-bulletin for NEON members that brings together research and articles related to access to HE. It also acts as a forum for publicising NEON activities and events and for advertising partner events and vacancies. The News will continue to be sent to NEON members but it will also be archived on the hub so that members can pull from it items of interest. NEON Best Practice NEON will assemble a store of case studies of best practice in areas of access work on the Knowledge Hub. We will issue our first call for case studies in early 2014. NEON Blog and Discussion One of the key pieces of feedback from our members in 2013 has been that NEON could play a valuable role building on the success of the NEON News, in stimulating debate in the widening access community. To try and do this NEON will initiate a series of monthly blogs from practitioners and others inside and outside of NEON. 18 The NEON Programme 2014 www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk Joining NEON As a Member in 2014 you will receive: Up to 25% off all events including: Access Academy Training Summer Symposium Regional CoP Series FREE participation in the NEON Knowledge Hub including: NEON News NEON Best Practice NEON Blog and Discussion FREE attendance at any of our NEON Working Groups: Access Courses and HE Progression Access and Outreach for Disabled Learners Engaging Students’ Unions in Widening Access Establishing Evidence and Impact How can we Widen Access to HE STEM Disciplines Mentoring to Widen Access Working at Primary Level Working with Employers Reductions in attendance at events with NEON Partners EXCLUSIVE participation in the NEON Awards 2014 Become a member To become a member of NEON visit www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk Types of membership Cost per annum Indvidual £120 Higher education institution £430 Further education college £380 School/sixth form college Free 2013–2014 Registered charity / voluntary sector organisation / partnerships / local authorities £290 Students’ union Free 2013–2014 Private sector organisation £590 www.EducationOpportunities.co.uk To contact NEON email: [email protected] © London Higher 2013 NEON is a Division of London Higher Company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales No.05731255 Registered Charity No.1114873
© Copyright 2026 Paperzz