Professor Les Ebdon CBE Director of Fair Access to Higher Education

1. O f f i c e f o r F a i r A c c e s s
Professor Les Ebdon CBE
Director of Fair Access to Higher Education
London, UK | February 2016

2. # H U E M E A 1 6
To promote and safeguard fair access to higher education for people from
lower income backgrounds and other under-represented groups.
Institutions charging higher fees must have an access agreement with OFFA
Our remit covers:
• full-time undergraduates
• part-time undergraduates
• postgraduate teacher training courses
• England only.
OFFA’s role

3. # H U E M E A 1 6
Entry rates of disadvantaged 18 year olds in England
For 18 year olds from low participation
neighbourhoods, the 2015 entry rate was
18.5%, compared with 17.8% in 2014, and
13.6% in 2009.
Entry rate among the least disadvantaged 18
year olds was 2.4 times higher than that
among the most disadvantaged (down from
3.7 in 2006).
0%
4%
8%
12%
16%
20%
2006 2009 2012 2015
EntryRate
Entry rate among the most disadvantaged,
2006-2015 (POLAR 3, Quintile 1)
18.5
%
Source: UCAS (End of cycle 2015, 18 year olds)
0
1
2
3
4
2006 2009 2012 2015
Entryrateratio(Q5:Q1)
Difference in entry rate between most and
least disadvantaged groups
Source: UCAS (End of cycle 2015, 18 year olds)
Q5: Least disadvantaged; Q1: Most disadvantaged

4. # H U E M E A 1 6
Ten years of progress… what’s behind it?
• Increase in outreach
• Whole student lifecycle
approach
• More tailored, evidence-based
spend
• More collaborative work

5. # H U E M E A 1 6
‘Student lifecycle’ approach
Supporting students:
• preparing for HE (building
expectation, aspiration,
attainment)
• entering HE
• retention and student success
• progression to further study or
to/within employment

6. # H U E M E A 1 6
The importance of student success
“Widening access to higher education alone is not
sufficient to achieve goals of social justice, social
mobility and economic prosperity; support for
students to be successful in higher education and
beyond is also required.”
CFE/Edge Hill University (2013) International research on the effectiveness of
widening participation
“Access without support is not
opportunity”
Cathy Engstrom and Vincent Tinto, Syracuse University

7. # H U E M E A 1 6
Whole-institution approach
• We want to see a strategic, whole-
institution approach
• Widening participation embedded
across the institution
• Internal collaboration – ensuring
departments are working towards
the same goals

8. 1
2
3
4
5
Reducing the participation
gap at higher tariff
universities
The challenges for widening access to higher participation
Addressing the decline in
part-time and mature
student numbers
Addressing differential
outcomes
Areas and regions with low
participation (“cold spots”)
Access to postgraduate
study

9. # H U E M E A 1 6
3) Differences in outcomes
Percentage point difference of the outcome from the sector-
adjusted average, split by quintile
Source: HEFCE 2013/14, Higher education and beyond: Outcomes from full-time first degree study

10. # H U E M E A 1 6
Differences in outcomes by ethnicity
2013-14 graduates by ethnicity, entry qualification and degree
classification
Source: HEFCE 2015/21, Differences in degree outcomes: The effect of subject and student characteristics, Figure 12

11. # H U E M E A 1 6
Key opportunities for fair access
• Government commitment to fair
access
• Green Paper
• Teaching Excellence Framework
• The end of student number
controls

12. # H U E M E A 1 6
New Government guidance
“We are asking universities to go further and faster than ever before, especially the
most selective institutions. This guidance for the first time identifies groups of
students where most attention is needed, such as white boys from the poorest
homes and students with specific learning difficulties. We want to see smarter
spending, with more outreach and much deeper partnerships with local schools.”
Jo Johnson MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science
Drag or drop your photograph here

13. # H U E M E A 1 6
A shared responsibility
• Universities
• Colleges
• Schools/teachers
• Families
• Employers
• Unions
• Charities
• Skills organisations
• Communities
• Government

14. Any questions?