Workshop 4: A regional approach to mapping access and participation risks
London Uni Connect undertook a review of APPs for 43 providers across London to understand where we are focusing the greatest levels of resource to tackles risks to access and participation and have compared current APPs to preciously published versions.
1:45 PM - 2:45 PMWed
The Old Library
Speakers
Karen Roberts
London Uni Connect Programme Manager
London South Bank University
Professor Tony Moss
Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience
London South Bank University
Michelle Anson
AccessHE Uni Connect Outreach Manager
London Higher
The Office for Students requires individual higher education providers to publish Access and Participation Plans, which set out the interventions and targets each provider aims to meet in relation to improving access and participation for underrepresented groups. Providers are expected to identify risks to access and participation using the Equality of Opportunity Risk Register, and insights that have in relation to their own student communities. London Uni Connect have undertaken a review of APPs for 43 providers across London, to understand where we are focusing the greatest levels of resource to tackles risks to access and participation - and have compared current APPs to preciously published versions. Our analysis highlights some striking findings. First, there has been a substantial decline in the number of targets and interventions from previous to current APPs. Second, there appears to be a degree of oversupply of interventions in relation to some EORR risks, and other EORR risks which are not being collectively addressed across the region. We will argue that this does not represent a failure on the part of individual institutions, but rather reflects a need to introduce a regional approach to coordinating APP interventions, to ensure we are making best use of collective resources to address educational inequality.