Widening participation
Encyclopedia
The widening participation in higher education
is a major component of government
education policy in the United Kingdom
and Europe
. It consists of an attempt to increase not only the numbers of young people entering higher education, but also the proportion from so-called "under-represented groups" (those from lower income families, people with disabilities
and some ethnic minorities
).
In this way it is hoped to redress the inequalities in participation between social class
es. Widening participation is one of the strategic objectives of the Higher Education Funding Council for England
(HEFCE). The issue of widening participation became a political
issue after the Laura Spence Affair
which hit the headlines in 2000 and after the 2003 University of Bristol admissions row
which converned alleged biases in favour of the state sector.
HEFCE is pursuing this policy through a number of measures, including the payment of financial incentives to universities
and by funding the Aimhigher
programme.
This policy is linked to the Labour government's
target of increasing participation in higher education to 50% by 2010.
Action on Access is the National Co-ordination Team for HEFCE's Widening Participation Activities. Based at Edge Hill University
in the North West of England
, Action on Access provides an invaluable resource for widening participation practitioners in Higher Education Institutions and partnerships.
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
is a major component of government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
education policy in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. It consists of an attempt to increase not only the numbers of young people entering higher education, but also the proportion from so-called "under-represented groups" (those from lower income families, people with disabilities
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
and some ethnic minorities
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
).
In this way it is hoped to redress the inequalities in participation between social class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
es. Widening participation is one of the strategic objectives of the Higher Education Funding Council for England
Higher Education Funding Council for England
The Higher Education Funding Council for England is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in the United Kingdom, which has been responsible for the distribution of funding to Universities and Colleges of Higher and Further Education in England since...
(HEFCE). The issue of widening participation became a political
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
issue after the Laura Spence Affair
Laura Spence Affair
The Laura Spence Affair was a British political controversy in 2000, ignited after the failure of high-flying state school pupil Laura Spence to secure a place at the University of Oxford.-Background:...
which hit the headlines in 2000 and after the 2003 University of Bristol admissions row
2003 University of Bristol admissions controversy
The University of Bristol admissions controversy was a dispute over the admissions process for the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom which occurred in 2003...
which converned alleged biases in favour of the state sector.
HEFCE is pursuing this policy through a number of measures, including the payment of financial incentives to universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
and by funding the Aimhigher
Aimhigher
Aimhigher is an umbrella term to describe initiatives aimed at widening participation in UK higher education, particularly among students from non-traditional backgrounds, minority groups and disabled persons....
programme.
This policy is linked to the Labour government's
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
target of increasing participation in higher education to 50% by 2010.
Action on Access is the National Co-ordination Team for HEFCE's Widening Participation Activities. Based at Edge Hill University
Edge Hill University
Edge Hill University is situated in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England. It has three faculties: Education, Health and Social Care, and Arts and Sciences.- History :...
in the North West of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Action on Access provides an invaluable resource for widening participation practitioners in Higher Education Institutions and partnerships.
See also
- Academic InflationAcademic InflationAcademic inflation is the process of inflation of the minimum job requirement, resulting in an excess of college-educated individuals with lower degrees competing for too few jobs that require these degrees and even higher, preferred qualifications...
- Affirmative actionAffirmative actionAffirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
- Department for Innovation, Universities and SkillsDepartment for Innovation, Universities and SkillsThe Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was a UK government department created on 28 June 2007 to take over some of the functions of the Department of Education and Skills and of the Department of Trade and Industry. In June 2009 it was merged into the newly formed Department for...
External links
- Role of the new Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS)
- Widening participation in higher education in England, Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, HC485 Session 2001-2002: 18 January 2002
- DfES White Paper: The future of Higher Education, 2003
- HEFCE: Widening participation
- DfES Higher Education
- National co-ordination team for widening participation in higher education
- Pure Potential: Independent, national organisation which helps bright students from state schools and colleges with university and careers
- Into University: an education charity working to promote widerning participation.