Jul 1, 2014 - consider applying to top universities; how do schemes like Pupil Premium ... Director of Student and Acade
Westminster Higher Education Forum Keynote Seminar: Next steps for HE access, retention and student outcomes ‐ implementing the National Strategy Timing: Morning, Tuesday, 1st July 2014 Venue: Royal Over‐Seas League, Over‐Seas House, Park Place, St James's Street, London SW1A 1LR Agenda subject to change
8.30 ‐ 9.00
Registration and coffee
9.00 ‐ 9.05
Chairman’s opening remarks Paul Uppal MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Universities
9.05 ‐ 9.30
Implementing the National Strategy for Access and Student Success Professor Les Ebdon, Director, Office for Fair Access Questions and comments from the floor
9.30 ‐ 10.30
Meeting the widening participation challenge What does the evidence suggest are the most successful strategies for encouraging more people from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter into Higher Education; and how can these approaches effectively be disseminated more widely across the sector? What effect is the removal of student number controls likely to have on universities’ recruitment of students from lower socio‐economic backgrounds, with disabilities or mature students? What impact will the delay to the submission of Strategies for Access and Student Success (SASS) to HEFCE have on individual institutions? What would the likely impact of the proposed national evaluation framework for access activities? What can be done by schools and universities to encourage high‐achieving pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to consider applying to top universities; how do schemes like Pupil Premium funding compliment widening participation activities? How do outcomes, in terms of increased participation, compare between the use of bursaries or tuition fee waivers? What has been the initial impact of the Department for Education’s ‘Future Scholars Award’, where all secondary schools are funded to send one high‐ achieving Year 9 pupil to visit a Russell Group university? How can schools and universities improve collaboration, as called for in the National Strategy ‐ and should universities be encouraged to work more with each other on widening participation activity. If so how could HEFCE help in this?
Eddie Playfair, Principal, Newham Sixth Form College (NewVIc) Nadira Mirza, Interim Director of Student and Academic Services, University of Bradford Dr Tessa Stone, Chief Executive, Brightside Chris McGovern, Chairman, Campaign for Real Education Questions and comments from the floor
10.30 ‐ 10.55
Funding for widening participation and student success Sarah Howls, Head of Student Opportunity, HEFCE Questions and comments from the floor
10.55 ‐ 11.00
Chairman’s closing remarks Paul Uppal MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Universities
11.00 ‐ 11.25
Coffee
11.25 ‐ 11.30
Chairman’s opening remarks Meg Hillier MP, Vice‐Chair, All‐Party Parliamentary Group on Social Mobility Trends in student retention and examples of best practice in improving student success Michael Hill, Secretary, Forum for Access and Continuing Education (FACE) and Contextual Evaluator, What works? Student retention and success change programme Ed Foster, Study Support Co‐ordinator, Learning Development Team, Nottingham Trent University and Co‐author, The HERE Project ‐ Higher Education: Retention & Engagement
11.30 ‐ 11.50
11.50 ‐ 12.40
Improving retention rates and student success Have student maintenance loans and grants kept pace with the reality of rising living costs for students, and how important a factor is financial pressure in students leaving HE? What can be done to help improve student’s financial management skills; should student maintenance loans be paid monthly to help budgeting? Should retention rates be included in Key Information Sets (KIS) for each course? In what ways do universities with higher retention rates identify students ‘at risk’ of dropping out and what further steps can be taken, sector‐wide, to improve early identification? Should OFFA play a greater role in disseminating exemplars of best practice strategies for retention and student success; how might OFFA encourage universities to think about the whole ‘student lifecycle’? How would further reductions to the Student Opportunity Allocation impact spending on activities designed to improve retention? Should st universities further increase contact hours and amend curricula in the 1 year of undergraduate studies, in order to smooth the transition from A‐levels to university? How should universities work with students’ unions to encourage a more diverse range of students to engage in extra‐curricular activities and foster a sense of belonging? How can universities and employers work together to help students gain employability skills and support their transition into employment? What steps can universities take to encourage postgraduate study, as recommended by the National Strategy?
Paula Moran, Head, Widening Participation Unit, Queen’s University Belfast Michelle Highman, Chief Executive, The Money Charity Sarah Kerton, Higher Education Consultant, NUS Questions and comments from the floor with Michael Hill, Secretary, Forum for Access and Continuing Education (FACE) and Contextual Evaluator, What works? Student retention and success change programme and Ed Foster, Study Support Co‐ordinator, Learning Development Team, Nottingham Trent University and Co‐author, The HERE Project ‐ Higher Education: Retention & Engagement
12.40 ‐ 12.55
Questions and comments from the floor with Professor Les Ebdon, Director, Office for Fair Access
12.55 ‐ 13.00
Chairman’s and Westminster Higher Education Forum closing remarks Meg Hillier MP, Vice‐Chair, All‐Party Parliamentary Group on Social Mobility Sean Cudmore, Deputy Editor, Westminster Higher Education Forum
