NEON Summer Symposium 2017
NEON Global Events
Date
08/06/2017 - 09/06/2017
Location/Venue
Leeds Beckett University
Time
10:30 am - 2:00 pm
Widening Access in Higher Education – Are we there yet?
Thursday, 8th & Friday 9th June 2017
Leeds Beckett University
Widening access to higher education has been an imperative for policy makers and higher education providers since the late 1990s. As we approach twenty years of concerted efforts to widen access to HE in England, the 2017 NEON Summer Symposium will look at what progress means and whether it is being made? What have we learnt in the last two decades and crucially, what should the goals for the next decade and beyond look like in the area of access and equity in HE participation?
Programme
Please click here to view the programme for the 2017 NEON Summer Symposium.
The 2017 NEON Summer Symposium will look at a number of specific issues:
- Understanding the nature of widening access practice – how do HEIs and others plan and design their portfolios of work and what do these portfolios look like?
- How are HEIs, schools and others working together to raise attainment and what are the challenges in meeting government policy goals here?
- What is being done to support greater participation (as well as retention and success) for learners with disabilities?
- Building vocational pathways – how are degree apprenticeships being taken forward and how are learners on vocational courses experiencing HE and being supported to succeed?
- The relationship between the TEF, widening access and future targets;
- Outcomes from the NNCO – what projects were developed? Are they being sustained? What did we learn about building partnerships and supporting learners?
- The use of data to both shape who is targeted and what is delivered – is practice as data informed and led as it should be?
- The relationship between outreach, student retention and student success – how are HEIs developing strategic approaches to connecting the student lifecycle?
- Helping students from widening access backgrounds achieve their potential in HE – inclusive learning and teaching and/or targeting approaches?
- Connecting access and identity – challenges and innovation in supporting white disadvantaged males/females and those from BAME backgrounds.
Speakers so far confirmed
Diana Beech, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Higher Education Policy Institute
Louis Coiffait, Head of Education, REFORM
Katherine Griffiths, Director of HE Development & Learning, University Campus Oldham
Chris Hale, Director of Policy, Universities UK
Kate Howell, Senior Policy Executive, UCAS
Sarah Howls, Head of Student Opportunity, Hefce
Caroline Rowley, Regional Director, Association of Colleges – Yorkshire and The Humber
Professor Peter Slee, Vice Chancellor, Leeds Beckett University
More speakers will be announced shortly
The NEON Summer Symposium not only offers two days of stimulating keynotes, presentations and discussions. It is also an invaluable opportunity for widening access professionals, careers advisors, student support specialists, policy analysts and academics to engage with each other, discussing best practice and driving forward a social mobility agenda that we are all dedicated to.
Exhibition and Sponsorship Opportunities
Over 170 delegates attended the 2016 NEON Summer Symposium and NEON now expects 200+ delegates for the 2017 NEON Summer Symposium. We hope that you will join us for what promises to be an outstanding two-day conference.