NEON Summit: Widening Access throughout the Student Lifecycle

NEON Summit

Access to higher education (HE) by social background in England is profoundly unequal. These inequalities however are not confined to socio-economic background nor just to entry into HE. Retention rates, degree outcomes, and post-HE employability, all differ significantly by socio-economic background, gender, ethnicity and disability.

With the shift from the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) to the Office for Students (OfS) and the introduction of ‘Access and Participation Agreements’ the focus of widening access work is now equally on participation, retention and success of learners from under-represented backgrounds. This NEON Summit will begin the shaping of the new widening access landscape under the OfS with a keynote presentation from the new Director of Fair Access and Participation, Chris Millward and the launch of the new NEON book ‘Widening Access throughout the Student Lifecycle’.

This new book brings together contributions from over 20 different authors examining innovative practice which can improve student outcomes for learners from under-represented backgrounds across the student lifecycle. There will also be interactive discussion sessions at the summit involving contributors from the book through the day looking at participation, retention and then success. This will include working with teachers, engagement with FE colleges, using feedback to improve learning, developing internships and supporting employer engagement and approaches to monitoring and evaluation.

This important event will set the agenda for the development of widening access work into 2018.

Attendees booking on the event will receive a FREE copy of ‘Widening Access throughout the Student Lifecycle’ and will have priority access to the book launch and drinks reception from 16.00 to 17.00.

Confirmed Speakers
Chris Millward, Director of Fair Access and Participation, Office for Students
Dr Sue Timmis, Reader in Education & Co-Director –  Centre for Knowledge, Culture and Society, University of Bristol
Dr Graeme Atherton, Director, NEON & Head, AccessHE
Dr Julian Crockford, Widening Participation Research and Evaluation Unit Manager, The University of Sheffield
Andrew Whitmore, Senior Careers Manager, University of Manchester
Chris Bayes, Projects and Partnerships Manager, Shaping Futures

Programme

9.30 – Registration
10.15 – Welcome and Introduction – Dr Graeme Atherton, Director, NEON.
10.25 – Widening Access throughout the Student Lifecycle – Martin Webster, Operations Manager, NEON.
10.40 – Dr Sue Timmis, Reader in Education & Co-Director –  Centre for Knowledge, Culture and Society, University of Bristol
11.05 – Chris Millward, Director for Fair Access and Participation, OfS
11.30 – Break
11.50 – Breakout Session A: Outreach and Retention
11.50 – Breakout Session B: Employability and Evaluation
12.50 – Lunch
13.30 – Breakout Session A: Employability and Evaluation
13.30 – Breakout Session B: Outreach and Retention
14.30 – Break
14.45 – Panel Discussion:
Chris Bayes, Projects and Partnerships Manager, Shaping Futures;
Andrew Whitmore, Senior Careers Manager, University of Manchester;
Dr Julian Crockford, Widening Participation Research and Evaluation Unit Manager, The University of Sheffield.
15.45 – Closing words
16.00 – Reception
17.00 – Close