NEON is delighted to welcome applications for the latest cohort of Breaking Ground, our professional development course for colleagues working in widening participation, access, student recruitment and student success.
Whether you are new to the sector or looking to strengthen your understanding of widening participation theory and practice, Breaking Ground offers an excellent opportunity to build your knowledge, expand your professional network and develop your career.
Led by Dr Jon Rainford, the course explores the root causes of educational inequalities and critically examines the policies, strategies and interventions designed to address them.
Course Structure: Delivered through eight online sessions across the academic year, Breaking Ground creates a structured space for professional learning, reflection and discussion with peers from across the sector.
Participants will gain access to a dedicated online community, providing opportunities for networking, collaboration and peer support throughout the course. Successfully completing the programme and submitting a reflective learning diary will lead to the award of NEON Associate Professional Status.
Location: Online
Facilitator: Dr Jon Rainford, Senior Lecturer and Staff Tutor, School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport, The Open University
Course Content:
1. Widening access policy - Tuesday 1 December 2026 (10am – 12pm)
- Understand the historical development of access
- Place work within current policy context
2. Why do inequalities in education exist and why should we be concerned with addressing them? – Tuesday 19 January 2027 (10am – 12pm)
- Understand the factors that cause inequalities in education and their impact
- Apply theories of educational inequality to current work
- Identify learner characteristics that make them most likely to experience educational inequality and understand the concept of intersectionality
- Understand the benefits of addressing inequalities for:
- UK Government
- Regions
- Universities
- Schools
- Learners
3. Addressing inequalities pre and post 18 – Wednesday 17 February 2027 (10am – 12pm)
- Consider how inequalities are addressed both prior to the age of 18 and for mature learners before they enter higher education
- Be able to provide a rationale for why activities need to be targeted
- Have an overview of the measures used in schools and colleges and explain their relationship to widening access work
- Understand the specific challenges faced by mature learners and how these can be addressed
- An understanding of the key inequalities that exist at each stage of the student lifecycle and the theoretical explanations
- An understanding of the key inequalities that exist at each stage of the student lifecycle and the theoretical explanations
- Have an overview of the steps being taken by their own organisation to address inequality
- An understanding of the impact the curriculum and pedagogy have on inequalities and student retention
4. Widening access – what approaches should we use? – Wednesday 3 March 2027 (10am – 12pm)
- Be able to identify different approaches to support learners (knowledge of HE, experience of HE, belonging, attainment, careers) and the specific strategies that can be employed
- Have an awareness of the benefits and challenges of each approach
- Define student recruitment activities and widening access activities
- Explain the major differences between student recruitment and widening access
- Identify the commonalities between student recruitment and widening access activities
- Understand the importance of continual engagement.
5. Developing interventions – Tuesday 13 April 2027 (10am – 12pm)
- Identify the steps involved in planning an intervention
- Appreciate the importance of evaluation and its place within project design
- Be able to develop a theory of change (TOC) for different interventions and understand its place within the evaluative framework
- Gain an overview of different evaluation methods and how they can be used to measure impact
6. Addressing inequalities in practice – Tuesday 11 May 2027 (10am – 12pm)
- Hearing from four HEIs, learners will consider four separate approaches from four separate organisations, each one addressing a different stage. The stages considered will be:
- Access
- Student transition
- Retention
- Student success
7. Influence, influencers and influencing the influencers – Tuesday 8 June 2027 (10am – 12pm)
- List the key influencers for learners and rank them by their impact
- Be able to describe the characteristics of key influencers and the impact that has upon their own attitudes
- Critically assess current approaches to influencing influencers and be able to identify improvements
8. Course review – Tuesday 6 July 2027 (10am – 12pm)
- Reflect upon learning and experience during the course, how the course has been supportive and identify any ongoing support needed.
Topics include:
- The historical development of widening participation and the current policy context
- The factors that contribute to educational inequalities and their impact
- The rationale for addressing inequalities before and after age 18
- Supporting learners through approaches focused on belonging, attainment and careers
- Developing and evaluating effective interventions
- Translating evidence into practice
- Influencing policy, strategy and institutional change
- Reflection and course review
Places are limited and early booking is recommended.