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Widening Participation

Which way forward for English higher education?

This is a review of the road travelled so far and the way ahead for widening participation in English higher education. Its broad range of contributors – from higher education institutions, and from schools, further education, funding and planning agencies and the NHS – argue the case for more diverse learner-centred provision rather than further stratification of the sector.

The first chapters offer experiences and insights from managers working in universities and colleges. Despite the wide variation in the type of institution that they serve, all recognise the need to evaluate higher education providers on the basis of fitness for purpose. Each expresses strong reservations about the rhetoric of ‘fair access’. There follow chapters on models and markets for higher education, and analyses of social structures, young people’s life chances and appraisals of initiatives that set out to help learners from disadvantaged communities. Widening Participation concludes with an examination of policies and practices within the HE sector – recruitment, retention, learner need and staff development – followed by reflections on issues of participation, success and institutional change.

The book as a whole argues persuasively that to increase and broaden participation we need more and better guidance for potential students, appropriate curricula, and easier vocational routes into degrees and diplomas. Inclusion requires the recognition of different forms of participation.

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Contents

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