Conference promotes widening participation partnerships
Posted on behalf of: Widening Participation
Last updated: Friday, 18 October 2013
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning), Professor Clare Mackie, yesterday (16 October) told school teachers of her pride at the success of the University’s efforts to help young people who have no family tradition of higher education.
Professor Mackie was addressing representatives from around 50 of Sussex’s partner schools and colleges at the second annual Widening Participation conference on campus, which this year focused on the University’s innovative First-Generation Scholars’ scheme.
Professor Mackie, herself the first in her family to go to university, opened the conference by introducing the scheme, which is in the running for a 2013 Times Higher Education Award for Widening Participation Initiative of the Year.
Professor Mackie described the scheme as “something good” to come out of the government’s decision to raise the tuition fee cap to £9,000.
Professor Mackie said: “Universities such as Sussex have been able to reimagine how we encourage students to come to university despite the fees.
“Our students were involved in creating this scheme but it’s not just them who want a rich diversity of students on campus, our academic staff are also passionate about it. They way that they have worked has been fantastic, there’s lots of innovative projects to hear about.
“But I’m actually particularly proud of our First-Generation Scholars. They do a lot of good work; they’ve got themselves involved in tutoring and other activities. I’m really proud of them and we look forward to celebrating their achievements in the years to come.”
Around 120 people attended the conference, including Sussex staff involved in widening participation, delegates from partner schools and colleges and representatives from national organisations and partners such as OFFA, UCAS, Student Finance England, The Brilliant Club, IntoUniversity, Aimhigher London South and Realising Opportunities. The key note address was delivered by Dr Graeme Atherton, founder of the National Educational Opportunities Network (NEON), who highlighted the challenges facing universities committed to improving access for under-represented groups in what is a difficult policy and economic context.
During the conference a number of new initiatives designed to promote closer collaboration between the University and its partner schools and colleges were announced, including the launch of a stakeholder group to strengthen the evidence base for the wide range of initiatives currently being run under the First-Generation Scholars scheme.
The day also saw the launch of the new Sussex Study Experience programme, developed in collaboration with the widening participation leads in six of the University’s academic departments. The scheme aims to bring Year 12 students with no family history of university on to campus for six days of activities to develop the core skills relevant to that subject, while also providing first-hand experience of what it is like to be a student at a university.
One delegate at the conference reported that the day had provided a “great opportunity to gain a greater understanding of current partnership work and practices,” while another said that it left them “better informed about what widening participation is and how it works”. All but two of the delegates (95%) reported that they would be able to apply something from the conference to their future practice.
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