Secondary

Historically the majority of widening participation work has taken place at secondary level. In terms of Aimhigher, there are a variety of models operating in relation to secondary schools. In some cases schools are given a set amount of money a year, based on their cohort size, to spend on widening participation activity. They may use some of this money to employ a member of staff, often an Aimhigher adviser, to work with the cohort organising events and tracking progress. The money might also be used to buy in activities, either from the local Aimhigher partnership or from higher education institutions. In other cases money might be held centrally by partnerships and used to support widening participation cohorts in schools in accessing activities. Often the model will be a combination of the two. Usually partnerships will take the responsibility for tracking cohorts of widening participation students and also evaluating the programmes being delivered. Action on Access supported Aimhigher partnerships in developing the Higher Education Progression Framework which looks to provide activities as part of a coherent programme based on age-related learner outcomes.

In the past there has been some tension between Aimhigher and schools about accounting for the spending of this money because in most cases it is delivered to the schools directly from the Department of Children Schools and Families. Schools have been given far greater independence in terms of how they spend their resources under the ‘New Relationship with Schools’ which was published in 2004 as part of the government’s five-year plan. Details of this can be found in the Action on Access Summary Guide to 14-19 Reform. This issue is less apparent now as some excellent working relationships have been established with schools. In many cases, schools have integrated support for their widening participation cohorts into their school development plans and their self evaluation frameworks. More and more school improvement partners (SIPs) are asking questions about widening participation as part of the ‘single conversation’. The current advice to SIPs is available here . Action on Access has also provided both bulletins and publications on good practice in schools.

Another key issue in the relationship between secondary schools and Aimhigher has been the position of 11-16 schools where it is often harder to persuade the school to devote time to activities which encourage progression to higher education. This is because without Level 3 courses the schools feel more removed from the process of applying to higher education. One response to this has been the idea of progression targets or measures for schools and this is currently under consideration. All schools and colleges have benefited from the greater collaboration between institutions which the 14-19 reforms have encouraged, especially in terms of considering transition and progression.

What is certain is that schools will be expected to take a far greater part in supporting the widening participation agenda in the future. There are specific recommendations in the ‘New Opportunities Fair Chances for the Future’ white paper published in January 2009, around improved information advice and guidance (IAG), focussing on attainment gaps and providing a comprehensive package of assistance to pupils from low income backgrounds in the top 50% of performers. It is equally clear that Ofsted will be asking more questions around these issues. Action on Access recently organised a seminar to start a debate on these issues. We have also prepared a summary of the key points as they relate to widening participation which can be found here .

Please click the link below to see a presentation by Phil Harley the Lead Adviser for Schools.
New Opportunities for Engaging with Schools – Strategic Implications of some recent policies – June 25th 2009