Groups of learners or potential learners from certain communities or backgrounds are reported as statistically proportionately under-represented in higher education. These include learners from the lower socio-economic groups, disabled learners, learners from some ethnic backgrounds, some groups of boys or young men, and learners with other distinct backgrounds such as those leaving care, travellers or asylum seekers.
The nature of under-representation is complex. Statistics around ethnicity, gender and particularly disability, need careful interpretation. Fair access is also an important strand of widening participation, where some learners, despite being appropriately qualified, continue to be under-represented in those higher education providers with the most demanding entry requirements, and on some courses directly associated with, or granting, professional status, aswell as across the profession.
The funding council in its publication ‘Higher education outreach: targeting disadvantaged learners', available to download in PDF or Word, seeks to provide effective ways to target activities towards (particularly) young people from communities that are under-represented in higher education and experiencing social disadvantage. The publication identified those from lower socio-economic groups as the ‘overwhelming’ priority and HE providers and Aimhigher partnerships were advised to ensure that around two-thirds of the participants in widening participation activities are from that target group, with an emphasis on those aged 13-19 as the key target group. ‘Guidance for Aimhigher partnerships’, available to download in PDF or Word, also available are Annex B and Explanatory Notes, additionally identified that learners with a disability or a specific learning difficulty and young people leaving the care system had to be effectively targeted.
There are many projects and activities funded to attempt to redress particular under-representations. these pages of the website are aimed at presenting some of the work with these groups of learners. As policy and funding opportunities influence and initiate different projects with different uner- represented groups and the landscape changes, this website will endeavour to reflect those changes.
More recent government publications such as 'Higher Ambitions' and the 'Fair Access to the Professions' report are signalling a move in widening participation aims to more centrally encompass adult and lifelong learning, (higher) skills, student retention and success, flexible delivery, impacts on middle class families (particularly access to the professions), and not to have a narrow focus on 13 - 19 year olds. Equally initiatives such as the HEFCE 'Single Equality Scheme' are encouraging institutions to become more inclusive institutions where holistic provision is in place to welcome and accommodate all students who can benefit from HE whatever their background or circumstances. Nevertheless, specific support will continue to be directed at specific learner groups for the reasons given above.
Other pages to illustrate work with those from under-represented communities or backgrounds are in preparation, and we would be most grateful if you could send us any examples of successful work being carried out with the under-represented groups so far featured, so that we might use our website to showcase it for other practitioners.Email us at info@actiononaccess.org
Groups of learners or potential learners from certain communities or backgrounds are reported as statistically proportionately under-represented in higher education. These include learners from the lower socio-economic groups, disabled learners, learners from some ethnic backgrounds, some groups of boys or young men, and learners with other distinct backgrounds such as those leaving care, travellers or asylum seekers.
