Funding for widening participation in higher education

New proposals 2003-04 to 2005-06

Outcomes of consultation (March 2003)

To:	Heads of HEFCE-funded higher education institutions Heads of HEFCE-funded further education colleges Heads of universities in Northern Ireland
Of interest to those responsible for:	Strategic and corporate planning, Widening participation, Learning and teaching
Reference:	02/22
Publication date:	April 2002
Enquiries to:	Dr Sheila Watt tel 0117 931 7013 e-mail wpconsultation@hefce.ac.uk Christine Fraser tel 0117 931 7467 e-mail wpconsultation@hefce.ac.uk

Executive summary (read on-line)

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Executive summary

Purpose

1. We have been considering how we can best help the sector to increase and widen participation, and in particular how to address the need for additional funding to support a diverse range of students. This document seeks views on proposals to develop our strategy and funding methods for widening participation.

Key points

2. There are a number of widening participation initiatives in the higher education sector, which can cause a burden to institutions. We propose to rationalise our existing widening participation policy and funding to facilitate the delivery of the Government's targets for increased participation.

3. We propose to modify the way we allocate the widening participation funding at present made by reference to postcode, and also to consider which institutions receive this funding.

4. We have consulted on a new initiative, Partnerships for Progression (HEFCE 01/73), which will become our principal vehicle for 'outreach' activity to raise the aspirations and attainments of young people to enter higher education. It is intended that this initiative will subsume all our outreach work, including the existing widening participation regional projects.

5 We propose to allocate transitional funding to cover the period between the completion of the regional projects and the start of the Partnerships for Progression funding. This would allow projects to evaluate, disseminate and embed good practice, and ensure continuity of staffing so that existing partnerships can be maintained and developed where appropriate to meet the requirements of Partnerships for Progression.

6. We plan to set sector-wide targets for both widening participation and retention. We propose to ask institutions to revise and resubmit their action plans and associated targets in summer 2003, to incorporate activities associated with the new funding streams. The release of widening participation funding will continue to depend upon the submission of satisfactory targets, and satisfactory progress towards those targets. We propose that the submission of widening participation strategies and action plans will become a condition of grant from 2003-04.

Action required

7. We invite responses on the issues summarised in paragraph 56 to be sent by e-mail to wpconsultation@hefce.ac.uk by Friday 19 July 2002.