Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to widen access to higher education.

An English 18-year-old from a disadvantaged background today is 86% more likely to go to university than in 2010, and the department wants this success to continue.

The Higher Education and Research Act (HERA) 2017 established the Office for Students (OfS) as the regulator for higher education (HE). It has a statutory duty to have regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity in relation to the whole student lifecycle for disadvantaged and traditionally under-represented groups, not only access, but also student success and progression. The Director of Fair Access and Participation at the OfS has a specific role in overseeing this work and driving it forward.

In November 2021, the department issued guidance to the OfS, tasking it to refocus the entire access and participation regime to create a system that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The system should ensure students are able to make the right choices, accessing and succeeding on high-quality courses which are valued by employers and lead to good graduate employment.

This work aims to drive up standards in education and focus in on genuine social justice by making getting on at university as important as getting in.

Prior attainment is a key determinant of successful participation in HE. That is why the department has asked universities to take on a more direct role in driving up the standards in schools.

The department wants to see universities working with schools to drive up the standards and encourage aspiration and attainment, not for their own benefit by increasing numbers at their own institutions but to support students through paths that benefit them the most, including through apprenticeships, higher technical qualifications or vocational education.

Uni Connect, which the department is funding at £30 million for 2023/2024, brings together partnerships of universities, colleges, and other local partners to offer activities, advice and information on the benefits and realities of going to university or college.

The department knows that diversifying modes of study in HE can be an important method of broadening access and participation. We have tasked the OfS to strongly encourage providers to set themselves ambitious, measurable targets to significantly increase the proportion of students on higher and degree apprenticeships, Level 4 and 5 courses and part time study. Examples of this can be found at both universities in York as well as the Yorkshire and Humber Institute of Technology.

All approved HE providers who are intending to charge fees above the basic amount are required to fully rewrite their access and participation plans to be in place for September 2025 to reflect government priorities. The OfS has identified approximately 40 HE providers who will be the first to complete this rewrite and have their new plans in place for September 2024.

In March 2023, the OfS launched its Equality of Opportunity Risk Register (EORR). This will empower providers to deliver interventions for groups of students least likely to experience equal opportunity in HE settings by highlighting 12 key sector risks and the groups most likely to experience these. The department welcomes the EORR as a key marker for social justice which will help ensure that no student groups are left behind.