Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase higher education participation among young men.

The Office for Students (OfS), as regulator for higher education (HE), has a statutory duty to have regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity in relation to the whole of the student lifecycle, not just access, but also continuation and success.

HE providers registered with the OfS that intend to charge higher level tuition fees must have an access and participation plan (APP) approved by the OfS.

APPs articulate key risks to equality of opportunity in HE, how these will be addressed and the student groups that will be supported through them. The OfS advises HE providers to consider intersections of disadvantage, such as those faced by white working-class men, when creating their APPs, based on credible assessment of risk.

Supporting disadvantaged and underrepresented students in HE remains a priority. The government has allocated £265 million this financial year in student premium funding to support successful student outcomes.