Current Issues in Admissions Policy and Practice: the view from SPA Admissions to HE Conference – 5 November 2009 Janet Graham, Director of SPA

Current Issues in Admissions Policy and Practice  2009 A busy year: reports and initiatives relating to social mobility, lifelong learning and progression to HE  Highlight issues that are likely to impact on admissions to HE, many are already in progress by HE providers  SPA’s agenda, working in partnership with universities and colleges, has two core themes: 1. the use of contextual data in widening participation and admissions, and 2. the applicant experience – ‘joined-up-ness’ of staff working in WP, application support and admissions, transition and progression into HE to provide a good service to applicants

Good practice in a changing environment  Expectation of increasing professionalism within all aspects of admissions, centralised or devolved admissions, managers, professional support staff and academics  Government, media, schools and colleges, parents and others want to know and be assured admissions to HE is a fair system  Increasing pressures on admissions, student recruitment and widening inclusion staff  Conflicting priorities and complex issues: policy initiatives, curriculum developments, institutional priorities …  Economic climate – reduced funding/ resources  Need to maintain a quality service and enhance excellence

Current Issues in Admissions Policy and Practice  The Supporting Professionalism in Admissions Programme was established as a source of expertise on good practice for HE providers and to lead on fair admissions throughout the UK  Produced good practice statements, principles and issues papers on admissions policies, feedback, Entry Profiles, fairness, interviews, criminal convictions procedures, and more in progress  Applicants should expect fair outcomes on the basis of transparent processes and policies fairly applied by staff who have the appropriate skills and knowledge, with processes and policies regularly monitored and evaluated.  Delivery Partnership – developed new practices, many of which have been delivered by UCAS

Current Issues in Admissions Policy and Practice Institutional strategy and mission In England – OFFA and HEFCE Widening Participation Strategic Assessments required from HE providers, how is WP becoming a core activity integrated within the institutions mission and long term strategy? The WP Strategic Assessments guidance from HEFCE highlighted that as part of a strategic assessment fair access, admissions should be carefully contextualised as part of a larger process of institutional openness and outreach. Conference 6 November - analysis of the WP Strategic Assessments and what next Similar types of strategies or assessments likely in Wales and Northern Ireland to review widening access

Current Issues in Admissions Policy and Practice The National Council for Educational Excellence (NCEE) recommendation 6 - how HEIs can identify the ‘best’ students with the potential and ability to reach the highest academic achievement. Report on work this year out next week Realising Opportunities project - HEFCE funded project which is designed to raise students aspirations and to help the 13 universities to identify able students with potential, but who require additional motivation and support, both to apply to HE, and make a successful transition, as well developing mutual recognition for their compact or progression schemes Sharing of what works/ methodology/ good practice UK wide

Current issues in admissions The Alan Milburn report Unleashing Aspirations: The Final Report of the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions - July Chapter 6 - Universities: new opportunities to pursue higher education – engines for social change. Recommendation 41 stated ‘by law it is for universities to determine their admissions procedures but we hope that all universities will take into account the educational and social context of pupils’ achievement in their admissions process.’ Many of the recommendations and issues were taken up in the HE framework

Current Issues in Admissions Policy and Practice Universities UK has set itself five priorities, two of which impact on admissions and contextual data, namely  Social mobility – including pre-student experience, information advice and guidance (IAG), widening participation, curriculum, mature students, part-time etc  Quality standards and reputation Professor Steve Smith at the UUK Annual Conference in September stated “What we must do more effectively as a sector is communicate to people - students, parents, employers - how standards are protected and maintained in higher education. Universities have also been putting significant resource into publishing information for prospective students about what to expect from their university experience.”

Current Issues in Admissions Policy and Practice National Student Forum – student views on information, advice and guidance for progression to HE, next annual report 2009 due soon NUS Student Experience – provides a good feedback on what students thought of their HE experience including the applicant experience In September David Lammy, Minister of State for Higher Education and Intellectual Property, announced that HEFCE would be sponsoring research to find out just what information potential students want, so that they go to higher education understanding what to expect of their student experience. Stems from recommendations of the NSF and others.

Current issues in admissions – Higher Ambitions Higher Ambitions: The future of universities in a knowledge economy launched by Lord Mandelson on 3 November a framework for Higher Education over the next ten or more years. Need to continue to widen access and sustain and improve standards of HE excellence in an increasingly pressured international context and constrained public spending, need to continue drive up excellence in this environment HE equips people with skills needed in global economy that a knowledge economy demands, it gives access to the best jobs, everyone, irrespective of background, has a right to a fair chance to gain those advantages Vital for social justice, social mobility and for meeting the economy’s need for high level skills

Higher Ambitions: How the Government will: 1.Ensure that all who have the ability to benefit can get access to HE 2.Support HE in making an even bigger contribution to economic recovery and future growth 3.Strengthen research capacity and its translation into economic impact 4.Promote excellent teaching in HE with institutions competing to attract students on the basis of the excellent service they provide 5.Strengthen the role of HE in the heart of communities and shared intellectual life – engage with the wider world 6.Ensure HE continues to maintain excellence even under tighter public financial constraints

Higher Ambitions: Key areas for admissions Framework broadly welcomed by the HE sector as positive and constructive Main chapters for admissions: Chapter 1 Wider and fairer access to HE – main one plus parts of Chapter 4 The Student Experience of HE Strong themes of social mobility and fair access Review of measures to widen access to selective universities by OFFA Progress made but more work required, not just HE but ‘supported by all those with a role to play’ – schools and colleges

Higher Ambitions: Key areas for admissions Framework recognises extent of existing partnerships between schools, colleges and HE, HE to build on these Improved Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) and encouragement for students earlier in their education Encourage HE providers to develop new ways of using contextual data in admissions and hope all universities and colleges will consider it All HE providers publish a ‘standard set of information setting out what students can expect in terms of the nature and quality of their programmes’ - more than Entry Profiles; link to other information already available? Programme specifications?

Higher Ambitions: Key areas for admissions New routes to access HE especially for those from wider range of qualification backgrounds including vocational qualification and mature students New types of HE programmes particularly ‘high value’ part-time and work based courses, with broader range of learning models Role of HE in FE

Current Issues in Admissions Policy and Practice  For many of these developments institutions will need to show/ know they have robust systems in  quality enhancement and assurance in admissions procedures  IT systems that can support the work of institutions throughout the whole applicant experience: from WP and aspiration raising, through application, post-application, transition and as students; more to ‘paperless’ admissions,  data analysis of institutional data, WP data, tracking, reporting and monitoring  training and CPD – staff to be up to date with changes in policy, qualifications etc and the institutions response to these

What next?  The HE Framework is important for the HE sector, what will be its impact if there is a change of government next year?  Equalities Bill  Impact of curriculum developments  Diversity of devolution – similar issues but different approaches  Review of tuition fees at English institutions  Welsh Assembly Government’s response to the Jones Review of HE in Wales awaited  Debate around tuition fees in Scotland

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