Widening Access and Participation
The UK has implemented explicit policies of not just increasing but
widening participation in higher education for the past fifteen plus
years. This work has developed to become increasingly sophisticated,
moving from one off interventions to integrated programmes and embedded
approaches. This has been informed by research and evaluation, which is
applied to policy and practice at national, institutional and
partnership level.
We can offer services to review and develop your
widening access and participation work at the strategic and practical
levels, particularly in relation to:
Institutional strategic approach
Targeting specific groups of
under-represented learners
Monitoring and evaluation
Bowes, L., Thomas, L., Peck, L., Moreton, R. and Birkin, G. (2013)
The uses and impact of access agreements and associated spend.
Bristol: OFFA
Bowes, L., Jones, S., Thomas, L., Moreton, R.,
Birkin, G. and Nathwani, T. (2012) The Uses and Impact of HEFCE
Funding for Widening Participation. Bristol: HEFCE
Stephen
Gorard, Nick Adnett, Helen May, Kim Slack and Emma Smith (2007)
Review of widening participation research: addressing the barriers to
participation in higher education (working title), Stoke on Trent:
Trentham Books
Thomas, L. and Quinn, J. (2006) First
Generation Entrants in Higher Education: An international analysis
(with Jocey Quinn). Maidenhead: Society for Research in Higher Education
and Open University Press
Thomas, L. (2005) Widening
Participation in post-compulsory education. Second Edition London
and New York: Continuum
Thomas, L., Storan, J., Wylie, V.,
Berzins, K., Harley, P, Linley, R. and Rawson, A. (2010) Review of
widening participation strategic assessments 2009. Ormskirk: Action
on Access
Thomas, L. and Jones, R. (2007) Ten year review of
the Sutton Trust summer schools. London: Sutton Trust.
Thomas, L. et al (2005) From the margins to the mainstream:
embedding widening participation in higher education. London:
Universities UK
2012 Teachers as advocates for widening
participation, Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning,
vol. 14, no. 2, pp40-58 (with Derek Bland and Vicky Duckworth)
1. 2011 “Do pre-entry interventions such as ‘Aimhigher’ impact on
student retention and success?” A review of the literature, Higher
Education Quarterly. vol. 65. No. 3, p230-250
2. 2005 The
2003 UK Government Higher Education White Paper: A critical assessment
of its implications for the access and widening participation agenda‘
Journal of Education Policy, 20(5), pp615-630, with Rob Jones
3. 2001 ‘Power, Assumptions and Prescriptions: A critique of
widening participation policy-making’ in Higher Education Policy,
vol.14, issue 4, pp361-376
4. 2002 Collaboration to Widen
Participation (editor, with Michael Cooper and Jocey Quinn). Stoke
on Trent: Trentham Books