Welcome to issue 99 of our monthly e-Bulletin.

In this bumper issue - one of my last... - we welcome Stephane Farenga to the FACE team. We also have a thought piece from Neil Raven about how schools can support outreach activities; a look at the first SMAG meeting and further enticements relating to our Annual Conference. We also have the usual topical news and events summaries.

As a member-led network we very much welcome your news and views in the e- bulletin. So please forward any contributions to me at the email below and we will do our best to fit them into a future edition.

Jamie

Please welcome Stephane Farenga as the new FACE Web and digital media officer. Stephane comes with a wealth of experience and expertise - both in web technologies and widening participation.

Last year, I gave notice to the FACE Executive that I would stepping down from my role as Webmaster and e-bulletin editor. The Executive were quick to respond; working with myself and colleagues to try and identify a suitable replacement. And I am really pleased to confirm that have found one!

Over the next few months, Stephane Farenga and myself will be working through a comprehensive handover exercise to ensure he is fully prepared to take on the (re-badged) Web and digital media officer role. Here is some background to Stephane who...

• is currently employed at the University of Hertfordshire as Research and Evaluation Officer
• is also undertaking his PhD, looking at the transition of students from non-traditional backgrounds into HE
• presented at FACE 2015 and had a paper published by the Open University in October 2015
• is very experienced with various popular social media platforms
• previously worked at Pearson as a project manager for digital education products
• is hungry to get started!

In an earlier piece I discussed how, in principle, it should be possible to evaluate the changes that widening participation (WP) interventions can have on the recipients of these activities. This included behavioural changes, once participants have returned to the classroom (Raven, 2015a). This paper builds on these ideas by exploring the role that some schools can play in maximising the impact of WP interventions. It does so by drawing upon evidence provided two teaching professionals: one a former assistant head of a state school who now manages a range of educational programmes, including for those from WP backgrounds; the other a current assistant head of a community college, with a catchment area that includes low HE participation wards. 
 
Whilst not true of all schools, the first of the teaching professionals observed that, in some cases, there is a clear intention to ‘embed’ the learning acquired on an outreach intervention, once participants return to class. This is evident when ‘multiple conversations’ take place with the school contact. Whilst initial conversations will explore the preparatory work that can be conducted in school, later ones will be concerned with what can be done back in the classroom. The chances that the learning acquired on these interventions will be successfully embedded are likely to be enhanced, it was suggested, when the contents of an intervention are aligned with the school’s curriculum.  A potential ‘diffusion effect’ was also mentioned, where the material covered in the intervention then informs the learning of the whole class, not just outreach participants (Raven, 2015b).
 
Discussions with the assistant head provided a case study of a community college building on the learning derived from a wide range of interventions. This included the practice of feeding such learning into a wider ‘progression programme’ where post-16 options were explored. More broadly, there was evidence of the college fostering an environment conducive to widening access. This included raising awareness of the college’s engagement with the widening access programme through publishing event reports on the institution’s website and in newsletters sent to parents (Raven, 2015b, 18-19).  Beyond this, discussions explored ideas for maximising the prospects that the learning initiated by engagement on interventions would lead to behavioural change. Whilst university students do visit the college, it was argued that their impact could be enhanced if these visits followed on from campus-based events, and involved the same undergraduates talking with the same groups of pupils who had visited the university. The resulting conversations could explore the actions participants had taken as a consequence of what they had discovered during their university trip. 
 
Considerable emphasis is now placed on universities and schools working in collaboration to pursue the fair access agenda (OFFA and HEFCE, 2014, 3-4, 8; OFFA, 2015c: 11, OFFA, 2016a, 11-12, OFFA, 2016b, 15). Whilst much of the focus has been on schools supporting the delivery of outreach activity, it can be suggested that the concept of collaborative outreach could be taken further.  Schools have the potential to be partners in embedding the learning arising from participation on outreach activities. I would welcome your views on this subject.
 
Acknowledgements
 
I would like to thank Suzanne Whiston and Andrew McMurray for their insights and expertise, and for some very thought provoking discussions. 
 
References
 
Office for Fair Access. 2015. Strategic Plan, 2015-2020.  Bristol: OFFA
http://www.offa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/OFFA-Strategic-Plan-2015-2020.pdf

Office for Fair Access. 2016a. Strategic guidance: developing your 2017-18 access agreement. https://www.offa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/strategic-access-agreement-guidance.pdf
 
Office for Fair Access. 2016b. How to produce an access agreement: a step-by-step guide. https://www.offa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/OFFA-2016-02-Access-agreements.pdf
 
Office for Fair Access and Higher Education Funding Council for England. 2014. National Strategy for Access and Student Success. Bristol: OFFA, HEFCE.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-strategy-for-access-and-student-success
 
Raven. N. 2015a. ‘The challenge of evaluating behavioural change amongst outreach participants: some initial thoughts’, Forum for Access and Continuing Education, e-Bulletin, issue 96 (November).

Raven, N. 2015b. Recognising the indirect: some reflections on the evaluation of widening access interventions, Rapport.  The International Journal for Recording Achievement, Planning and Portfolios. Vol. 1, Issue 2. p. 16-21.

• Meeting the Prime Minister’s 2020 goals of doubling the proportion of students from the most disadvantaged areas and increasing the number of black and minority ethnic (BME) students by 20%
• Improving the outcomes of higher education for BME students so that their degree attainment and progression after university are closer to those of their white counterparts
• Improving the progression of white working class boys to higher education Supporting students with disabilities to enable them to participate fully in higher education and achieve strong outcomes 

• The importance of taking a lifecycle approach
• Encouraging institutions to take whole institutional approaches and universal interventions to reduce inequality
• The need to create inclusive and supportive environments and increase the sense of belonging for underrepresented groups
• The impact of place, and importance of engagement with Local Enterprise Partnerships
• The need for improved evaluation of current practice and better ways of sharing successful interventions
• The importance of engagement between schools, colleges, universities and employers to support social mobility at a time of change and competition
• The need to review systems, funding and structures for addressing social mobility in higher education, given the changes in the funding environment and reforms to structures and systems

Early Bird expires soon - Book now!

Since last month, we have been delighted to receive more Early Bird bookings for the Conference. The deadline for Early Bird bookings is this Sunday 3 April 2016, so there is still a little more time to secure your place at a preferential rate. Further details can be found on our Registration page.

The annual FACE conference provides a platform for its members, non members and students to participate in plenary sessions and workshops, with an opportunity to network with like-minded colleagues in a friendly and professional environment. The 2016 Conference promises not to disappoint!

FACE 2016 Themes:

• Partnerships – working with alumni, engaging communities and embracing the private sector to widen access
• Employer engagement – lifelong learning within the workforce, identifying needs and creating realistic and challenging learning opportunities
• Student experience – engaged learners, empowered graduates, WP adding value to the student life cycle
• Internationalisation – the university community working together to create opportunities for all.

Don't forget your paper or poster - Submit your Abstract today:

Submissions are still being accepted for paper abstracts as well as posters and should relate to the above conference themes.  The deadline for submitting your abstract has now been extended to 15 April 2016.

If you haven't already found it, there is also a great page with some links to other websites to give you ideas about how you could extend your stay in Northern Ireland. A warm welcome certainly awaits us all!

The next steps for adult basic skills policy and Functional Skills qualifications in England | 14 April, 2016, Central London.
This conference will examine the further steps that can be taken by Government, employers and others to ensure that adults have the necessary skills to find employment, or progress in their careers.
It is timed to follow Ofqual's review of Functional Skills Qualifications, due to begin in Autumn, which will look into how these qualifications can best meet the basic skills needs of employers, as well as how to achieve greater consistency between awarding organisations.
The conference will also provide a timely opportunity to consider the future for adult and family learning at a time of public austerity - particularly with regard to increasing participation rates in English and Maths, motivating learners and developing flexible learning models.
Further details: http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/

• Alternative routes into HE
• Moving from Access to widened success
• Flexibility and technology
• Employability
• Shoe-horned and side-lined: The crisis facing mature part-time students

The 25th EAN Conference Retrospective for Perspective Access and Widening Participation 1991-2041 | 29 - 31 May 2016, University College Dublin.

We are honoured and delighted that University College Dublin will host our 25th annual conference 2016 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the EAN. On this auspicious occasion, we will take a retrospective look at the past 25 years' achievements in access to higher education, to give perspective for moving forward for the next 25 years. Where we came from, our struggles and triumphs, and what are our aspirations for the next 25 years?

There will be four thematic areas for paper and poster proposals: policy; practice; research and data; language.

At the heart of this Silver Jubilee celebration will be the poster exhibition showcasing access past, present and future.

Drawing inspiration and learning from participants, we will use their contributions to construct and shape a conference legacy – of both the EAN and all who have made an impact in widening access, promoting equity, diversity and inclusion – the EAN Dublin 2016 Proclamation. The Proclamation will be endorsed as a foundation for future planning in policy and practice over the next 25 years.

Registration is now open. Join us in Dublin and share with us your trials and tribulations or sweet successes!

Further details: http://www.ean-edu.org/

13th PASCAL International Conference - Learning Cities 2040: Global, Local, Connected, Sustainable, Healthy & Resilient | 3 - 5 June 2016, The University of Glasgow.

The 13th PASCAL International Conference - June 3rd to June 5th, 2016 in Glasgow, Scotland - will focus on future directions for Learning Cities at a time of considerable challenge and opportunity for cities, with significant development in the role and contribution of Learning Cities. Following soon after the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) 2nd International Conference on Learning Cities in Mexico City with the inauguration of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, the UN Paris conference on climate change, and UN decisions on sustainable development goals, the conference provides opportunities to share ideas and experience on the development and role of Learning Cities in this challenging context with opportunities for fresh ideas and innovative forms of partnership.

The Conference builds on PASCAL work on Learning Cities since 2010 through two programs: PASCAL International Exchanges (PIE, 2010-2013) and PASCAL Learning Cities Networks (LCN,2014- ). Important themes emerging from this work have been given shape in the themes of the conference. Glasgow as the venue of the conference has been awarded European Entrepreneurial Region for 2016 with a number of examples of entrepreneurial initiatives in Glasgow presented for the Conference that could be brought into a scenario for the future.

Further details: http://conference2016.pascalobservatory.org/

• Partnerships - Engaging communities and embracing the private sector
• Lifelong Learning - Creating realistic and inspiring opportunities within the workforce
• Internationalisation - Working together to create opportunities for all
• Student experience - Quality, equity and consistency

Further details: http://www.face2016.org.uk