There is suddenly a crispness in the air and, although higher education will look quite different to this time last year, September is for many of us the 'real' new year, bringing with it a new perspective and fresh possibilities.

New on the blog this month, Chris Bayes and Martin Walker share a case study of applying research-informed practice in an access to social work programme at Lancaster University. Also new on the blog, Jess Woodsford and Rose Sellman-Leava from Inclusive Futures discuss the potential of coaching as a tool for widening participation through enhancing 'possible selves'. Read more below.

We are always looking to raise the voices of those working to reduce inequality in education. If you have an idea for a blog post broadly in the area of widening participation and lifelong learning, please get in touch by emailing [email protected]. Our guide to writing a blog post for FACE has everything you need to get started. 

As usual, we've done our best to collate interesting sector news and key sector events for you so you can prioritise what to attend in the upcoming months. 

Take care,
Jess and the FACE Team

An unusual (but still optimistic) new academic year  There is suddenly a crispness in the air and, although higher education will look quite different to this time last year, September is for many of us the 'real' new year, bringing with it a new perspective and fresh possibilities. New on the blog this month, Chris Bayes and Martin Walker share a case study of applying research-informed practice in an access to social work programme at Lancaster University. Also new on the blog, Jess Woodsford and Rose Sellman-Leava from Inclusive Futures discuss the potential of coaching as a tool for widening participation through enhancing 'possible selves'. Read more below.  We are always looking to raise the voices of those working to reduce inequality in education. If you have an idea for a blog post broadly in the area of widening participation and lifelong learning, please get in touch by emailing [email protected]. Our guide to writing a blog post for FACE has everything you need to get started.  As usual, we've done our best to collate interesting sector news and key sector events for you so you can prioritise what to attend in the upcoming months.  Take care, Jess and the FACE Team Praxis makes perfect: Developing research-informed Widening Participation practice In this article, Chris Bayes and Martin Walker at Lancaster University share a case study of applying research-informed practice in an access to social work programme that engaged 130 students over five months...  Read the whole blog   Enhancing ‘possible selves’ through coaching: A tool for fair access and participation Despite progress being made across the sector to close the gaps in equality of opportunity to access higher education (HE), there remain stark inequalities for some underrepresented groups across the student lifecycle. Students who received free school meals while at secondary school are half as likely to enter HE as those who did not, and young people who live in an area with the lowest rates of participation in HE are nearly six times less likely to go to a high tariff university than those from areas with the highest...   Read the whole blog   News from the sector September will be better than April - but not for everyone in Wonkhe As universities scramble to protect their own interests, inequalities will magnify in The Guardian What went wrong with BTec grades? In BBC News    Upcoming events  Unlocking Lockdown: Practical approaches to moving university outreach forwards | 25 September  | Online | More info Apocalypse or new dawn? Social mobility and education in the post-Covid era | 30 September | Online | More info  Improving Student Access and Success in a COVID-19 World | 25-26 November | Online | More info Are you running a webinar or other event that could be of interest to FACE e-bulletin readers? Email: [email protected] Calls for contributions Know about any calls for papers, abstracts, presentations, workshops, posters? Email: [email protected] This is the monthly e-Bulletin from FACE (the Forum for Access and Continuing Education), offered to practitioners, policy-makers, researchers and others with an interest in access, widening participation and lifelong learning. The e-Bulletin is sent to colleagues in the sector; members and non-members alike.  If you wish to respond to anything in this e-Bulletin or make a contribution to future issues, please contact Jessica Benson-Egglenton. Copyright © 2020 Forum for Access and Continuing Education, All rights reserved.