Event Summary
More young people than ever are entering higher education, yet stark inequalities remain. Young people eligible for free school meals are over 20 percentage points less likely to enter higher education, while participation remains persistently low in coastal and post-industrial areas, creating entrenched regional ‘cold spots’. Students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds are also more likely to withdraw in their first year and less likely to progress into highly skilled employment or postgraduate study.
The conference will explore the priorities for widening participation in 2026 and plans to reform Access and Participation Plans.
A new Higher Education Access and Participation Task and Finish Group has been created, and you will hear from its Chair, Professor Kathryn Mitchell CBE DL, about the future direction of widening participation.
Expert panellists will cover the new OfS risk-based, outcomes-driven model for APPs, including speakers from NEON, the Sutton Trust and Higher Education Access and Participation Task and Finish Group.
Reflecting the growing emphasis on evidence-based intervention, the conference will examine how data can be used to update your Access and Participation Plans, helping you to identify inequalities, set clear strategic priorities, and demonstrate impact across success, progression and outcomes, not just outreach.
Regional ‘cold spots’ remain a major challenge, particularly in coastal and post-industrial areas. Hear from universities developing place-based strategies and cross-sector partnerships to create stronger progression pathways and raise aspirations. IntoUniversity will cover early intervention programmes that work, including at pre-16, with proven models and measurable impact.
We will look at how socio-economic background and intersectional factors affect the student experience. Amidst cost-of-living pressures, disadvantaged students are more likely to work alongside study, commute long distances and experience lower levels of engagement with university life. HEPI will explore responses to student financial hardship: available support mechanisms, institutional interventions, and how universities can remain an attractive option for young people as government policy emphasise skills, apprenticeships and technical routes.
We will explore how student finance, campus experience, careers guidance and belonging intersect to shape continuation, completion rates and outcomes.
Widening participation requires a truly collaborative effort – with policymakers, universities, schools, colleges and sector bodies working together to drive meaningful change. In a new policy environment, don’t miss this timely opportunity to review, reset, and strengthen your institution’s approach.
Choose to attend in-person or online.
Key Points
- What the Post 16 Education and Skills White Paper means for widening participation
- Access and Participation Plan reform under the OfS
- Recommendations from the Higher Education Access and Participation Task and Finish Group
- Gathering evidence and data about who is underrepresented, setting clear strategic priorities and targets, evidencing outcomes
- Place-based strategies to raise attainment and increase participation in regional ‘cold spots’
- Building strong cross-sector pathways through collaboration with other institutions, schools, FE colleges, charities, local authorities and employers
- Unlocking potential through contextual admissions and evidence-based admissions practice
- Addressing multiple, intersectional barriers for disadvantaged students
- Responding to student financial hardship and using data to measure impact
- Supporting transitions at key risk points (first year, return from placement)
- Addressing barriers to postgraduate study for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds
- Understanding the August 2025 OfS free speech duties and their implications for widening participation and EDI.
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