Widening Participation/Contextual Admissions

[SometimesRavenSometimesParrot]

Hi all. I’ve seen quite a lot of posts lately where people seem a bit confused about different widening participation initiatives and contextual admissions, either how they work, why they work or why they’re even done... and some people asking questions about them and not getting anything resembling an accurate response.

I’ve worked in a WP team for seven years now (with a couple of short stints in admissions), so since I have often had excellent advice from Mumsnet and my questions answered, I thought I’d offer myself up to answer anything in this area someone might want to know.

I be name changed so I can be a bit more honest and I know there are several other posters who work or research in this area who might want to chip in!

Standard disclaimer of every uni works slightly different, so answers will be broad ranging - feel free to PM me if you’ve got a specific q!

Also on two year degrees - the first year of uni is often about finding your feet and adjusting to new expectations. We know WP students are more likely to struggle with a gap here. If you condense to 2 year degrees, they loose some of this opportunity and could well end up with poorer results overall.

Where students don’t want to commit to 3 years plus of study there are foundation degrees, HNDs and HNCs on offer.

The thing is with WP is that very poor students are well supported. Students from average and below average homes are not.

As others have said, London universities are out for people of modest means. It’s not just the accommodation - transport and food are too expensive to make for a decent experience, and if people have more than one dc at a time at university - help!

My dcs’ school has hardly anyone on fsm BUT people are not affluent. There is always this cartoon divide portrayed where students are either in a high-rise block in Hackney or from a sprawling house in dinky Surrey village.

WP never seems to extend beyond the bounds of London and never includes those who live in mediocre towns with mediocre schools with a mediocre outlook.

WP never seems to extend beyond the bounds of London and never includes those who live in mediocre towns with mediocre schools with a mediocre outlook.

That is simply not true. I've worked in WP for 20 years and I've only worked at universities in the north of England and on projects aimed at supporting schools in those surrounding areas.
Most WP projects are run at a local level.

@IrmaFayLear

The thing is with WP is that very poor students are well supported. Students from average and below average homes are not.

As others have said, London universities are out for people of modest means. It’s not just the accommodation - transport and food are too expensive to make for a decent experience, and if people have more than one dc at a time at university - help!

My dcs’ school has hardly anyone on fsm BUT people are not affluent. There is always this cartoon divide portrayed where students are either in a high-rise block in Hackney or from a sprawling house in dinky Surrey village.

WP never seems to extend beyond the bounds of London and never includes those who live in mediocre towns with mediocre schools with a mediocre outlook.

Well I’ve been working in WP in the North of England, so I can assure you it does extend past London!

As I’ve said (many times on this thread now) there will always be a cut off point for this kind of support, and it is a shame that as you put it ‘mediocre’ schools are above that cut off point. But that cut off point is designed, based on data and research to help those who are most in need. Which is unfortunately, not the mediocre schools.

I can also confidently reassure you that the cartoon divide you refer to is not something the sector thinks. I’m acutely aware, as are my colleagues, of the very different backgrounds our students come from, how this impacts them and how we need to tailor our support to help. We know, for example, the support a student from a rural community needs is very different from the support an inner city student needs.

Also the "dead time" can be quite useful - you can sit on your bed and think or chat to people (which I do not regard as wasted things) or do things I did which do not really cost anything or much at all like singing in a choir although I think had to fund an air fare when we sung in Spain (and yes I appreciate that might be seen as elitist but my children's comprehensive educated cousin did all that for nothing as the local church had a choir although I accept if your parents are on drugs they are unlikely to take you off aged 6 to join your local C of E church choir I suppose......)

Lots of students have hardly any money so there are things you can do in dead time. I also volunteered for 2 years at university which did not cost me anything (although may be that is elitist as if you are not well off you don't volunteer because you have to spend that time doing your shop jobs on Saturdays or whatever).