January 2009
23.01.09
Government publishes White Paper on social mobility
Last week saw the launch of ‘New Opportunities: Fair chances for the future’ which set out a package of measures to improve social mobility. Cabinet Office Minister, Liam Byrne, marked the launch with a reception at 10 Downing Street, at which Gordon Brown spoke, and which was attended by Aimhigher Central London’s Graeme Atherton and Rahel Feleke, a learner who has benefited from the partnership’s Reaching Up project. A Sure Start/Aimhigher ASPIRE event was featured on More 4 News’ coverage of the launch on Tuesday.
New student finance service
Student Finance England, the new service delivering student finance to new HE entrants in England, launches next month. All Aimhigher partnerships should have received a communications pack with information about the new service and its benefits; however if you have any queries visit the newly updated SFE website, which includes details of the SFE Regional Consultant for your area.
Accepted applicants for undergraduate courses in 2008 up by 10.4%
The final figures for 2008 entry, published by UCAS, show that the number of full-time students accepted on to undergraduate courses starting in 2008 rose by 10.4%, 43,197 more students than in 2007. For more information read the UCAS press release.
Fair Admissions to higher education: a review of the implementation of the Schwartz Report principles three years on
This Review Report, published in December, revealed that a number of the principles in the Schwartz Report have been successfully adopted by the higher education sector, particularly in the areas of transparency, staff training and professional development and the use of technology to share resources and information. The review was commissioned by DIUS and managed by the Supporting Professionalism in Admissions (SPA) Programme. For the full report visit the SPA website.
Aimhigher research on Bangladeshi girls choosing STEM subjects
London East Thames Gateway Aimhigher Partnership, in collaboration with Centre for British Teachers (CfBT), has published research into factors that affect Bangladeshi girls' achievements in, engagement with and aspirations in STEM subjects. The research entitled 'Bangladeshi girls choosing science, technology, engineering and maths' can be viewed on CfBT website.
New features on the UCAS website
UCAS has added two new features to its website for prospective students. Now users can access Student Employability Profiles (SEPs), as well as overall satisfaction ratings from the National Student Survey for each subject grouping they view. For more information, read the UCAS press release.
Evaluation & Monitoring section updated
The Evaluation & Monitoring section on the practitioner site has been updated to make it easier for practitioners to find the information they need. The section guides practitioners to key information for the 2008-11 strand of the programme. Visit the section to find out more.
Further to an article in THE on 1 January, Staffordshire University has published research into the link between an interest in current affairs and progression to HE based on post-16 students. The research paper, ‘Cultural capital as an explanation of variation in participation in higher education’, is available below:
Measuring Cultural Capital
Presentations now available from AonA conference
Plenary and workshop presentations from the Action on Access conference, held in December, are now available online. These include speeches and presentations from David Lammy MP and Steve Smith, as well as from John Selby from HEFCE about WP strategic assessments.
20.01.09
Webchat about social mobility White Paper
Following the release of the New Opportunities: Fair chances for the future White Paper, Liam Byrne, Minister for the Cabinet Office, is holding a live webchat today at 2pm. To watch the webchat or submit a question visit the Number 10 website.