Widening Participation Conference 2025
Thursday 3rd July 2025
9:30 am - 4:30pm
Virtual Conference
The Widening Participation Conference 2025 will explore the latest insights and innovations for higher education providers in designing, delivering and evaluating interventions to drive enhanced equality of opportunity outcomes for students.
The Conference will offer solutions on:
Successfully delivering new Access and Participation Plans
Managing risks to equality of opportunity
Developing evaluation capabilities to improve interventions
Delivering widening participation impact amid financial constraints
Designing innovative approaches to outreach, partnership and collaboration
Supporting enhanced student success outcomes
Why attend the conference?
Learn how providers are delivering on their new Access and Participation Plans
Gain the latest expert insights on managing and evaluating your interventions
Map out the next steps for managing risks to equality of opportunity in your institution
Agenda
09:30 am
Chair’s Welcome Address
Clare Allison
Head of Outreach & Widening Participation
University of Kent (CONFIRMED)
09:40 am
Opening Keynote Address: How Higher Education can Break Down Barriers to Opportunity
In this opening keynote session, The Rt Hon Lord Willets, will argue why:
Getting to university transforms the prospects of disadvantaged young people
Increasing total numbers going to HE is the best way to boost participation by marginal students
HE can be vocational and technical
Universities are key to the place agenda
The Rt Hon Lord Willetts
Former Minister of State for Universities and Science
President, Resolution Foundation (CONFIRMED)
10:10 am
Enhancing the Evidence Base for Interventions: TASO Update
Developing the Higher Education Evaluation Library (HEEL) to drive evidence and evaluation sharing
The next steps in developing the evidence ecosystem and supporting evaluation capabilities across the sector
Building toolkits for delivery: How do we translate an evidence base into well designed interventions?
Dr Omar Khan
CEO
TASO (CONFIRMED)
10:40 am
Break and Networking Stream
11:00 am
Reducing the Access Gap at Durham University: Access and Participation Plan Case Study
This case study will explore how Durham University developed an ambitious approach to its new Access and Participation Plan, in a region where only 30% of 18-year-olds progress to higher education and where just 7% of the population comes from a Global Ethnic Majority background. This session will examine how Durham intends to reduce the access gap to 2.7:1 by 2028-29, with a focus on:
Intervention design
Evidence and evaluation
Goal setting and performance management
Managing investment in the A&P Plan
Student partnership working
Dr Monika Nangia
Academic Registrar and Director of Student & Academic Services
Durham University (CONFIRMED)
11:30 am
Student Engagement and Attendance: Rethinking our Interventions
Understanding the barriers on engagement and attendance for widening participation students
What evidence exists on interventions for attendance driving enhanced outcomes?
Rethinking the approach to engagement in a newly merged institution
Sarah Wood
Head of Student Inclusion and Engagement
City St George's, University of London (CONFIRMED)
12:00 pm
Breaking the Biggest Barrier to Success: Financial Literacy, Decision Making and Support
Why student financial wellbeing is core to student success
The vital tools needed to deliver impactful support on financial literacy and decision making
Embedding student financial interventions across the student journey
Vivi Friedgut
Founder and CEO
Blackbullion (CONFIRMED)
12:40 pm
Break and Networking Streams
1:30 pm
Building an Understanding of University Life for Children on Child Protection Plans – Insights from an Equality of Opportunity Innovation Fund Project
The development of a project to support children on child protection plans, a group typical absent from access interventions
Building an understanding of higher education opportunities with a focus on attainment and self-efficacy
Designing tailored advice and guidance that builds confidence in exploring routes into higher education
Exploring how the interventions have been developed and how the project will monitor long term outcomes
Assessing how the project will develop an evidence base for the sector
Susie Whigham
Interim CEO
The Brilliant Club (CONFIRMED)
2:00 pm
In Conversation: Delivering Real A&P Impact Amid Financial Uncertainty
Leading access and participation interventions in the context of financial constraints
Making decisions on spending and investment to ensure delivery matches an Access and Participation Plan
Managing risks to the success of A&P Plans and knowing when to open variation discussions
Sticking to the core principles: early intervention, partnership and evaluation
Karla Juerges
Widening Access and Participation Manager
De Montfort University (CONFIRMED)
Kimberley Simms
Head of Widening Access and Community Engagement
Nottingham Trent University (CONFIRMED)
Liz Routhorn
Head of Widening Participation and Outreach
London Metropolitan University (CONFIRMED)
2:40 pm
Enhancing Evaluation Capabilities to Improve Interventions
This session will examine the evaluation infrastructure needed to support the effective monitoring and analysis of new interventions.
Through a case-study “walkthrough” the session will assess what an approach to continuous improvement on evaluation looks like and the next steps in building a robust evidence base that delivers on objectives for new Access and Participation Plans.
Tamara Thiele
Widening Participation Evaluation and Evidence Manager
University of Warwick (CONFIRMED)
Judith Ajebon
Widening Participation Evaluation and Evidence Officer
University of Warwick (CONFIRMED)
3:10 pm
Break and Networking Stream
3:30 pm
Care Experienced Students: Pathways into and through HE
Sharing the outcomes from a study led by the Rees Centre, this session will examine:
How do different groups of young people with experience of children’s social care tend to differ in their progression to and through HE compared to each other and other young people?
Professor Leon Feinstein
Professor of Education and Children’s Social Care, University of Oxford
Director, The Rees Centre (CONFIRMED)
3:50 pm
Can AI Drive Transformative Change on Access?
How can machine learning support widening participation activity and open up new capabilities?
Can AI become a new leveller in driving access?
What practical steps can universities take to leverage AI in opening up new routes into higher education?
Professor Ross Renton
Principal
ARU Peterborough (CONFIRMED)
4:10 pm
Designing a Widening Access Curriculum
This case study session will explore an innovative approach to curriculum redesign at the University of Sheffield. Through a project of horizon scanning and targeted research on underrepresented groups, it will explore how an evidence-led curriculum design model was utilised to address clear barriers to access and participation.
Megan Rostern-Thomson
Interim Head of Access Programmes and Engagement & Access Manager (Educational Partners and Summer Schools)
The University of Sheffield (CONFIRMED)
4:30 pm
Conference Close
*Programme subject to change
Audience
This event is designed for those engaged in widening participation, access and outreach. Those in attendance will include:
Directors of Student Recruitment and Admissions
Directors of Widening Participation
Heads of Access
Heads of Outreach
Heads of Student Success
Heads of Widening Participation
Access and Outreach Managers
Access and Outreach Officers
Access Projects Managers
Evaluation and Reporting Managers
Widening Participation Managers
Widening Participation Officers
Secure Your Ticket
HE and Public Sector
£195 + VAT
Private Sector
£395 + VAT
HE Team of 3+
Discounts Available
For group discounts and enquiries about your registration please contact us on enquiries@heprofessional.co.uk