Widening Participation Conference 2024

Thursday 5th December 2024
8:45 am - 3:40 pm

The Widening Participation Conference 2024 will focus on how providers can deliver impact following the submission of Access and Participation Plans and explore how to support continuous improvement in reducing risks to equality of opportunity.

The Conference will:

  • Explore outcomes and learning points following the completion of new Access and Participation Plans

  • Assess solutions in consistently meeting the expectations of the Equality of Opportunity Risk Register

  • Showcase new insights in designing and implementing evidence-led interventions

  • Share best practice from providers demonstrating real outcomes on outreach and partnership

  • Examine how to enhance evaluation approaches to maximise the impact of interventions

Why attend the conference?

Evaluate your route to delivering on your Access and Participation Plan

Stress test your evaluation toolkit to optimise interventions

Gain examples and ideas from providers demonstrating real progress

Headline Speakers

Professor Graeme Atherton
Director
NEON

Dr Anna Anthony
Director
Higher Education Access Tracker (HEAT) Service

Professor Eunice Simmons
Vice-Chancellor and Principal
University of Chester

Reena Littlehales
Undergraduate Student Recruitment and Access Officer, Keele University
UK Chair, HELOA

Agenda

09:30 am

Chair’s Welcome Address

Holly Rowe
Deputy Head of Widening Participation
University of Cambridge (CONFIRMED)

09:40 am

Leaders’ Panel Discussion: Where Next for Access and Participation Amid Sector Turbulence?

  • Building real progress on outcomes following the completion of revised Access and Participation Plans

  • The next steps on delivering evidence-led interventions with robust evaluation capabilities

  • What does a challenging context on resourcing and funding restraint mean for investment and execution?

  • How can the sector improve collaboration to understand what works and drive enhanced outreach with schools?

Professor Graeme Atherton
Director
NEON (CONFIRMED)

Natalia Hill
Head of Access and Widening Participation
University of Wolverhampton (CONFIRMED)

Professor Eunice Simmons
Vice-Chancellor and Principal
University of Chester (CONFIRMED)

Reena Littlehales
Undergraduate Student Recruitment and Access Officer, Keele University
UK Chair, HELOA (CONFIRMED)

10:40 am

Submissions Complete: Delivering on the Ambitions of Revised Access and Participation Plans

  • The assessment and review process for providers that submitted in July and October 2024

  • The core trends and outcomes identified by the OfS following the completion of all A&P submissions

  • What follows Access and Participation Plan submissions? The next steps in delivering on intended outcomes

  • What we have seen already from Wave 1 providers on delivering under the new Plans and meeting expectations of the Equality of Opportunity Risk Register

John Blake
Director for Fair Access and Participation
Office for Students (invited)

11:10 am

Break and Networking

11:30 am

A New TASO Approach: Impact and Process Evaluation (IPE)

  • Harnessing new TASO tools to better evaluate the implementation and process of interventions

  • Moving beyond a sole focus on impact evaluation to assessing how a programme is executed and links to intended outcomes

  • Taking a deep-dive on a theory or change by taking a practical analysis on all components including inputs, activities and change mechanisms

  • Understanding how we determine if the assumptions and mechanisms behind an intervention deliver as planned

Dr Omar Khan
CEO
TASO (invited)

12:00 pm

What Next for Uni Connect? Enhancing Collaborative Outreach

Following an independent review, led by Public First, assessing the impact of Uni Connect programmes, this session will take a deep dive into future opportunities for driving an enhanced approach to collaborative outreach. The session will consider how to:

  • Develop a coherent mission and structure for supporting long-term impact

  • Reduce duplication and inefficiency across the partnerships

  • Support consistency in evaluation practices

  • Lead an enhanced profile and integration with the schools sector

  • Design an approach to evaluating collaborative outreach and supporting improved accountability

Dr Sally Burtonshaw
Director
Public First (CONFIRMED)

12:30 pm

Lunch and Networking

1:20 pm

Whole-Provider Approach – Insights from Wave 1

Dr Liz Thomas
Professor of Higher Education
University of York (CONFIRMED)

1:50 pm

Implementing Evidence-Led Intervention Strategies

Sophie Elliot
Director of Student Services
University College of Estate Management (invited)

2:20 pm

Break and Networking

2:40 pm

Building Robust Evaluation Capabilities in A&P Reporting and Delivery

  • Breaking the silos: designing a coordinated approach to data collection, recording and governance across an institution

  • Developing a holistic picture of evidence through longitudinal tracking

  • Reporting on outcomes in four years from now: linking a theory of change to data on delivery

  • Meeting OfS expectations on Standards of Evidence within the evaluation process

Dr Anna Anthony
Director
Higher Education Access Tracker (HEAT) Service (CONFIRMED)

3:10 pm

Publishing Evaluation Outcomes: How Should We Approach This?

  • Understanding the requirements of new Access and Participation Plan guidance to publish evaluation outcomes and share what works

  • How do we go beyond a tick box and use this as an opportunity to build a meaningful evidence base across the sector?

  • Developing awareness of findings and considering the audience and purpose for publications

  • Outlining new guidance from Russell Group Widening Participation Evaluation Forum on key considerations for publishing evaluations

  • How can we support publishing routes that maximise the impact of evaluation outcomes and allow knowledge sharing to thrive in the sector?

Shireen Quraishi
Senior Data and Impact Officer
UCL (CONFIRMED)

Vijdan Zorba
Data and Impact Manager
UCL (CONFIRMED)

3:40 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

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Attendance to Widening Participation Conference 2024

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£595 + VAT

Attendance to Widening Participation Conference 2024

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