Skip navigation
Search
Search

Undergraduate

Children of prisoners: Forgotten, invisible, and HE needs to act

Wed 20 September 2023 - 14:32

By Pippa Blythe, Widening Participation Project Coordinator, University of Cambridge in Widening access and participation

At the University of Cambridge, we have added children of prisoners (students with imprisoned parents) to the list of characteristics we prioritise for widening participation programmes. I am calling for other providers to follow suit and consider being a child of a prisoner as a key piece of contextual information in the application process. 

How many are there in the UK?

There are an estimated 312,000 children of prisoners in the UK. We have no systematic way of identifying them. When a parent is sentenced there is no mechanism for the local authority to be notified if they have children or even accurate records of if a prisoner has children.

What does current research tell us about this group?

Being a child of a prisoner is shown to correlate with compounding of disadvantage. In a...

Displaced Student Opportunities UK, a new portal to help refugees access university

Thu 22 June 2023 - 09:33

By Student Action for Refugees (STAR) in Widening access and participation

Displaced Student Opportunities UK is a database of opportunities and resources to support access to higher education for people who are displaced in the UK. This portal is a joint initiative between Refugee Education UK, Student Action for Refugees (STAR), and University of Sanctuary.

We aim to make it easier for people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds to find accessible, accurate information to support them on their journey to higher education, in partnership with higher education institutions, charities, and other organisations who provide educational opportunities for refugees and people seeking asylum.

The types of opportunities featured on the portal include:

  • university scholarships
  • English language courses
  • small grants
  • ...

Getting to number one – understanding the decision-making factors of WP students

Fri 16 June 2023 - 10:55

By Vicky Downie, Principal Insight Consultant in Widening access and participation

While many universities and colleges have become confident in understanding what drives international vs UK students when making their firm choice, fewer feel confident in understanding what is likely to have the greatest impact on widening participation applicants.  In anticipation of the 2023 UCAS Student Decision Reports being published in July, I’ve looked back at last year’s reports to see how you can understand your WP applicant and offer holders better, and whether we should be developing a separate conversion campaign to your UK wide communications.  

At the top spot 

At first glance, there is very little differentiating all applicants against WP applicants across the sector, in the factors influencing their decision making. Range of modules comes out the top factor for all students regardless of background, showing that subject-specific marketing and communications are the flagship of any conversion campaign, with the opportunity to...

Making informed HE choices without support from your family

Thu 26 January 2023 - 08:32

By Susan Darlington, Partnership Assistant at Go Higher West Yorkshire in Widening access and participation

Making decisions about the next steps on your higher education (HE) journey can be an exciting time, filled with the possibility of studying a new subject, moving to a new city, and making new friends.

But if you have no contact with your close family members – you're estranged due to an irreconcilable breakdown in your relationship with them - and are living independently, it can be a time of great uncertainty. Without the financial, emotional and practical support of a family network it can be challenging to negotiate travelling to open days, securing accommodation, and applying for student finance. Reaching out for help can also feel daunting when faced with the stigma of estrangement.

Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) understands these can be significant challenges to face on your own, which is why we produced the country's very first collaborative Stand Alone Pledge.

The...

Are we at a crossroads for access and participation?

Wed 9 November 2022 - 10:00

By Carys Willgoss, Principal Policy Adviser and Ellie Rowley, Fair Access Programme Lead in Widening access and participation

Supporting disadvantaged students is at the heart of UCAS’ charitable objects – we are committed to helping students from all backgrounds in progressing into and through education. Our origin story itself – the merger of Universities Central Council on Admissions (UCCA) and Polytechnics Central Admissions System (PCAS) in 1992 – was designed to create equality of opportunity for aspiring students, streamlining two systems into one.

Most recently, UCAS has significantly invested in this area through the launch of the Fair Access Programme to build on our existing work and add additional value to the work already underway across the sector. Through our response to the...

How accessible is university for learners with SEND?

Tue 27 September 2022 - 08:15

By Alex Grady Head of Education and Whole School SEND, nasen in Widening access and participation

What do you understand by ‘SEND’ or ‘special educational needs and disabilities’? There can be an assumption (probably an unconscious one) that learners with SEND will not be on a pathway to higher education, as they have ‘learning difficulties’. This is a misconception. There are many reasons why a young person is on the SEND register, many of which should not and do not mean that they don’t have the academic potential to access HE.

Take the young person with autism, who achieves highly in their chosen subjects but may find social interaction and change or transition challenging, and so is anxious about moving on to HE and doesn’t apply. Or the young person with a physical disability who communicates via eye gaze technology, but has exceptional ability in science (Stephen Hawking, anyone?). How about the young person who has recently been identified with dyslexia, which helps to explain why they have struggled to get their essays in on time – their potential in history...

No longer in contact with your parents? Tick the UCAS ‘estranged student’ box!

Thu 19 May 2022 - 09:57

By Susan Mueller, Higher Education Director at Stand Alone in Widening access and participation

Are you are applying to higher education without the support from your parents or even your wider family due to a breakdown in your relationship with them? Are you already living independently and have little or no contact with your parents and maybe also other close family members? Or is this likely to be your situation before you start uni? If you can answer yes to any of these questions, then you might be classified as an ‘estranged’ student which means you could get support to study.

In higher education, if your relationship with your parents has permanently and irreconcilably broken down and you have no contact with them, this is referred to as ‘estranged’. If that is the case for you, you may be wondering about things like: how to finance your studies, where you will live, and how to make friends and fit in. Maybe you are also thinking about how you can keep yourself safe from unwanted contact and...

Are you from a UK Armed Forces family? Let your university or college know!

Thu 19 May 2022 - 09:56

By The Global Education Team – Ministry of Defence in Widening access and participation

UCAS has introduced a new flag that will immediately identify to universities and colleges whether an applicant is from a UK Armed Forces background (sometimes referred to as ‘Service children’).  This flag will be generated simply by students ticking a box on the UCAS application form.

This is positive news from several perspectives. 

It is a clear sign to universities that children from Armed Forces families deserve additional attention; recognising that many Armed Forces children have a unique set of experiences and personal skills that are highly valuable in academic and employment settings.

Of course, it also enables universities to consider applications against the context of some of the more challenging aspects of Armed Forces life. For example, admissions teams will be able to assess students’ achievements...

Sponsored articles