Paper 4 – Update on AccessHE annual conference planning
This paper provides an update on progress with planning the 2024-25 AccessHE conference. The Steering Group is asked in particular to input on the following:
- Suggested speakers, where there remain gaps in the agenda (see below)
- Options for sponsorship (we are seeking a sponsor for the drinks reception in particular)
- Maximising the visibility of the conference to key London stakeholders outside of HE who we would like to attend
- Roles of Steering Group members on the day/in the run-up
- Mechanisms for ensuring the conference outcomes/recommendations, especially those emerging from the breakout sessions, are seen and acted upon by policymakers
The conference is scheduled for Wednesday 12 February 2025 (12:00-17:00) at the University of Westminster’s Marylebone campus. The venue can accommodate up to 120 attendees; we hope to host min. 100 delegates on the day to maximise networking opportunities and enrich workshop discussions.
Theme
The conference title is Equality of Opportunity in London HE: 2030 and beyond. It purposefully looks beyond the current political cycle and beyond the lifespan of new Access and Participation Plans to offer a longer-term perspective on the vision for equality of opportunity we as a sector want to achieve. At the same time, this approach aligns with the Labour government’s promise to be ‘mission-driven’ and to oversee a ‘decade of national renewal’. By asking what our ten-year objectives for widening access and participation in London HE are, as well as using conference discussions to begin developing a roadmap for how we achieve them, we can helpfully give shape and direction to the Government’s own policy agenda.
By coming together as a pan-London, cross-sector network under the umbrella of AccessHE, the conference is also an opportunity to consider the specifics of an equality of opportunity mission for London. This may resemble a national programme in many respects, but we want to critically reflect on whether there are challenges, threats and/or opportunities that are unique to the capital.
Format
We hope to open the conference with a ministerial address (Jacqui Smith, the Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern, has been invited). This will be followed by a panel discussion, surveying trends in HE participation in London and exploring how the widening participation agenda aligns with wider policy aims (e.g. the GLA’s Growth Plan and Building a Fairer City Initiative). The panel will set the scene for the remainder of the conference.
The core of the conference will be dedicated to two breakout workshop sessions (each breakout session will comprise two parallel workshops). These will enable a deeper dive into key themes and challenges that will be decisive to achieving a step-change in HE participation and education outcomes. The aim of the workshops is to hear short remarks from a panel of experts on the theme in question, before moving into charrette-style discussion in which participants consider what their ten-year objectives would be in this thematic area. We will also ask workshop participants to offer recommendations as to how these objectives can be achieved through system-wide, collaborative approaches.
Following the workshops we will reconvene for a final keynote, from John Blake, Director for Fair Access and Participation at the Office for Students.
A full agenda including speakers, where confirmed, is available here.
