The Access Podcast

The Access Podcast

By SOAS-FACEEducation
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The Access Podcast episodes

  • 3. Higher Education and Social Mobility - The What, How and Why?

    In late November 2021, the Institute of Fiscal Studies published a report ranking universities in terms of their contributions to social mobility. It is the first time the IFS conducts such a study and there are no plans in place to repeat it yet.

    The report follows in the footsteps of other similar endeavours to address how universities are assessed and the short-comings of existing university league tables, which have been found to contribute towards the inequality of access evident among highly selective and other universities.

    In this third episode of the Access podcast, I discuss the role of rankings in promoting social mobility; the criteria used to evaluate social mobility, and the wider social and educational context impacting or possibly informing social mobility in the UK with Professor Deborah Johnston, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) at London Southbank University and member of the Disabled Students’ Commission, an independent and strategic group that advises, informs and influences higher education providers to improve support for disabled students set up by the Office for Students.

    My colleague Simon has also conducted a number of vox pops with university students to ascertain their views on higher education's potential to drive social mobility in the UK.

    We hope you will find it informative and stimulating. Please leave us a comment, a like or a recommendation by using the tools available at Spotify and iTunes.

    59 min
  • 2. Spotlight on The Skills and Post-16 Education Bill

    This second episode of the Access Podcast focus on the” Skills and post-16 Education Bill”, which was introduced to Parliament in May 2021.

    The Bill comes as new figures show that further and technical education provision boost the economy by £26 billion. According to a report by the Social Mobility Commission, twice the number of disadvantaged 16 to 18-year-olds are in further education than in school sixth forms.


    The Bill is now at committee stage in the House of Commons.The proposed abolition of technical qualifications has been delayed for a year, with reassurances that many, if not all, BTecs are likely to continue after an outcry from the sector and strong interventions at the House of Lords.

    In this episode of the Access Podcast, we speak to

    • John Butcher, Professor of Inclusive Teaching in Higher Education and Director Access, Open and Cross-curricular Innovation at the Open University (02:51)
    • Dr John Baldwin has 45 years experience in FE, initially as a lecturer, then head of department and later as a senior manager including a responsibility for higher education in the college (29:13)
    • Robin Webber-Jones - Head of Apprenticeships at the University of Derby (55:08)

      • We hope you will find the discussions informative and, the different speakers’ perspectives, enriching.

      1 hr 23 min
    • 1. Tracking Data in Widening Participation

      Following research it commissioned in 2019, the Office for Students is considering the benefits of a centralised database to link and report on the outcomes of participants in outreach activities. In this episode, we speak to representatives of two tracking databases (HEAT & EMWPREP) as well as the Office for Students to understand the context and implications of this recommendation.

      1 hr 24 min

    About The Access Podcast

    From the publisher's feed

    A SOAS-FACE podcast designed to bring together practitioners and policy makers to discuss the big issues of the day in relation to access, participation, success and social mobility.