Annual Report on Widening Participation 2009

25 Feb 2010

Communicating our major achievements and successes to OFFA and HEFCE

The University of Manchester's third annual report on widening access and participation covers the 2008/09 academic year and communicates our major achievements and successes, which include:

• A record number of students accepted onto, and completing, the flagship equity initiative for outstanding local sixth formers from non-privileged backgrounds – the Manchester Access Programme (MAP);
• Embedding and expanding the Manchester Gateway programme, a coherent and progressive series of academic and HE awareness activities involving each Faculty, for local secondary school pupils;
• Pioneering developments to admissions processes, allowing Manchester to ‘flag up’ outstanding applicants who have not enjoyed equality of opportunity to good secondary education, but have the potential to excel at Manchester. These new processes have been tested in five pilot Schools and will be fully rolled-out in September 2010.

A number of short case studies illustrate how a wide range of people (for example, teachers, students, parents, academic staff, associates and partners) have been involved in, or benefited from, the University’s widening participation work.

Expanding higher educational opportunities for underrepresented groups – both to Manchester and HE more generally – is a key part of the University’s new strategic plan Advancing the Manchester 2015 Agenda.

All higher education institutions charging variable tuition fees for undergraduate students are required to enter into an ‘Access Agreement’ with OFFA and report each year on their programmes for safeguarding and widening access and participation.

The full report can be viewed on the University website at:

• Annual Report on Widening Participation to OFFA and HEFCE 2009 (PDF, 1,007.26KB)

Hard copies are available from:

• Pat Groocock at pat.groocock@manchester.ac.uk