The Access Project has joined five other leading social mobility charities in responding to proposed changes to higher education funding.
The joint statement follows speculation that the prime minister’s review of post-18 education, headed by Philip Augar, is considering measures the joint signatories say could have a detrimental effect on social mobility.
The Access Project, along with Brightside, Causeway Education, Impetus-PEF, IntoUniversity and upReach, said: “Higher education (HE) should be a route open to all young people, irrespective of background. But we have a big and persistent social mobility problem in the UK: young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are half as likely to progress to HE as their peers
“Widening participation funding exists to help close this gap. This funding is vital to the work that we – alongside universities, the Office for Students and others – do to support young people from under-represented groups to progress to, and succeed in, HE. This funding is now in question.”
The full statement is available as PDF here: Widening-Participation-CEO-statement-20-November-2018