Russell Group response to John Blake speech on plans for access and participation

27 September 2022

In response to the Office for Students (OfS) director for fair access and participation John Blake setting out his plans for access and participation at a Social Mobility Foundation event in London today (27 September), Chantel Le Carpentier, Policy Analyst at the Russell Group, said:

"There is no one size fits all solution to raising attainment and creating opportunity, so we welcome a more flexible approach from the OfS that supports universities to factor in the circumstances and needs of their local area when considering how best to tackle inequality.

"Our members will continue to build on existing work with schools and colleges – offering outreach, training and even running academy trusts – to help drive up attainment and create more pathways to university for underrepresented groups.

"Proposed support for long-term, evidence-based approaches and greater clarity and co-ordination of the sector’s work in this area is also encouraging. We look forward to seeing more detailed proposals next week and will respond in due course.”