Given this set of circumstances it is perhaps unsurprising that Aimhigher fails to live up to its social justice potential. This is neither consistent nor comparable. Immigrant assimilation is one of the most common forms of assimilation. Different priorities by HEI type: target age groups. Access agreements were also analysed for references to Aimhigher, which can be a legitimate conduit for additional tuition fee income and also a key partnership institutions might be expected to mention. They followed on from a 1960s initiative, Education Priority Areas and brought together a group of schools with parents, community groups and businesses and aimed to attract sponsorship and investment from the private sector. However, research has revealed some fundamental problems in the way that Aimhigher funding is distributed and therefore the way in which some activities have been targeted; for example the national evaluation of Aimhigher Survey Strand (carried out by the preent authors) found that groups who were the most under-represented in HE did not necessarily receive the corresponding amount of resources or activities to engage them. Aimhigher is an umbrella term to describe initiatives aimed at widening participation in UK higher education, particularly among students from non-traditional backgrounds, minority groups and disabled persons. there are those who are not targeted. agreements from each of the pre-92 and post-92 institution types, representing The final phase expands the methodologies explored in the first two phases to a wider sample in order to deliver an evaluation of the Aimhigher programme as a whole. Post-1992 universities were more likely to highlight the role Aimhigher plays in their institutional WP; they tended to mention Aimhigher earlier in the document and in the context of larger sections of the document (in one case with its own headed paragraph). HEFCE has addressed many of these issues in the recent revision of the targeting guidelines (HEFCE, 2007). Another common Aimhigher cohort entry requirement is the lack of parental experience of higher education, designed to pick up those that could be the first generation of their family to experience higher education. A third of respondents reported deeper and broader collaboration with other institutions, schools and agencies over a five year period. (10), Table IV: References to Aimhigher in access agreements. Geography professor and human migration specialist William A. V. Clark says that immigrant assimilation is “a way of understanding the social dynamics of American society” and defines it as “the process that occurs spontaneously and often unintended i… However, large differences exist in the level of participation, choice of course and choice of institution within the broad BME categories, and actual disadvantage is more apparent when BME groups are identified by ethnic origin rather than as a homogenous group. There are also concerns about the very low numbers of students with disabilities, looked after children and certain ethnic minority groups that progress to higher education. You Can Generate Your Certificate,But Aim Higher! Archer (2003) in Archer,L, Hutchins,M and Ross, A (2003) Higher Education and Social Class Issues of Exclusion and Inclusion. HMSO. 2.1.3 Education Maintenance Allowance which are payments to students with a low-income to encourage them to stay and gain qualfications. However, in practice it did not appear that the targeting of participants for the classes was happening in this manner. • I was initially involved in developing the curriculum and teaching the Saturday sessions run for the Aim Higher AS sociology students. 1010. Aimhigher claims to focus its activities 'on young people from disadvantaged social and economic backgrounds, some minority ethnic groups and people with disabilities'(5). devolved to schools is �non-ring fenced� in line with the government�s strategy Both types of HEI all had a significant focus on secondary school pupils. Aimhigher is a national programme run by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) with support from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) formerly the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). For example, while pre-1992 universities are more likely to offer taster events, mentoring and residential schools (all associated with individualised support for academic learners) post-1992 universities were more likely to offer pre-entry information advice and guidance (IAG), events for parents and carers, sector related HE taster events and promoting vocational routes to HE (more relevant to underrepresented groups, McCaig, Stevens and Bowers-Brown: 2006). Partnership lobbying: evidence from the National Educational Providers Surveys and OFFA Access Agreements. > Sure Start Programme: supporting families with pre-school children. Some of these, such as the local Aimhigher partnerships, are mandatory, but the number and nature of other partnerships cited again reveals key differences between pre and post-1992 universities. However, HEFCE recognises that there will be problems that arise due to the complexity of defining a young person's social class and that 'the result will be no more than an approximation to the social composition of any group of learners' (HEFCE, 2007:18). Paperback, 504 pages. The concern that the funds might spill over is apparent in the assertion that 'we need to ensure that these limits are not exceeded' (HEFCE: 2006). Active 6 days ago. Education Action Zones – Extra money for schools in deprived areas. Sociology is the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society. in some cases in a narrowing of the attainment gap in many subjects. Aimhigher operated in England on a national, regional and area basis, including: In 2008, the Aimhigher student portal website [1] was merged into the Directgov web resource, and today maintains an archive of the initiative's activities. about 25% of each sector. receives Aimhigher funding is a member of a regional Aimhigher partnership. Table V: �Which of the following best describes the growth of partnership working that you have experienced as a result of Aimhigher?�. grant. However, we will conclude that Aimhigher fails to fulfil its potential to be a force for social justice, in part because of a fundamental weakness in the concept of Aimhigher, and in part because of structural weaknesses in the operation of Aimhigher partnerships. Engagement is used here in the sense of engagement with a target social group that is the subject of outreach or widening participation activity. Indeed, Minister for Lifelong Learning Further and Higher Education Bill Rammell recently affirmed the Government's commitment to fair access and widening participation in higher education for 'reasons of social justice and economic need' (Hansard, 2006). Find the most common jobs in Ethiopia in 2021. Instructor. This paper will aim to determine how successful Aimhigher is as a potential mechanism of social justice. The sample consisted on ten access In addition this paper has identified practical and operational difficulties that can be more easily overcome, and that have already been identified by the new HEFCE targeting guidelines. An access agreement will provide the details of bursary support and outreach work. Researchers found that in one area a college was faced with groups of students coming in from different schools that had used different criteria to select their Aimhigher cohorts. 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