Full transcript of a speech by John Blake, Director for Fair Access and Participation at the Office for Students (OfS), who spoke at an Impetus third sector forum event.
Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today.
Thanks especially to colleagues from Impetus, who as well as organising today’s event, have regularly convened this forum for third sector organisations to speak directly to me and other colleagues from the Office for Students, where equality charities can share their thoughts and provide us with invaluable feedback on our work.
Impetus was also good enough to host my first external speaking event as Director for Fair Access and Participation, two years ago, when I first took up the role. Reflecting on the work we have all done together since then, I am hugely proud of the progress we have made:
- A whole-sector variations process that nurtured and demonstrated the sector’s ambitions around equality, and our desire at the OfS to understand the full range of equality activity providers undertake, and the evidence that drives their choices.
- A comprehensive refresh of our approach to regulating access and participation plans, putting evaluation and collective learning at the heart of the process, alongside greater scope for providers to reflect their different missions.
- And – enormously gratifying for me – that 34 providers, reflecting the rich diversity of the sector, were willing to work with us at OfS to pioneer our new approach in Wave 1 of APP renewals.
