News & blog

Report: more effective support needed for care-experienced learners in HE

Learners with experience of children’s social care (CSC-experienced learners) need more effective support to access and succeed in higher education, according to a new TASO report.

We need more evaluation to optimise support for CSC-experienced learners

by Dr Eliza Kozman

Evaluation is about understanding why, how and if a programme is working as intended. Digging into the assumptions behind a programme is key to this process, so what happens when those assumptions don’t match reality?

New research partnership: impact of HE curriculum reform on race equality gaps 

TASO is partnering with the University of Kent and the University of Leicester to research the impact of curriculum reform on race equality gaps.

UCAS report: 300 years to close HE access gap

Despite more disadvantaged students entering higher education than ever before, new analysis from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) shows that providers must double down on efforts to widen access and participation.

Improving access to higher education is only half the battle

by Dr Omar Khan

Like every year, this August on ‘A-level day’ there was an intense focus on who gets into university in Britain. In 2020 there were fewer positive stories than usual – particularly of students who achieve high results and are the first in their families to go to universities – and rather more focus on fairness of who got it in where.

Evidence on improving disadvantaged student outcomes in HE severely lacking

There is a severe lack of robust evidence on how to improve the retention and attainment of students from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds in higher education, according to TASO’s new report out today.

Reform could make HE admissions fair for all

TASO welcomes the announcement made today by the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) about potential reforms to the higher education admissions process, making it fairer for all young people.

New report: social mobility differences across England

Social mobility in England varies significantly with large differences in earnings across the country for men from deprived backgrounds, compared to their more affluent peers – according to a new report.

Who gets squeezed out when places are restricted?

by Dr Omar Khan

Omar Khan argues that unless we dramatically expand university places as demand increases, “levelling up” will prove harder than ever.