As a child my imagination was caught by Eileen Dunlop’s book Robinsheugh about a young girl, Elizabeth, living in the 17th century with a tremendous thirst for learning but with no way of pursuing it in that society at that time.

Centuries later, growing up in Northampton, then a town without a university, at a time when only 12% of people went to university, and very few of them working class girls, I wasn’t sure if my aspiration to go to university was any more realistic than hers. But outreach from a university together with support from teachers meant I gained the confidence to apply and was able to have this life transforming experience.

Ability alone is not enough

When I came across Lord Robbins’s famous statement that “courses of higher education should be available for all those who are qualified by ability and attainment to pursue them and who wish to do so,” it struck a chord with me. But as I continued to work on higher education policy both within government departments and later as Chief Executive of University Alliance, I realised, with its implicit assumption that those with ability would be able to attain the entry criteria for university, it didn’t go far enough. There are many young people who face significant barriers to attainment during their school years and need extra help to overcome them.

Access Agreements were introduced in 2005 to support entry to higher education for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. These were replaced by Access and Participation Plans in 2018 to recognise that even those who have achieved qualifications can feel that they don’t belong at university and may need extra support to succeed. This meant there was now very considerable funding going into access and student outcomes. The next challenge was to support higher education institutions to spend it effectively.

At the same time, student bodies were changing. With a far higher proportion of the population going to university, students now reflected wider society. Higher education institutions have to support students with more varied needs and sometimes complex challenges.

Evaluating innovative initiatives

In 2015, Universities UK was invited by the then Minister of State for Universities and Science, Jo Johnson, to provide advice on how universities in England could build on their contribution to social mobility. Universities UK noted: “There are numerous examples of serious and innovative initiatives across the country [but] …more effective evaluation of policies and interventions is needed across all parts of the student lifecycle, with an emphasis on interventions that maximise outcomes.” From this finding, TASO was born.

This is important. Investment can only be justified if it can be shown to work. Spending for student access and outcomes must be based on the best possible evidence. TASO has been able to lean into the higher education sector’s tradition of institutions learning from each other.

The role of TASO

I am delighted to be a trustee of TASO. Now working at the British Council, I see examples of the transforming power of higher education from all over the world. I believe that every country’s greatest asset is its people, and that social and economic success lies in investing in their potential.

I hope that TASO continues to play a useful part in helping higher education institutions to understand what works and to invest ever more effectively so that courses of higher education – and support to pursue them to the benefit of the individual and society – are available for all wishing to take this path.