A widening participation system designed for someone else
A head of widening participation at a conservatoire argues that Access and Participation Plans — the regulator’s instrument for improving access — assume an institution with thousands of students and a broad curriculum, and fit specialist music training badly. The consequence falls on applicants: the support that exists elsewhere is often absent at the institutions where the cost barriers are highest.
Where to go when the term ends and the weather turns
A guide to the beaches within reach of one university city, for the fortnight when exams finish and nobody has any money. The general point holds anywhere: the cheapest good day out in most university cities is a train fare and a coastline. Budgeting covers the summer.