Creating a space and a voice for widening participation professional practice

There is no shortage of discussion about the need for effective and impactful fair access to university, and a similar wealth of debate about how best to collaborate and pool resources to achieve this within an increasingly financially stricken sector.

There is much discussion, also, about fair governance, and economic efficiencies versus equitable access. So, what about those colleagues who bring their considerable professional knowledge and skills to bear on enacting policy, forging those internal and external partnerships, and designing and delivering programmes to widen access to and participation at university?

Widening access (WA) or widening participation (WP) professional staff are a group of staff who work in what is sometimes referred to as the “third space” in HE with a broad and boundary-crossing remit. These WP staff provide the opportunity for a growing number of students from under-represented groups to find out about, engage with and gain access to HE through online, in-person interactions and experiences, all of which are designed for bespoke local, regional or national groups of prospective students.

The size of the sector-wide contribution of these staff can be measured in the growth of communities such as FACE (Forum for Access and Continuing Education), NEON (National Education Opportunities Network) or SCAPP (Scotland Community of Access and Participation Practitioners). And with the increased need for better institutional understandings of what different students need to participate and succeed in HE, the knowledge and skills of WP staff is a hugely valuable resource. However, there are no spaces in which WP specialist expertise is officially recognised, rewarded, or formally celebrated.

A new recognition framework

As two colleagues – one based in Scotland, one in England – working in the WA, WP, and inclusion space in higher education, this omission was keenly felt.

Individually, we struggled with the HE mainstay offer of university staff professional development – Advance HE Fellowship – as one that did not quite fit with nor reflect the breadth of the WP role.

One of us undertook a doctoral thesis to explore the possibilities offered by the knowledge and skills of WP professional staff, while the other worked with practitioners to develop the first iteration of a bespoke accreditation scheme: Development of Access and Participation Professionals – or DAPP for short.

This scheme offers WP staff the opportunity to present a critically reflective practice portfolio for either Affiliate, Practitioner or Leadership accreditation, which is assessed against the DAPP Professional Standards Framework (PSF) by trained peer reviewers (themselves, experienced WP practitioners and leaders).

Following its birth in Scotland and its pilot year, DAPP has expanded its reach to England and to Ireland and undergone evaluation and refinement so that the scheme is applicable to fair access contexts beyond that of Scotland. The language and exemplars have been developed to include broader policy contexts in the UK and beyond, and the DAPP team recognises the scope of roles and remit across borders.

As DAPP enters its fourth iteration, 40 participants have successfully achieved accreditation across all three types and been supported by 17 peer reviewers from both Scotland and England. Our participants have welcomed the opportunity to gain recognition – and a voice in the sector – through the accreditation process, with many identifying the need for such a scheme:

That WP is not just an add on but fundamental to the statements and values of the scheme, and that reflective practice is valued as a professional tool

Others have highlighted the benefits of engaging in formal critical reflection on their practice:

The opportunity to reflect on my practice in depth has been invaluable and has already resulted in changes to the programmes I deliver

Supporters, too, have been keen to add their voices in support of the scheme:

It is bespoke for a marginalised group of professionals. It speaks to the specific knowledge and skills of this group and, by so doing, values them. It is led by practitioners for practitioners

Why this matters now

A scheme such as DAPP is crucial in the current HE context, where student cohorts flex and change regularly and WA and WP colleagues are required to enact and shape policy whilst also remaining responsive to localised wants and needs.

As HE enters a crucial moment in which budgets are being cut and staff-student ratios are being increased, universities need to be working in new and innovative ways to ensure that all students are recognised and represented within their HEI of choice.

This challenging moment in HE history is exactly the time when institutions need to be drawing on WP staff knowledge of engagement, inclusive pedagogies and building effective learner relationships. And, to support and enhance this knowledge base, those WP staff need appropriate, relevant professional development which both builds a community of practice and champions that community to the rest of the sector.

Recognising the distinctive set of skills of staff upon whom universities rely for students’ successful access to and participation in HE seems more than necessary. Offering bespoke accreditation which raises the profile of our WP colleagues beyond individual institutional contexts is the least we can do.

They are in the building. Let us give them a voice.

Iteration IV of the DAPP Accreditation Scheme starts in Autumn 2026. For more information contact scapp@stir.ac.uk and visit the site here.