Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support post-92 institutions to (a) improve the educational experience and (b) widen participation of disadvantaged students.

All higher education (HE) providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) that intend to charge higher level tuition fees must have an access and participation plan approved by the OfS. Access and participation plans articulate how HE providers will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups.

The department wants providers to be more ambitious and play a stronger role in improving the access and outcomes for disadvantaged students.

The department made £281 million of funding available to providers for the 2024/25 academic year via the recurrent element of the Strategic Priorities Grant. This was in the form of student premiums and mental health support to support successful outcomes for students, including for disadvantaged students. Funding arrangements for the next academic year will be announced in due course.