Written question asked by Chris Williamson (Labour) on Tuesday, 12 July 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 14 July 2011. It was answered by Lord Willetts (Conservative) on Monday, 18 July 2011 on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Aimhigher Programme

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what estimate he has made of the number of activities to be delivered (a) following the end of the Aimhigher programme and (b) in the academic year 2011-12; and how such activities will be delivered;

Answer: We are establishing a new framework, with increased responsibility on institutions to widen participation and greater Government investment in improving attainment and access for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Higher education institutions (HEIs) will deliver a range of outreach activities as part of their access agreements, agreed with the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), and their widening participation strategic assessments, agreed with the Higher Education Funding Council for England.We are moving away from an assessment of inputs and processes to a focus on clear outputs from access activities and measurable progress against appropriate benchmarks.It is right that universities have the freedom and flexibility to decide how to spend their resources in a way that offers the greatest benefit. Universities will be able to focus their outreach and other activities where they will have the most impact, including through partnerships. Last week OFFA announced their decisions on institutions' access agreements for 2012/13. The agreements contain institutions plans for investment in activities to widen access through programmes such as summer schools, scholarships and fee waivers, estimated to reach more than £600 million annually by 2015.

Secondary information