University partnerships key to driving social mobility, says Lords report

Northumbria University has welcomed a major House of Lords report which champions the role of universities in driving social mobility through local partnerships.

The Social Mobility: Local Roots, Lasting Change report calls for collaboration between universities, further education colleges, schools, employers and local authorities to remove barriers to opportunity and tackle the "shocking" rise in young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs).

A year-long inquiry by the cross-party Social Mobility Policy Committee examined how educational and work opportunities can be better integrated to improve social mobility.

Social mobility is a key focus for Northumbria University, with around 40% of Northumbria students coming from underrepresented backgrounds. Many students are the first in their family to attend university or have experience of the care system.

Professor Andy Long, Northumbria’s Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, contributed oral evidence on the University’s leading work in this area to the inquiry.

The report specifically highlights the success of initiatives including IntoUniversity centres and the North East Raising Aspiration Partnership (NERAP) as exemplars of partnership working.

NERAP, a collaboration between the region's five universities which supports young people to think about their futures and how higher education can help them reach their goals. Established for over a decade, the initiative supports over 30,000 young people annually, raising aspirations and improving access to education and employment across the region.

IntoUniversity is the UK’s largest university access charity which runs learning centres across England and Scotland. A centre in Newcastle delivered in partnership with Northumbria and Newcastle universities has helped more than 2,500 young people facing disadvantage to progress into higher education and other career pathways since its opening in 2021. A new centre in Gateshead was officially launched by the three organisations this week.

Professor Long said: "This report underscores what we have long understood – that universities must be active partners in their communities, working collaboratively to create pathways to opportunity for all young people.

"The North East faces particular challenges as a post-industrial region with a diverse geography spanning coastal, rural and urban communities. Initiatives such as the North East Raising Aspiration Partnership and IntoUniversity centres highlighted in the report demonstrate how universities can act as anchor institutions, convening schools, colleges, employers and local authorities to develop solutions tailored to our region's specific needs.

"We strongly support the Committee's call for local partnerships to lead social mobility efforts. Through our work across the North East and beyond, we are committed to ensuring that background does not determine future success, and that every talented young person has the support and opportunities they need to thrive."

The report makes key recommendations to Government, calling for educational reform, devolution of powers to local authorities, and increased support for local partnerships to create job opportunities and remove barriers to advancement.

The committee also calls for an increase in the household income threshold at which a student can get the maximum maintenance loan during their time at university, in line with inflationary rises.

Northumbria University has lobbied for the maintenance loan to be reviewed for some time. Professor Long is quoted in the report emphasising that the current threshold “means that next year, a family where one parent is earning just above the national minimum wage is expected to subsidise their children when they are at university, and that is obviously absurd.”

Professor Long added: "The Government's Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper includes welcome measures, particularly inflation-linked increases to tuition fees and maintenance loans, and the reintroduction of maintenance grants, which are essential for social mobility.

"However, universities are concerned about the proposed route to fund these grants via a levy on international student fees which could have unintended consequences. We are talking with government and hope that together we can reach a solution which works for UK and international students and for universities."

Northumbria's wider social mobility commitment

In addition to outreach partnerships such as NERAP and IntoUniversity, Northumbria has embedded social mobility at the heart of its mission through scholarship opportunities, research that tackles social disadvantage and workforce planning in collaboration with local and regional government. Examples of leading initiatives include:

Scholarships and support:

The University’s Higher Education Without Barriers fund provides a range of financial support, mental health and wellbeing services and community projects. Supported by Northumbria alumni, businesses and charitable partners, the fund has raised over £5.5 million and supported over 3,500 students since it launched in 2022.

Research:

Northumbria-led research outlining the critical importance of the national Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme has been instrumental in the government’s decision to commit £600 million to funding the programme for the next three years. The team’s findings confirmed the widespread positive impacts of the HAF programme on children’s health, social and educational wellbeing – from improving school attendance, motivation and educational attainment, to supporting social relationships, quality of life, and upward social mobility.

Workforce planning:

Northumbria’s partnership with Bede Academy in Blyth to develop a new two-year T-Level course in health, is offering an alternative pathway to A-Levels and apprenticeships for young people with aspirations of working in the NHS or health and social care.

For more on Northumbria’s ambitions around social mobility visit the University strategy webpages.

Find out more about the key report recommendations on UK Parliament’s Social Mobility PolicyCommittee webpages.