Contents
Widening participation in English: sector-wide best practice
Edited by Lyndsay Miller
Contents
Articles
What we talk about when we talk about widening participation Open Access: available for non-members
Lyndsay Miller
Lyndsay Miller examines the state of play for widening participation in 21st century Britain and considers how the changing socio-political landscape might shape the ways in which we approach equitable access to English studies across the sector.
Widening Participation: summary of our webinar (29 July 2025) Open Access: available for non-members
Lyndsay Miller
Access notes summarising the conversation, and watch the recording.
Reading as Becoming: The place of English on the University of Liverpool’s Go Higher Programme
James Bainbridge
James Bainbridge reflects on the role of English in the University of Liverpool’s Go Higher Access Diploma, and considers the transferable literacies and skillsets that students gain from it.
From here to there: building inclusive communities using creative writing outreach
Jennie E. Owen
The use of creative writing as outreach, exploring the benefits of engaging directly with small community groups, both online and fact-to-face, as a powerful tool for widening participation.
Beyond the boundaries: what ‘progress’ looks like in the FE resit classroom.
Kathy Halliday
Kathy Halliday reflects on the GCSE resit FE classroom, demonstrating that non-linear progress is often the most effective route for some learners to the coveted grade 4 for some learners
Widening Participation in English: From the Secondary Classroom to University
Sarah Kruschandl
This article explores how national policy, curriculum reform, and school-level initiatives intersect to shape the shrinking pipeline of English study, and considers how teachers can widen participation from the classroom to university.
Case Study: Embedding reciprocal mentoring within Access, Participation and Success Student Internships at the Open University
Hannah Lavery, Paulette Johnson, Charity Reed
Hannah Lavery, Paulette Johnson and Charity Reed detail the Open University’s innovative Access, Participation and Success Student Internships, which match students and staff as reciprocal mentors, broadening staff perspectives while amplifying and empowering student voices.
Supporting mature students studying English in higher education
Emma Lennox
Studying English in school can create a lifelong love of the subject, and increasing numbers are returning to study outside of the formal education timescale. This study highlights those student voices, helping to understand their unique intersectionalities and motivations, and how stakeholders can best support this diverse cohort.
Literacy development in Work Based Learning: the forgotten sector
Anne Reardon-James
Anne Reardon-James considers widening participation within the forgotten sector of work-based learning, laying out the various apprenticeships and programmes that are used to improve adult literacy in the workplace and beyond.
Summer School: a liminal space for student transformation
Siobhan O’Connor
Siobhan O’Connor examines the liminal space that a widening participation summer school affords students from non-traditional backgrounds as they adjust to the rigours of Higher Education.
Firm Foundations? A student and a teacher reflect on the benefits and challenges of the Foundation Year route into studying English at University
Harvey Wiltshire and Emily Sheppard
Over the course of several weeks, Emily and Harvey discussed the Integrated Foundation Year programme that they were both involved in at Royal Holloway, University of London: Emily as a student on the BA English with an Integrated Foundation Year programme and Harvey as the FY Department Lead. Both Emily and Harvey agreed that Foundation Years can be a fantastic way into English Studies at University, but also that the foundations they provide might not be as firm as they seem.
News and Views
In memory of Professor Simon James, FEA
Professor Simon James, who has died after a short illness, was well-known to many in the English Association.
How the EA is working with the Maternity Paternity Teacher project to support parent-teachers Open Access: available for non-members
By Rose Tucker, an EA member who accessed an EA-funded place on the MTPT’s coaching programme
