In June 2025 FACE will host its annual conference at the University of Bath. Whether you’re definitely planning to attend, need to convince a budget holder that its worthwhile, or on the fence about the benefits, we hope that the following reflections help you to prepare and inform your decision making!
“I have been attending the FACE conference since I joined the Open University as a Research and Evaluation Officer for widening participation, in April 2013. Back then I was just starting out in my career within higher education, and I welcomed the friendly and supportive community that the FACE conference exposed me to. I tentatively presented the findings of several research projects to FACE conference delegates over the following years, which helped me to build confidence not only in myself as a presenter but also in sharing new knowledge that was coming out of research that I was involved in, within a safe and supportive environment. The experience has been invaluable to my personal and professional development, now in my role as Associate Dean (Student Outcomes) at Oxford Brookes University and as co-Chair of FACE – something I would never have imagined all those years ago.
Every year I look forward to returning to this ‘safe space’, where the friendly faces of colleagues await you, no matter what stage of your career you are in. It’s the highlight of my year. There are always so many fantastic presentations from peers, as well as broader insight into policy decision-making, top-notch keynotes, imparting their experience and wisdom across a range of issues affecting widening participation, social mobility and social justice. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an action-packed agenda and you’ll need a rest when you get home, but the daytime programme of workshops, talks, keynotes and panel sessions are balanced by more informal social evening events, where you can take some time to catch up with colleagues and meet new ones. It really is a great opportunity to share and learn, within the most friendly and welcoming environment.”
Wendy Fowle, Associate Dean, Student Outcomes at Oxford Brookes University
“My first FACE Conference was in Southampton in 2022. Although I’d recently joined the convenors of the APPSIG, I hadn’t actually met many of my fellow convenors in person and I was a little nervous about attending a new conference by myself as I’d gotten used to seeing a lot of familiar faces within other HE networks and events, and I wasn’t sure who would be at FACE. I needn’t have worried – every single person I spoke to at that conference was lovely and I didn’t stop chatting, learning and laughing for three days. I’m fortunate enough to have attended many sector events through my career and I was starting to see the same sessions cycle back around at conferences (and there is nothing wrong with this, as the sector always has new people who will benefit), but the FACE Conference offered new perspectives and learning that was grounded in expert research, which felt suited to where I was at in my career. I’ve also loved the opportunity to find out about social mobility work occurring in the region of the host university and was very lucky that in both 2022 and 2023 this focused on performing arts opportunities for young people – very relevant to my day job!
Crucially, the FACE Conference allows me to connect with fellow HE senior leaders and managers, and these connections have been essential to my ongoing professional development and ability to lead a successful Access and Participation department.”
Ashleigh Hope, Head of Access and Participation at Guildhall School of Music & Drama
“The FACE Conference balances the longer-term horizon scanning and thinking that is difficult to find time for (though we must and should) in our day-to-day, creating space to be strategic, with importantly, sharing current practice and challenges to solve together. All while celebrating and validating what works too. It provides a fantastic balance of national and sector-wide focus around policy and practice, with a lens on the host location, sharing their local context, challenges and opportunities, and how they are working collaboratively with their partners to address the needs of access to education in their community and for their students. This is a really powerful approach to hosting a conference, empowering a showcase of different regions of the country and encouraging conversation, reflection and creativity of how to apply knowledge from a different context to your own.
I attended my first FACE conference in 2024 on my own from my institution, having joined the APPSIG community online and summit meetings before that when I started my role at Cumbria in 2022. I gained an understanding of how APPSIG fits under the wider mission of FACE, was inspired by the programme and particularly the work of the local mission group in Brighton to demand equity of opportunity for free school meals eligible students in the schools within catchment. I felt so welcomed, and as someone who works closely with many, but without a wider Access and Participation team, it left me feeling understood and supported by a national community who want to collaborate and make a positive difference together. Each person was coming to learn and, despite the range of professionals in the room, there didn’t feel like hierarchy of role/experience, just the curiosity needed to engage fully and openly.”
Fiona Curry, Strategic Lead, Access and Participation at the University of Cumbria
