ABSTRACT
‘WIDENING PARTICIPATION’ IS a commonly used phrase in post-compulsory education circles; sometimes it is used as a general term for increasing recruitment. This was far from the intention of those engaging in the debate during the 1990s, including John Tomlinson and Helena Kennedy, authors of influential reports in the area (FEFC 1996 and 1997a respectively). The significance of widening participation is effectively summed up in Kennedy’s quotation ‘If at first you don’t succeed … you don’t succeed’ (p. 21). The emphasis is on improving participation specifically among under-represented groups and non-traditional learners and the critical role of the FE sector in this process.
