ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the complex topic of mature students and widening participation in UK higher education. Despite the significant expansion of the university sector over the last decade, with greater access for some, mature student numbers have fallen, and notable inequalities remain evident in many of the performance indicators defined by the Office for Students, UK. This chapter considers some of the context surrounding these learners, before exploring the particular approaches within the creative arts being developed by Arts University Plymouth, UK. As a small specialist university, we place significant emphasis on a fully inclusive approach to learning and teaching and have developed a distinctive curriculum, underpinned by particular pedagogical principles that support and enable mature students to succeed in higher education. Access and participation data over a seven-year reporting period, combined with insight from academic staff and current students, assists in exploring some of the pedagogy of our provision.
