Conclusions

This book has considered Access education from a range of perspectives. First, it has constructed a history of Access education, arguing that the pedagogy has grown, in the 1960s and 1970s, from a radical adult education tradition where a particular set of ‘Access’ values was established (Williams, 1997). These were that Access education was student-centred, flexible and responsive, collaborative and practitioner-led (Burke, 2002; Parry, 1996; Williams, 1997). Programmes were designed to serve the needs and constraints of local communities.

Second, the impact of increased monitoring and standardisation of Access to HE courses was explored; it was seen that strategies were put in place to make the qualification more visible and understandable for HE admissions staff. The grading of the AHED was a significant change but one that has caused some concern from practitioners.