Ten UK universities lead the way by signing the ‘Fair Chance for Students with Convictions’ pledge

Trailblazing UK universities are leading the way in helping people with convictions access higher education by signing the ‘Fair Chance for Students with Convictions’ pledge. The pledge is the result of a 12-month project conducted by Unlock, a charity for people with convictions, and supported by the UPP Foundation, a charity founded by University Partnerships

Office for Students publish effective practice guidance on students with convictions

Office for Students are the independent regulator of higher education in England. As part of their work to promote equal opportunities, Office for Students publish information on effective ways of meeting the needs of different student groups. Unlock were delighted to collaborate with them on their new guidance for higher education providers on students with criminal convictions. 

Insurance industry trade body issues updated guidance to insurers on how they should treat people with convictions

Last week, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) published updated guidance on how insurers should treat people with convictions. The guide, first published in 2011 and revised in 2014, has been updated this year to reflect recommendations made by Unlock. In research we published in September 2017, we found major problems in the way that

Bloomsbury Institute breaks new ground with ban the box for staff and students

Bloomsbury Institute becomes the first higher education provider to Ban the Box for all. Bloomsbury Institute in London is the first higher education provider in the UK to adopt Ban the Box principles for staff as well as students, a move that could encourage other universities to follow suit. The Ban the Box campaign is
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University admissions: what’s changed?

Following UCAS’ decision to remove the question about criminal convictions for all applicants, universities had to consider if, when and how to collect this information. UCAS still ask applicants to regulated programmes – for example medicine or teaching – to declare criminal records. Having worked with UCAS and universities for some time, we felt this
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Unlock launches pilot project, supported by the UPP Foundation, to help universities take on students with criminal records

Unlock, an independent charity for people with convictions, has launched a new pilot project, funded by the UPP Foundation, the registered charity founded by University Partnerships Programme (UPP). The project, Unlocking students with conviction, will see Unlock working with three UK universities – Cardiff University, Goldsmiths and the University of Southampton – supporting them to

New good practice resources for higher education providers

The piece below has been published as part of new good practice resources for universities, published by UCAS, which Unlock has supported. Unlock very much welcomes the removal of the main criminal conviction box from the UCAS application. Having worked with higher education providers for a number of years, the previous approach presented a barrier to
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New paper published: University admissions and criminal records – Lessons learned and next steps

Today Unlock has published a paper, University admissions and criminal records: Lessons learned and next steps. The paper is featured in a blog by Christopher Stacey in Times Higher Education. For the last two decades, access to higher education in the UK for people with a criminal record has been seen to be much more
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Unlock comment: Positive changes by UCAS to university application process for students with criminal records

Commenting on news that UCAS, the university admissions service, will no longer ask applicants to declare criminal convictions when they apply for most courses, Christopher Stacey, co-director of Unlock, said: “Unlock very much welcomes the removal of the main criminal conviction box from the UCAS form. This is a significant change that has the potential
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Case of Lynn – Refused a place to study as the college had no policy for dealing with people with convictions

In 2005, aged 17, Lynn was convicted of racial assault, an offence she was deeply ashamed of. Due to her age, immaturity and the way she’d been brought up, Lynn didn’t fully understand the impact that her behaviour had on others although years later she had time to reflect on her actions. At the time
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Case of Saeed – A criminal record stopped an A-grade student studying medicine at university

At the age of 16, Saeed had fallen in with a ‘bad crowd’ which ultimately led to him being arrested and pleading guilty to involvement in a local burglary. He received a four-month referral order. The order involved him meeting with a panel of local community volunteers, his victim and their representative and other relevant
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Case of Isabel – Refused permission to study at University with no right of appeal

At the time of applying to study for a nursing degree, Isabel didn’t have a criminal record. However, several months later she was charged with a driving offence and was due to appear in court two months later. During her admissions interview with the university, she explained that she had a court case pending and
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