Skills expert appointed chair of education inequality task force

The Scottish Government’s work on widening access to university for disadvantaged Scots is to be chaired by Dame Ruth Silver, who said she wants to build on Scotland’s “solid” foundation in the area.

Lanarkshire-born Silver has previously chaired the UK Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), served as an adviser the Education Select Committee on further education in the House of Commons and co-chaired the UK Skills Commission, and now will chair the Scottish Government’s Widening Access Commission, announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in November.

Silver said she welcomed the opportunity. “The Commission begins and benefits from a great ambition with its clarity of task, timescale and intended outcome.

“More importantly Scotland has a solid and creative foundation in widening access and knows how it can be done. This next phase, supported by the Commission, is to find ways to go deeper and ensure all members of our community have every opportunity to succeed,” she said.

Professor Pete Downes, Convener of Universities Scotland welcomed the appointment.

“We look forward to working with her and all the members of the Widening Access Commission in our shared ambition to ensure that every learner has the opportunity to benefit from a university education and realise their full potential,” he said.

Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Angela Constance said every child should have equal chance to attend university.

“I am delighted to have Dame Ruth Silver, who has frequently been on record over the need to widen access to education, on board to lead this work.

“Further members of the Widening Access Commission will be announced shortly and I look forward to seeing the results of their work over the coming year,” she said.

In the latest issue of Holyrood, Queen Margaret University Principal Petra Wend said she hoped the Commission would be comprised of representatives from across education. “My plea would be that you don’t only get universities on it, but also schools on it, you also get parents on it, you get experts in the attainment gap on it. It needs to be a holistic approach,” she said.