About SPA
Background
The Admissions to Higher Education Steering Group, chaired by Professor Steven Schwartz, reported in September 2004. One of the recommendations in its report Fair Admissions to Higher Education: Recommendations for Good Practice was the creation of a central source of expertise and advice on admissions issues. Universities UK (UUK) and GuildHE (previously the Standing Conference of Principals), took this forward with the funding councils and early in 2006 a national Steering Group for Supporting Professionalism in Admissions (SPA) was established and a business plan drawn up by UCAS, with the HE Academy, was approved. The group is chaired by Sir Muir Russell (Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow) and consists of a wide range of UK representatives.
Janet Graham, previously Head of Admissions at the University of Cambridge Admissions Office, was appointed as the first Director of the programme in May 2006 and leads the development of a programme of activities and research designed to support and enhance good practice in admissions, student recruitment and widening participation across the UK higher education sector.
Although the SPA Programme is based at UCAS and works closely with its staff, it is not part of UCAS.
SPA takes no responsibility for the content of external websites
back to About SPA main pageReviewed: July 2009