At Bath, we know that no single department, team, or individual has all the answers when it comes to widening access and participation. That’s why we’ve invested in building and sustaining Communities of Practice: spaces where staff can work across traditional boundaries, share insights, tackle joint challenges, and co-create solutions.
These networks are playing a growing role in shaping our access and participation work. This post explores how we use them, what they’ve achieved so far, and why we’re backing them for the future.
Working Across Boundaries: Why Communities Matter
Access and participation work touches every part of a university, from admissions and outreach to curriculum design and student support. But too often, that work happens in silos. Communities of Practice offer a different model. They’re about connection more than hierarchy, and shared purpose rather than fixed structures. By bringing together people who care about the same issues, whatever their job title or department, we're able to:
- Share practice and practical tools
- Identify and tackle emerging challenges
- Build a shared language and understanding
- Create solutions that are richer, more sustainable, and more inclusive
They also offer something harder to measure, but equally important: a sense of belonging for staff engaged in access and participation work. A place to connect, reflect, and keep learning.
Our Networks in Action
At Bath, we currently support three core Communities of Practice related to access and participation:
Bath Outreach Network
A cross-University network where staff involved in outreach activities, from taster days to mentoring to school visits, come together to share updates, resources, and good practice. It’s a space for collaboration and peer support, helping ensure our outreach is more consistent, high-quality, and as joined-up as possible across faculties and teams.
Equity in Education Research Network
Launched in 2024, this network connects researchers, practitioners, and policymakers with an interest in equity and social mobility. It provides a platform for sharing research, forging partnerships, and embedding evidence into practice. This network aims to develop research-informed practice and practice-informed research around access and participation and wider equity issues.
School Governors Network
Recognising the vital link between schools and universities, this new network supports staff and students at the University who act as school governors. It offers a space to share experiences, resources, and expertise, and to reflect on how governing roles can contribute to widening participation both in schools and at Bath.
Theory of Change Network
Not everyone that uses the Theory of Change models are working in access and participation. Our community brings people from across the University using the model to ensure there is a consistent approach and that best practice is shared across the whole university.
Each network is distinct, but they all work toward the same ultimate goal: building a university community that is more knowledgeable, more connected, and more committed to equitable outcomes.
To find out more about our communities of practice click here.
What We’ve Seen So Far
Although still relatively young, these Communities of Practice are already making a difference. We’re seeing:
Faster sharing of good practice: For example, resources developed in one faculty are now more easily adapted and shared across others.
New collaborations: Joint events, cross-team research bids, and more joined-up support for students.
A stronger voice: Networks are helping us surface insights and amplify issues that might otherwise be missed in departmental conversations.
Crucially, we’re also seeing staff confidence grow. People feel better informed, better supported, and better connected to a wider access and participation mission that transcends their individual roles.
Investing in the Future
We believe that building Communities of Practice isn’t just an add-on or a “nice to have”, it’s a strategic investment in Bath’s ability to drive access and participation forward.
Over the next year, we will be:
Supporting network leadership: Recognising and resourcing the staff who coordinate these groups.
Creating spaces for cross-network connection: Bringing different networks together where themes overlap.
Embedding Communities of Practice into wider strategies: Making sure they’re not separate from core institutional priorities, but an integral part of how we work.
Access and participation challenges are complex. They cross disciplines, functions, and professional boundaries. And this means that solutions must too. At Bath, we’re committed to building those solutions together as one collaborative community, where everyone’s voice can be heard.
