Dr Caroline McGlynn is the Academic Lead for Pre-Entry Programmes (PEP) at the University of East London (UEL). Having spent many years researching and teaching in the field of Linguistics, Caroline took responsibility for, and redesigned, the New Beginnings programme in 2016. Caroline curated additional preparation courses into the Pre-Entry Programmes provision, a flagship of UEL’s Widening Participation service. The courses, staff and students have since attracted widespread recognition and national awards.

Caroline’s experiences as a mature student resonate with those of the learners on PEP courses and have contributed to the ethos and pedagogy that allows for deep personal growth, alongside the development of academic skills and preparedness for higher education studies.

“I am delighted to be presenting alongside my colleagues, David and Wasan, as we tell the story of how our work mitigates against barriers to higher education for mature learners”.