FACE Summit 2026 at Warwick: from manifesto to movement
The FACE Summit at the University of Warwick brought together leaders, practitioners, researchers and students from across the access and participation community for a focused day of discussion, challenge and collective ambition. Building directly on the work initiated at the Conference in Bath in June 2025, the summit marked a deliberate shift from reflection to action.
Hosted at the University of Warwick, the event was framed around a simple question: how do we turn a manifesto shaped by sector voices into a sustained movement that changes practice, policy and culture. Agenda Summit
The day opened with FACE leadership setting expectations clearly: this was a space for practical debate, not performative agreement. Delegates were encouraged to be candid about what is working, where progress has stalled, and what needs to change if equity in higher education is to move forward at pace.
A central moment in the morning was the keynote from Jon Datta (Sutton Trust), who spoke on the Trust’s work on intergenerational social mobility and the role higher education plays within it. His session provided a strong evidence-based platform for the day, prompting discussion about the limits of higher education alone as a lever for mobility, and what this means for how the sector positions its work with government, employers, and wider partners. The Q&A that followed quickly moved from the data to the implications: what can institutions influence directly, and where does the sector need to push collectively for system-level change.
The summit also welcomed Chris Millward, speaking in his capacity as Interim Director of Fair Access and Participation at the Office for Students. This was Chris’ first public event after returning to the role. A full summary of his session is in the related news article.
A student panel then brought the conversation back to lived experience. Student ambassadors shared what matters most to them in reform and innovation, grounding the day’s work in practical reality rather than institutional assumptions. Agenda Summit
Over lunch, delegates were invited into the Manifesto Studio, an interactive space designed to capture reflections and experiences in different formats, including an audio booth and a visual wall. This “in the room” intelligence will help shape how the manifesto evolves from conference product to sector tool.
The afternoon shifted firmly into action. Thematic Action Labs brought participants together to stress-test priorities emerging from the manifesto process, including systems change, evidence and evaluation, belonging and narrative, and growing the movement through partnerships and workforce development. The design of the day made it clear that FACE isn’t aiming for neat consensus it’s aiming for useful traction: surfacing tensions, naming trade-offs, and identifying what can be done next.
The summit closed with a sector strategy session and plenary focused on shared commitments and next steps. The message was consistent throughout: the manifesto is the starting point — what matters now is what the sector does with it.
