Retaining students and working to ensure they succeed is at the core of widening participation as higher education opens up to increased numbers and a greater diversity of students. This conference, which brought together senior managers and policy makers from across the higher education sector, provided an opportunity to hear a policy update and for delegates to learn more about the £246 million funding that HEFCE will provide for institutions to improve retention through the widening participation allocation. Further details of the National Audit Office’s report, “Staying the Course: The retention of students in higher education”, were also revealed. Keynote speaker: Bill Rammell MP, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning and Further and Higher Education