Access and participation plan 2019-20 ... - University of Kent of K… · Kent will charge £9,250...
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1 University of Kent Access and participation plan 2019-20 Preamble This is the University’s final Access and participation plan in support of its 2015-20 Widening Participation Strategy. As such, it will support the embedding of some of our key aims over the last five years but it will also reflect the beginnings of a new phase that will be underpinned by evidence highlighting the need for piloting new approaches to inform the efficacy of intended aims and objectives within our emerging 2020-25 Plan. At this point in time, emerging aims and objectives for our new Widening Participation Plan include the following: Outreach with learners in communities and students within partner schools and further education colleges Outreach provision • Full embedding of the progression curriculum strands within the University’s partner schools. The process of a full evidence-based review began in 2016 and some testing of content is underway. By 2019-20 we will have in place a number of complete strands for testing and a full complement of student focus/tester groups to respond knowingly to the curriculum. The whole approach will be situated within the wider tracking of outreach provision participants through the Higher Education Access Tracker (HEAT) database to support the longer-term assessment of impact. • Access to HE, for younger mature and mature learners located within high areas of deprivation, will continue to be an important focus for the University. • Development of an ambitious new programme of outreach to underpin the University’s new collaborative medical school. • The University will create a scholarship for international students who meet newly devised widening participation criteria and are willing to work within our local outreach programme for the duration of their undergraduate studies. Outreach and transition phases The University’s partnership work with our FE partner colleges will become more focussed. In particular we will focus upon the following two areas: • Working with colleagues in FE to support, in particular, BTEC students who may wish to progress to higher education. Providing outreach within FE settings has often been precarious with the level of staff changes within FE and it is likely that this will remain a difficulty for HE liaison. However, we aim to reinvigorate and foster strategic partnerships with the practical focus of supporting academic writing skills for BTEC students through the development of an academic writing module which can be delivered in a number of ways either pre-HE or during transition to HE and secondly through the shared development of new higher apprenticeship pathways. School sponsorship
Transcript of Access and participation plan 2019-20 ... - University of Kent of K… · Kent will charge £9,250...
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UniversityofKent
Accessandparticipationplan2019-20
PreambleThisistheUniversity’sfinalAccessandparticipationplaninsupportofits2015-20WideningParticipationStrategy.Assuch,itwillsupporttheembeddingofsomeofourkeyaimsoverthelastfiveyearsbutitwillalsoreflectthebeginningsofanewphasethatwillbeunderpinnedbyevidencehighlightingtheneedforpilotingnewapproachestoinformtheefficacyofintendedaimsandobjectiveswithinouremerging2020-25Plan.Atthispointintime,emergingaimsandobjectivesforournewWideningParticipationPlanincludethefollowing:OutreachwithlearnersincommunitiesandstudentswithinpartnerschoolsandfurthereducationcollegesOutreachprovision• FullembeddingoftheprogressioncurriculumstrandswithintheUniversity’spartnerschools.Theprocess
ofafullevidence-basedreviewbeganin2016andsometestingofcontentisunderway.By2019-20wewillhaveinplaceanumberofcompletestrandsfortestingandafullcomplementofstudentfocus/testergroupstorespondknowinglytothecurriculum.ThewholeapproachwillbesituatedwithinthewidertrackingofoutreachprovisionparticipantsthroughtheHigherEducationAccessTracker(HEAT)databasetosupportthelonger-termassessmentofimpact.
• AccesstoHE,foryoungermatureandmaturelearnerslocatedwithinhighareasofdeprivation,will
continuetobeanimportantfocusfortheUniversity.• DevelopmentofanambitiousnewprogrammeofoutreachtounderpintheUniversity’snewcollaborative
medicalschool.• TheUniversitywillcreateascholarshipforinternationalstudentswhomeetnewlydevisedwidening
participationcriteriaandarewillingtoworkwithinourlocaloutreachprogrammeforthedurationoftheirundergraduatestudies.
OutreachandtransitionphasesTheUniversity’spartnershipworkwithourFEpartnercollegeswillbecomemorefocussed.Inparticularwewillfocusuponthefollowingtwoareas:• WorkingwithcolleaguesinFEtosupport,inparticular,BTECstudentswhomaywishtoprogresstohigher
education.ProvidingoutreachwithinFEsettingshasoftenbeenprecariouswiththelevelofstaffchangeswithinFEanditislikelythatthiswillremainadifficultyforHEliaison.However,weaimtoreinvigorateandfosterstrategicpartnershipswiththepracticalfocusofsupportingacademicwritingskillsforBTECstudentsthroughthedevelopmentofanacademicwritingmodulewhichcanbedeliveredinanumberofwayseitherpre-HEorduringtransitiontoHEandsecondlythroughtheshareddevelopmentofnewhigherapprenticeshippathways.
Schoolsponsorship
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AtthetimeofwritingtheUniversityhasrecentlyincorporatedasecondschoolintotheUniversityofKentAcademiesTrust(UKAT),formedin2017fromasingleacademytrust.AlthoughthereismuchtodotheUniversity’sprioritiesincludethefollowing:• Continuetobuildacosmopolitanandexcellent6thformprovisionacrossthetwoschools.• UKATtoprovidethelocusoftheUniversity’smedicalschooloutreachprovision,throughtesting
innovativeall-ageengagementwithinandthroughoutourcommunities.• PursuethefurtherdevelopmentoftheTrust,particularlywithafocusuponincludinglocalprimary
schools.• Developanewbroadbasedleadershipprogrammethroughouttheschools.• Design,developmentandreviewoutreachcurriculumwiththe2800studentsservedbyUKAT.Thiswill
beunderpinnedbyqualitativemethodsandlongertermtrackingbasedonbase-liningallstudentsandparticipants.
• Continuetoexploreandpilotinnovativeapproachestotacklingchronicteachershortagesthrough
engagementofundergraduateambassadorsandinternships,jointteacher-trainingandpostgraduatestudypathways,anddirectentryprogrammes.
StudentswithintheUniversityStudentSuccessProject• PhaseIIoftheTimesHigherEducationawardwinningstudentsuccessprojectwillbecontinuing
throughout2017-20.Ourfocusupontargetinggooddegreeperformancegaps,andinparticularwherethesegapsoccurthroughintersectionality,willcontinueataforensiclevelwithinsevenacademicschools.
• Inadditiontoourschools-basedapproach,whichwillbeunderpinnedacrosstheUniversitybyeasily
accessibleperformancemonitoring,theUniversitywillcontinuetopilotassistedtechnologiesandwellbeingapproacheswithintheentirestudentbody.
• Transitionandorientationprogrammesthatwillbetargetedtostudentswithintheoutreachphasewill
continuetheirarcforstudentswhochoosetocontinuetostudieswiththeUniversityatundergraduatelevel.
StudentsprogressingfromundergraduatestudyTheUniversitywillcontinuetobuilduponitssuccessesinstudentprogression,suchastheworkstudyprogrammeandinnovativeemploymentbridgingprogrammesforstudentswithdisabilities.Tothiswewilladdthefollowing:• Developarangeofsubject-basedengagementprojectsforstudentswiththeintentionoffurther
supportingappliedacademicapproachestotheirengagementwithemploymentopportunities.
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• ProvideanincreasingnumberofinternshipswithintheUniversityandwithinUKATtoprovidearangeofsubject-based,professionalandmanagementexperiencesforwideningparticipationstudentsandstudentswithdisabilities.
• Asabove,underschoolsponsorship,continuetodevelopandinnovateintheprovisionofsubject-
focussedteachertrainingrouteswithinsecondaryschools.FinancialsupportTheUniversitywillincreasethenumberofstipendsavailabletostudentsfrompartnerorganisations.Inadditiontoprovidingfinancialsupportthestipendprogrammeoffersparticipatingstudentsarangeofprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities.Theprogrammealsorequiresstudentengagementinarangeofworkofferswithinpartnersettingsthroughoutthedurationoftheirundergraduatedegreeprogramme.MonitoringandEvaluationTheUniversityhas,foroveradecade,beenasectorleaderwithinthemonitoringandevaluationofoutreachandlatterlystudentsuccessandprogression.TheinnovativeandcomprehensiveapproachtoimprovementwhichhasbeenmadepossiblethroughtheKentledestablishmentoftheHigherEducationAccessTracker(HEAT)databaseacross78EnglishHEIswillcontinuetobeembeddedandinformfurtherdevelopments.HEATplanstobroadenoutitsreachtoincludethirdsectororganisations,furthereducationandotherregionsacrosstheUKandinternationally.Introduction
TheUniversityofKenthaslongbeencommittedtotheprovisionofhighereducationtoallthosewhocouldbenefitandhasdeliveredmajorinnovationandsuccessinwideningparticipation.Ouron-goingcommitmenttowidenaccesshasresultedinthedevelopmentofamultimillionpoundcampusatMedway,significantinvestmentinarangeofnationallyrecognisedoutreachschemes,aswellasprovidingafocusforacademicexcellenceintheregionthroughthedeliveryofourPartnerSchoolsinitiative.TheUniversityisproudoftheseachievements,particularlyasourengagementwithwideningaccesspre-datesthewidersectorandwasdrivenbyinstitutionalcommitment,ratherthanexternalfactors,totheprovisionofhighereducationtoallthosewhowereintellectuallyable.Furthermore,wehavebalancedthiscommitmenttowidenparticipationwithourpositionasaresearch-ledUniversitywhichdeliversqualityteaching.
TheUniversityofKenthascontinuedtodevelop,implementandbuildcapacitywithinitswideningparticipationstrategyfromthefirstHEFCEfundedaccessprojectin1996toitsestablishedcommitmenttoproviderecurrentfundingforallitsoutreachactivity.Fromdirectcontactwiththoseintargetpopulationswherewedeliversupporttoraiseattainmentandaspirations,tomajorurbanregenerationprojects,Kenthasplayedakeyroleintheinvestmentanddeliveryofprojectstowidenaccessthroughoutitsregion.OurdataillustratesthesuccessofouroutreachapproachandtheUniversityhascontributednationallyinthedevelopmentofwideningparticipation:KentwasoneofahandfulofuniversitieswhichparticipatedinearlynationalevaluationworkinwideningparticipationandistheleadinstitutionforHEAT,theHigherEducationAccessTrackernetwork.
TheUniversityhasbeenaleadingpartnerinthe‘UniversitiesatMedway’project.KentwasanearlychampionoftheparticipationagendawiththedevelopmentofanewcampusintheMedwayTowns;anareawithsignificantlylowparticipation.TheUniversity’sdirectcontributiontothecapitalcostofthisprojecttodateexceeds£20m.Inthischallengingeconomicclimatewemustremainfinanciallyastuteinorderthatwe
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cansustainaprogrammeofexpansionandmodernisationofspaceandfacilitiesonallourcampusestoensureanappropriate21stcenturylearningenvironmentandexperienceforallourstudentswhilewealsocontinuetodeliverourinnovativeandinsightfulparticipationagenda.
Oursuccesstodateinwideningparticipationisdrivenbytherealitythatwehaveneverstoppedourdevelopmentalapproachinseekingbestpractice.Wehavesoughtarangeofpartnerswithahostofdifferentaimstoworktowardsabetterlocalengagementwithhighereducation.WehavebuiltcapacityforwideningparticipationwithintheUniversitywithpeopleatallstagesoftheircareer,andthiscommitmentwillleadtoamoresystematicimplementationoverthenextfiveyearsforbothstudentsandstaff.TheUniversityhasnotonlyinvestedsignificantlyinoutreachprovision,buthasalsoinvestedsubstantiallyinpartnershipsandthemaintenanceofcollaborativeprovisionacrosssectors.ThishashelpedsustainactivitywithinthecountypostthewithdrawalofnationalfundingandhasallowedthedevelopmentofarangeofprimaryandsecondaryschoolpartnershipsandAcademysponsorshipwhilefurtheringrelationshipsacrossfurthereducation,localgovernmentandcommunitiesofinformallearners.ThisrangeofactivityhasresultedintheUniversity’sroleincollaborativetargetsettingonalocalbasiswithnearly50partners.Inaddition,thecreationoftheHigherEducationAccessTracker(HEAT)networkhasallowedforcollaborativemonitoringandevaluationapproachestooutreachbetween78HEIs.In2014theUniversitybeganthenationalrolloutofHEATtoanincreasednumberofHEIsinEngland,andbyworkingcollaborativelywewillensurethatthemonitoringandevaluationofWPpracticedevelopsandevolves.
TheUniversityisalsoleadinstitutionforthe2017-19KentandMedway’sNationalCollaborativeOutreachProgramme(KMCOP).AtthetimeofwritingwearewaitingtoseeifNCOPcontinuesbeyond2019.Therearecurrentlyfourmainstrandsoftheinitiative,eachofwhichwillbereporteddirectlytoOfSandincludedineachpartnerinstitutions’Accessandparticipationplan.TheUniversityofKentisdevelopinganentirelynewacademicstrandofworkbasedwithinpartnerFEcollegesthatiswhollydistinctivetotheworkcontainedwithinthescopeofitsplan.
WewillcontinueourworkwithPartnerSchoolstowhichwedeliverin-depthaspirationandcurriculumworkandtriplethenumberofstudentambassadors;provideoursponsoredacademies,BromptonAcademyandChathamGrammarSchoolforGirls,withfurtherspecialistsupportandextendourcommunityengagementinthatlocality.Wewillembedfurtheratargetedretentionandstudentsuccessandemployabilityprogrammethatreinforcesouraspirationeffortsandensuresthesuccessfultransitionofourstudentstoemployment.Theseeffortsarecoupledwithgenerousfinancialsupporttothoseinmostneed.ThefollowingpagesoutlinetheUniversity’sintentionsforthefuturewithregardtokeyaspectsoftheUniversity’sstrategyandinfullresponsetotheOfSguidance.
TheAccessandparticipationplanfullyarticulateswiththeUniversity’sWideningParticipationStrategy(2015-20)andStudentSuccess(EqualityandDiversity)project.ThereisfullUniversitypolicyengagementthroughtheformalcommitteestructuresoftheUniversityandallacademicschoolsandkeyprofessionalservicesareengagedinthedevelopment,deliveryandevaluationthatarecoretothosepolicies.
Fees,studentnumbersandfeeincome
ThefollowingsectionisbaseduponcurrentGovernmentpolicyandmaybeliabletochange.TheUniversityofKentwillcharge£9,250p.a.basedon2018-19tuitionfeesforallitsfull-timeundergraduateprogrammesofstudyandamaximumof£6,935forparttimeprogrammesbasedon2018-19tuitionfees.TheUniversity’sPartnerColleges(EastKent,WestKentandAshfordCollege)willdecidetheirfeesin2018andwishtoretaintheoptionofcharginguptoamaximumof£6,165p.a1.TheMedwaySchoolofPharmacywillcharge£9,250p.a.basedon2018/19tuitionfeesfortheundergraduateMPharmdegreeprogramme.Weproposetocharge1 Subject to change in Government Policy
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£1,385basedon2018/19tuitionfeesforyearsabroadandsandwichyears.Allfeesforallprogrammeswillbesubjecttoannualinflationaryincreaseswherepermitted.
For2019-20theUniversityisforecastingthatitwillhave14,273homestudentsandafeeincomeof£41.3m2.TheUniversitycommittedtoalargeincreaseinfundingforthedevelopmentandpilotingoftargetedstudentsuccessmeasures,withthemostsuccessfularebeingmainstreamedthroughphaseII.TheUniversityhasalsomaintaineditsongoingcommitmenttooutreachat£2Mperannum.TheUniversitywillalsocontinuetoprovidefundingforhardshipinordertomeetfinancialshortfallsnotmetbythestudentopportunityfund.For2019-20theUniversityisforecastingtospendatotalof£10monaccess,studentsuccessandprogression,andfinancialsupportmeasures.
Accessandstudentsuccessmeasures
Baseduponevidencecollectedandtheanalysisofthatevidence,theUniversitywillcontinuetodevelopandofferarichcurriculumtopartnerschools,collegesandcommunities,andtoprovidetargetedfinancialsupporttoenableaccessandstudentsuccess.TheUniversity’soutreachprovisionregularlyworkswithallagesacrossdifferentsettings.AsstatedinearlierAccessAgreements,wehaveundertakenanextensivestatisticalreviewofwideningparticipationandequalityanddiversityindicatorstogaugewherewearedoingwellandareasforfurtherdevelopment.TheUniversitywillcontinuetoprovidestudentfinancialsupportat£4,500perstudentinordertocontinuetoinvestinstudentsuccessmeasures,tocontinuebursaryfundingtostudentswhomaynotremaininsatisfactoryacademicstandingtoaidretentionandtoincreasespendbymaintainingbursaryfundingforstudentswithayearinindustry/sandwichyears.
TheUniversitycontinuestomonitorourintakeusingHEFCE’sdisadvantagemetricPOLAR4(LPNQ1).In2015-16,theUniversitymetitslocalbenchmarkforQ1entrantsandalthoughbelowournationalbenchmarkwearecontinuingourtargetingwork.InadditiontoLPNmonitoring,theUniversityusesabasketofproxymeasuresfordisadvantage.WeknowthataroundhalfofourUKentrantintakemeetsatoneormoreoffourdeprivationindicators.Wewillcontinuetoincreaseourunderstandingofthemulti-dimensionalaspectsofdisadvantagebytheuseofintersectionaldata.Weusehouseholdincometoassesstheextenttowhichwearewideningparticipationfromgroupswithlesseconomiccapitalandsecondaryschoolperformancedatatoprovidecontextabouteducationalcapital.TrendsrevealthatwearerecruitingamuchmoreethnicallydiversepopulationofstudentswherenumbersofentrantsfromallBMEgroupshasrisenyearonyearsince2008.Wehavepilotedcontextualisedadmissionsforapplicantstooneprogrammeandareplanningtorolloutcontextualisedadmissionsinotheracademicschools.Wefeelthatoursignificantandtargetedoutreachprovision,coupledwithtargetedfinancialsupport,hasstabilizedourwideningparticipationstudentpopulationandthereforewewillcontinuewithourimplementationasoutlinedinearlieraccessagreementsandourwideningparticipationstrategy.
Inseekingevidenceontheimpactoffinancialsupport,theUniversitycontinuestomonitorlinksbetweenbursarysupportandstudentsuccessespeciallycontinuationandcompletion.Ourmonitoringhasdemonstratedthatstudentsatahigherriskofwithdrawing(studentsfromlowhouseholdincome/andormaturestudents)whoareinreceiptofabursaryhavehighercompletionrates,i.e.aremorelikelytostayonandachievetheirdegreethantheirpeerswhodonotreceiveabursary.Onthisbasiswefeelthatstudentsuccessissignificantlyenabledbywell-targetedfinancialsupport.
2 Full and part time home students and home fee income above the basic fee 2018 figures.
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Secondly,theUniversity’sgenerousbursaryscheme,targetedviatheuseofPOLARindicators,resultedinthefollowingprofileofrecipientsin2017-18:55%withpriorqualificationotherthanAlevels3,99%hitatleastoneoffourdeprivation4indicators;37%BMEcomparedwith36%BMEoverallintakeand15%disability.Outreach
Asdocumentedinourlastwideningparticipationstrategicassessment(WPSA),theUniversityhasperformedwellinregardtooutreachvolumemeasures,andgenerallywellagainsttheHEFCE(OfS)benchmarksforaccesstotheinstitution.Weintendtoaddressthefollowingsignificantissueswithinthefinalphaseofourcurrentwideningparticipationplan:
• Retainthestabilityoftheintakeofyoungfulltimeundergraduatesfromwideningparticipationbackgroundsposttheintroductionofhigherfeesinthesector(asdefinedbycurrentHEFCEbenchmarksandKent’sinternalpartnershiptargets).
• ImproveourperformanceintherecruitmentofyoungFTundergraduatesfromLPNQ1andQ2.• Increasethevolumeofapplicantsaswellasfull-timeentrantstoHEfromPartnerSchoolsandColleges
andKentandMedwayProgressionFederation(KMPF)(Aimhigherlegacy)schools.• IncreasematureparticipationfromLPNQ1andQ2throughthedevelopmentofnewaccessprovisionin
Medway.• Workcollaborativelywithlocalauthorities,schoolsandcollegestoimproveaccesstoHEbycareleavers.
Asoutlinedaboveourdataillustratesthatour2016performanceforparticipationofunderrepresentedgroupsfromlowparticipationneighbourhoodsisgoodagainstthelocalbenchmarkbutbelowthenationalbenchmark.However,weknowthatanincreasingproportionofourentrantcohortaredomiciledasPOLAR4Q3butwithalternativemarkersfordisadvantage(e.g.geodemographicpostcodeprofiling,secondaryschoolperformanceandhouseholdincome).Monitoringofouroutreachprogrammesshowsthatmalestudentsarelesslikelytoparticipateinoutreachactivitythantheirfemalepeersandwewillcontinuetoaddressthisbyworkingwithourlocalpartnersecondaryschoolstooptimisetheparticipationofmalestudents.WeknowfrominternalentrantmonitoringthatdisadvantagedmalesarelesslikelytostudyspecificsubjectareasattheUniversitywhilstothersubjectareashavegoodrepresentationofdisadvantagedmales.Wewillcontinuetomonitorsubjectbasedoutreachactivitytoensurethatdisadvantagemalesinourpartnerschoolsandcollegeshavetheopportunities,andencouragement,toattendarangeofsubjecttastersinunder-representedareassuchasEnglishandLanguages.Equally,ourwideningparticipationstrategyhasalwaysactivelyaddressedtheselectiveschoolsystemthatoperateswithinKentandourexistingtargetschoolsareallnon-selectiveinstitutions.However,werecognisethatthereisvalueincontinuingtheassessmentofoursuccessagainstthestateschoolindicator,onalocalbasis,toascertainwhichstatenon-selectiveschoolsweshouldworkwithinpartnership.ThefundingthroughthisAgreementistargetedtoundertakeoutreachworkwithKentMedwayProgressionFederation(KMPF)schools.
AswellascontinuingourrelationshipswithourPartnerSchools,wewillworkwithKMPFschoolswhowishtocommittoanewpartnershipagreement,ourlocalauthorities(KentandMedway)andpartnerHEIs(CanterburyChristchurchUniversity,UniversityoftheCreativeArts)toensurethatcollaborativeworkcancontinueproductivelyintheregion.Ourcommitmentistoworkwithaminimumof40non-selectivesecondaryschoolsandasmallernumberofprimaryschoolstoofferongoingandsubject-basedprogrammesofoutreach.WeremaincommittedtotheactiveimplementationoftheLearnerProgressionFramework,to
3 Including BTEC and Access to HE 4 IMD, EST, IDACI from Index of Multiple Deprivation and POLAR4
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encourageasustainedandcomplementaryprogrammeofoutreachactivitiestotargetlearnersandtheeliminationofduplication.Wewillcontinuetoworkwithourpartnercolleges:Mid-KentCollege,EastKentCollegeandWestKentandAshfordCollege,throughdeliveryofourHEprovisionandoutreachtotheirFElevelstudents.TheUniversitywillimplementourexistingcareleaverplan.MoredetailonallaspectsofthisworkisavailableascasestudiesandregularlyupdatedevaluationreportsfromthePartnershipDevelopmentOfficeattheUniversity.
Additionaloutreachwillbefocusedinthefollowingareas:• Tocontinuetosupportandtodevelopfurthertheofferofpaidandcreditbearingstudentambassador
workwithintheUniversity.Thisinvestmenthasthedualfunctionofincreasingcapacityforaspirationandsubject-basedworkinschoolsandcollegeswhilstsignificantlyenhancingthestudentexperienceforourundergraduateandpostgraduatestudents.ThesepostshaveshowntoimprovestudentengagementwiththeUniversitycommunityandhenceretentionviaactiveandrelevantworkexperiencewhichalsoprovidesastableincomestream.WehaveworkedovertheyearstorecruitourAmbassadorbasefromthosewhoprogressedfromourcurrentPartnerSchoolsandwillextendthissuccessfulschemetoourKPMFschools.
• Wewillincreasetheprovisionforacademicinvestmentinthedevelopmentanddeliveryofoutreachcurriculumacrossalldepartments.
• Buildinguponourcommitmenttodeliveroutreachinallsubjectsandtomakeadditionalprovisionforsubjectsofstrategicimportance,aswellasaddressaccesstoprofessionalprogrammes,theUniversitywillassessifnewprogressionprogrammesneedtobedeveloped.
• KentisthemainsponsorofBromptonAcademyinGillinghamandChathamGrammarSchoolforGirls,bothareasofhighdeprivation;astrategicpriorityfortheUniversity,wewillfundahighconcentrationofoutreachactivity,includingsystematiccurriculumdesignanddeliveryfromyear5,inthefeederprimaryschools,toyear13.
• Finally,theUniversitywillcontinuetoincreaseitsprovisionofcommunity-basedoutreach.Inadditiontobuildinguponitsverywellregardedcommunitylearningforum,theUniversityhasdesignedandisdeliveringamodularlevel3/0programmeinMedway,tohelpengagematurestudentsinhighereducation.ThisworkunderpinsandcomplementstheworkundertakenintheBromptonAcademybyengagingwiththeadults/parents/carersinthiscommunity.
Studentretentionandsuccess
Wearecommittedtoensuringthatallourstudents,regardlessofbackground,aregivenappropriatesupporttosucceed;notjustinthecompletionoftheireducationalqualifications,butinbecomingsuccessfulandproductivecitizensthroughengagementingraduatelevelemploymentorinthefurtheranceoftheireducationalcareers.
InresponsetothefindingsfromtheextensivestatisticalanalysisundertakenonstudentsuccessandperformancemeasuresinphaseI,theUniversityhasbegunphaseIIofits2017TimesHigherEducationawardwinningstudentsuccessprojecttoreducegapsinperformancelevels.
Morespecificallyitshouldbenotedthatanyspecificdisability-relatedspendwithinthisPlanhasbeenestimatedpre-Guidanceandthereforemaybesubjecttochange.
Wehaveinvestedinanalyticssoftwaretoassistwithidentifyoutcomedifferentialsacrossthestudentlifecycleandtoincreaseourunderstandingofwhereweneedtotargetactivitiesensuringthatwearereachingstudentswiththemostneed.Forexample,whilstthesectorperformanceindicatordatafornon-continuationfollowingyearofentrydemonstratesthatweperformwell(abovebenchmark),wehave
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extendedourmonitoringbyexaminingachievement5ratesforourentrantcohort(followingstudentsacrosstheentirecycleoftheirintendedprogramme)andthisanalysishighlightslowerachievementratesforourPOLAR4Q1students,studentsenteringwithnonAlevelqualifications,studentswithadisabilityandmaturestudents.
Degreeclasshasalsobeenmonitoredtoassessattainmentgapswithspecificgroupsofstudents.Ourlatestmonitoringindicatesadifferenceof14%percentagepointsbetweenthepercentageofwhitestudentscomparedtoblackstudentsattainingafirstor2.1(87%and73%respectively).Thisisanimprovementonpreviousmonitoringwhichfounda19%pointgap.IntersectionalanalysisalsoshowsattainmentdifferentialsforgroupsofstudentswhoenterwithnonAlevelqualifications(BMEandWhite)wherethesestudentsarelesslikelytoobtainanawardandarelesslikelytogetagooddegree.Studentswithotherqualificationsarealsomorelikelytobedisadvantaged.Byexaminingthemultidimensionsofdisadvantage,wearenowmoreabletotargetinterventiontostudentswhoaremostlikelytoneedsupport.Wedonotuseethnicityasasolemeasurefortargetingsupport,instead,weidentifygroupsofstudentsonentrywhoarelikelytohavelesseducational,economicandculturalcapitalandwhothereforemaybeatadisadvantage,andtargetoursupportaccordingly.
Achievementandattainmentratesaremonitoredcloselyatacademicschoollevel,havingpilotedaseriesofinterventionstoaddressattainmentgapswewillrolloutandembedthisworkacrosstheuniversitywhilstcontinuingtofocusourstudentsuccessworkonthosestudentswhoareatriskofunder-performance(suchasstudentsenteringwithoutAlevelqualifications).WehavededicatedStudentSuccessstaffworkinginSchoolswithsignificantgaps:workingwithstudentsasearlyaspossibletooptimisetheirengagementandidentifyingareasofsupportisakeypartofthiswork.Systematisingperformancemonitoringintelligencetohelpreduceattainmentgapsisakeypartofourstudentsuccessframework,asisourqualitativeresearchsothatwecangainafullerunderstandingofthereasonscontributingtosuccessdifferentials.
Wewillcontinuetomonitorcloselythesuccessratesofstudentswithadisabilitytoidentifypossibletrendswhichmayidentifytheneedforaspecificintervention.Studentsinthesegroupsreporthighlevelsofsatisfactionwiththesupporttheyreceiveduringtheirstudies.
Thereisevidencethatmalestudentsarenotachievingtheirintendeddegreesatthesamerateastheirfemalepeersaswellasunderperformingintermsofgooddegreeclassification.Wewillcontinuetomonitorthesuccessratesofmalestoidentifyanypersistentgapsatacademicschoolandprogrammelevel.
Tocomplementthiswewillcontinuetoextendourambassadorschemefromexclusivelyoutreachactivitiestoincludestudentmentoring.Wewillestablishstudentmentorpositionsfor2ndand3rdyearundergraduatesandpostgraduatestoworkwithfirstyearundergraduates.WherefirstyearstudentshavestudiedatthesamePartnerSchoolastheirmentor,studentswillbepairedpriortoregistration;wheresuchmatchingisnotpossible,mentorswillbeallocatedviasubject-base.
StudentProgression
ThesuccessoftheWorkStudyschemehasbeendemonstratedanditwillcontinuetodevelop.Theschemeisavailableinallacademicschoolsandittargetsstudentswhomeetthewideningparticipationeligibilitycriteria.Inadditionfocussedemployabilitysupportworkwillcontinuewithstudentswithontheautismspectrumandsimilarstrategiesforfurthersupportingundergraduateswithdisabilitiesorparticularneedswillbedevelopedanddeliveredbyacademicschoolsandstudentservices.Wewillcontinuetoestablishwork-studyandinternshipopportunities,andtoplacestudentsfromtargetedcohortsinthese.TheseplacementswillengagestudentsfullywithintheUniversitycommunity,andallowthemtoearnmoneywhiledeveloping5 Achievement rates indicate the % of entrants who complete their intended qualification and get an award
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theiremployabilityskills.SomeoftheseplacementswillbewithourStudentAmbassadorScheme,butmanyotherswillbeestablishedinothersectionsoftheUniversityandUKATandwewillseektomatchstudentsinareasofprofessionalinterest.
TheUniversityiscontinuinganinnovativetripartiteschemebetweentheUniversity,UKATacademiesandaprivateteachertrainingproviderthatcombinesaQTSschool-basedqualificationwithaparttimePhD/MastersrouteforstudentswhohavebeenoutreachstudentambassadorsatKent.Theschemehasevolvedfromtheprovisionofouroutreachofferandhasbeendevisedtofurthermeetourrequirementsforhighqualitysubject-basedoutreachbutithasalsoprovidedanopportunityforprogressiontopostgraduateandprofessionalqualificationsourundergraduatestudents.Basedupontheearlysuccessindicatorsofthescheme,andongoingacuteteachershortages,theUniversityisbroadeningsupportforitssponsoredschoolthroughthedevelopmentofshortteachinginternshipsopentosecondyearundergraduatesandtransitionmodulesforstudentswithaninterestinteachingintheirfinalyear.
Broadtargets:• Continuetomonitorandaddressnon-continuationofyoungfulltimedegreeentrantsfromLPNQ1and
Q2.• ReducethegapinachievementofintendedawardbetweenPOLARv4Q2andQ5students.• Reduceperformancegapwithregardtofirstand2.1attainmentbasedonageandethnicity.• Improveretentionandsuccessofmaturelearners.• Furtherdevelopmentoftargetedtracking,interventionandappropriatesupportaswellasthe
identificationofrelevantwork-studyandinternshipopportunities,tobeundertakenbythethreefacultyemployabilitypostsestablishedlastyearunderourAccessAgreement.
• ContinuationoftheambassadorandstudentmentoringprogrammeacrosstheUniversity.• Ambassadorschemetobeassessednotonlyonsuccessinoutreach,butalsomonitoredforimpactonthe
retentionandfutureemployabilityofthestudentambassadors.• Employabilityadvisorstoworkwithstudentswithdisabilitiesandemployerstoaddressthelower
employmentrateofstudentswithdisabilitiesupongraduation.• Closelymonitortheimpactofnewfeelevelsonprogressiontopostgraduatestudy.
Financialsupportforstudents
TheUniversityanticipatesthatwewillprovidebursarysupporttoaminimumof700students.Awardsof£4,500willbeallocatedtoeligiblestudentsacross3yearsofstudycomprising£1,500peryearofstudy.Studentsthatstudyayearabroad,yearinindustryora4yearundergraduatedegreeprogrammewillreceiveanadditionalawardof£1,500(amaximumawardof£6,000).6
Thissupportwillbetargetedatstudentswithahouseholdincomebelow£42,8757whoalsomeetotherwideningparticipationcriteria.Inaddition,theUniversitywillalsogrowitsPartnerSchoolandCollegeStipendSchemetoincludemorebursariesandwewillintroducecompetitivework-linkedfinancialprogrammesofsupportinpartnershipwiththeseinstitutionstoo.ApplicationsforPartnerSchoolandCollegescholarshipsandstipendsarewelcomedfromUKandEUstudentsfromourPartnerSchoolsandCollegeswhoareapplyingtoKentforfullfeeprogrammesandisworth£1,000peryearofstudy.
EligibilityfortheKentFinancialSupportPackagewillbedeterminedbyanumberofindicators;inordertoqualify,studentsunder21whosehouseholdincomesfallwithinthesebandswillberequiredtomeetlowparticipationcriteria(thestudent’shouseholdislocatedinanareathattraditionallyhashadlowlevelsof6Based on current Government policy. 7The living cost loan amounts for 2019 have not yet been confirmed, this figure is subject to change.
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participationinhighereducation(quintiles1and2)asdefinedbytheHigherEducationFundingCouncilforEngland(HEFCE)orisclassifiedassocialhousing).Afulllistofpostcodesandtheirclassificationbyparticipation(POLARv4)canbefoundontheHEFCEwebsiteandsocialhousingdatacanbeaccessedontheUniversityofKentsite8.
Studentswhoare21orover(atthe30thSeptemberontheiryearofentry)willbeeligiblefortheKentMatureStudentBursaryiftheymeetthehouseholdincomethresholdsasoutlinedabove.Equally,alleligiblecandidateswillhaveattendedstatefundededucation(includingstatefundedsecondaryorFurtherEducationaged16onwards).StudentswithdisabilitiesinreceiptofDSA9withanincomeupto£42,87510arealsoeligible.Allcareleaverswillalsobeeligibleforthesamefinancialpackage.Socio-economicandfirstinfamilydatawillalsoberequestedsothateligibilitycanberankedshoulddemandexceedsupply.MedwaySchoolofPharmacystudentswhoalsosatisfythesecriteriawillbeeligibleforthesamerangeofsupportpackages.
Ithasnotprovedpossibletoaccuratelymodelthelocalcarerpopulationtodatetoseeifitispossibletoestablishacarer-assessedfinancepackagethatwouldbebasedprimarilyuponstudentsinourPartnerFEcolleges.However,wewillputacappedpilotinplace,atthesamevalueasourcareleaverspackage,forupto10carers,whosestatuswillbeverifiedbyacouncilassessmentin2017.Considerationoffinancialsupporthasalsobeengiventoestrangedstudents.However,atthistimetherearenostandardexternalverificationmeasuresinplaceonwhichwecanmodelfinancialsupport.Withinthiscontextwewouldencouragethosestudentswhoareestrangedtomakecontactwithourfinancialaidofficefordiscretionarysupport.Ifestrangedstudentstatuscanbeverifiedthefinancialsupportpackagewouldbethesameasforcareleavers.
InadditiontothebursarysupportdescribedabovetheUniversityisalsointheprocessofmodellingfortheintroductionofanewtypeoffinancialsupport,baseduponarangeofindicatorsandallocatedtotargetedstudentsincombinationwitharangeofacademicandpastoralsupport.Wewillmakeavailablesupporttostudentswhoareatriskofunderperformingintermsofretentionandsuccess.Forexample,evidencesuggeststhatstudentswhoenterfromlowhouse-holdincomebackgrounds(lessthan£25,000)aremorelikelytocommuteandtowork,withareductioninengagementseenforthisgroup.Furthermore,studentswhoenterwithspecificentryqualificationsarealsoatriskofunder-performance.Elementsofthesupportpackage,bothfinancialandstudentsuccess,maynotnecessarilybeallocatedonentrybutatimportanttransitionpoints.Thisnewapproachiscurrentlybeingpilotedandwewillmeasureimpactalongsideotherinitiatives.Thepilotwillalsoenableustorefineeligibilitycriteriaandsupportlevels,fortargetedgroups,whichislikelytoincludeentrylevelandotherdisadvantagemeasures.
Targetsandmilestones
Weprovideadditionalinformationandcontextforthedetailcontainedintable8.
Targetsrelatingtoyoungfulltimeundergraduateentrants:• Increaseintakeofyoungfulltimeundergraduatesfromwideningparticipationbackgroundsposthigher
feeswithinthesector(asdefinedbycurrentOfSbenchmarksandKent’sinternalpartnershiptargets).• Improveourperformanceintherecruitmentofstudentsfromunder-representedgroups(anddevelop
robustproxymeasurestoaidassessment).• IncreasefulltimeentrantsfromUniversityPartnerandKMPFSchoolsandColleges.8 The University has decided to retain and refine its use of postcode data by the incorporation of social housing postcodes in higher quintiles. Analysis of our 2012 intake indicates that using postcode data as an additional indicator to the criteria has helped to ensure that funds are targeted to widening participation students. 9 DSA is currently under review. Therefore eligibility criteria will be re-assessed once the new assessment framework for the DSA replacement is known.10The living cost loan amounts for 2019 have not yet been confirmed, this figure is subject to change.
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• FurthercollaborativetargetsagreedbytheKentandMedwayProgressionFederation.
Milestones:• Assessimpactonrecruitmentofyoungstudentstofulltimeprogrammesusingmeasuresfromstate
school,lowincomeandLPNQ1&2.• Worktowardsmeetingthenationalbenchmarkwherewearebelowthosemeasuresandmeetinternal
targetswhereweexceedbenchmarks.• Implementuseofcontextualdatatoassistamoreholisticadmissionsprocess,examiningapplicants
educationalachievementinthecontextoftheirschoolorcollegeperformance.• MaintainandstrengthenrelationshipswithschoolsandcollegesusingevidenceonschoolandFE
participationperformance(includingdestinationstoinstitutionsotherthanKent),tobemadeavailablethroughcollaborativeHEATdataanalysis.
• Newtargetswithinacollaborativelearnerprogressionframeworkarenowestablishedandwillbejointlymonitoredannually.
Targetsrelatingtomaturestudententrants:• Community-basedaccessprovisionestablishedandonenewpathwayunderdevelopment.Milestones:• Assessimpactonrecruitmentofmaturestudentstofullandparttimeprogrammesfromlowparticipation
neighbourhoodsandnopreviousexperienceofHE.• Assessimpactofnewprogression-provisionandfamilylearningonapplicationstoHE(basedononeand
twoyearaccessintake).
Targetsrelatingtoregenerationandcommunity:• Developtargetsforthenewmultiacademytrust(MAT),theUniversityofKentAcademiesTrust(UKAT)
whichiscurrentlysponsoringtwoschoolsintheMedwayarea.Milestones:Timescalesandmicro-monitoringarecontainedwithintherespectiveAcademy’skeyperformanceindicatorswithinitsschoolimprovementplan.Inbroadtermstheyfocusuponthe:• Developmentof5University-ledcurriculumbasedprojectswithinnewspecialismareasofScienceand
Arts.• Leadingcommunityengagementoflevel3andabove.• Supportdevelopmentof6thform.• Developopportunitiesforstudentstoaccessteachertrainingopportunitiesinoursponsoredschool.
TargetsandMilestonesrelatingtonon-continuationandstudentsuccess:TheUniversityhasbuiltamorecompleteanalysisofpatternsofnon-achievementandattainmentgapsofentrantswithdifferingprofilesincludingthecollectionofrobustqualitativedata.Thisinformsourworkwith:• Identifyingstudentsuccessdifferentialsacrossarangeofequalitygroups;specificallynon-completionand
lowerattainmentwithBME,nonAlevelentrants,maturestudents,POLARQ1and2toassesswhetherthereareparticularareasforintervention.
• Identifyingnon-completionandlowerattainmentinsubjectareasandassessingwhetherthereareparticularareasforintervention.
• ThecreationandtargetingofinternshipsandpaidopportunitiestoincludethefurtherdevelopmentofourAmbassadorscheme;theseopportunitiestobothsupportincomegenerationduringtheirstudyperiodaswellasimproveandemployabilityskills.
• ImprovingstudentretentionwithinHEinFEsettings.
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• Improvingtheretentionofcareleavers.Volumemeasures
Inadditiontothetargetsandmilestonesgivenabove(andindetailwithintable8),theUniversitywillalsousethefollowingvolumemeasurestoensurethatappropriatelevelsofactivitiesareinplacetohelpsecureourtargets:
ExistingvolumemeasureswillcontinuetobemonitoredandevaluatedasoutlinedinourWideningParticipationStrategyandwewillincorporateournewOfStargetsintoourinstitutionalreportingcycle.Inaddition,careleavertargetsareincludedinthenewimplementationplan.
Wewillincreaseprovisionforacademicinvestmentinthedevelopmentanddeliveryofoutreachcurriculumacrossalldepartments;toincludeadditionalandnewcurriculumoutreachprogrammestoensurethataccesstotheHumanitiesdoesnotbecomethepreserveoftheeliteandthataccesstosubjectsofstrategicimportanceandtheprofessionsisequitable.
InadditiontoundertakingthegovernanceofBromptonAcademyandChathamGrammarSchoolforGirls,theUniversityiscommittedtosupportingtheacademiesinthedevelopmentofitsnewspecialismsofScienceandtheArts.CurriculumacrossallyeargroupsisbeingjointlydevelopedintheseareasandwillbeaccessedbytheTrust’s2800students.WithintheSchoolImprovementPlan(SIP)fortheDfE,theUniversitycommittedtoundertakefivecross-schoolprojectsandtoleadontheengagementofthecommunityatlevel3andhighereducation,buildinguponourareasofoutreachandcurriculumexpertise.
Monitoringandevaluationarrangements
AsrequiredundertheOfSguidance,dataandactivitieswillbemonitoredcloselytoensurethatbothcanbeassessedandtargetsreaffirmedoralteredonanannualbasis.Thegranularityofourmonitoringandevaluationisclearlydemonstratedintable8andmorebroadlyinourcasestudysubmissionstoOfS.Wewillcontinuetobuilduponourqualitativeandquantitativeevaluationtoensurethatweareontracktomeetourlongertermstrategicaimswithinacceptabletolerancelevels.Equally,wearecommittedtocontinuetosupportwidertrendanalysiswithintheregionandthesector.Since2011theUniversityhasledtheHigherEducationAccessTracking(HEAT)service,acollaborationof78otheruniversities.Since2014,theUniversityhasledthenationalrolloutofHEATtoHEIsacrossEngland.TheHEATprojectallowsthesharingofcostsforstudentledmonitoringandevaluationandforcollaborativedeliveryofevidencebasedevaluation.OurnationalcommunityofHEATsubscriberswillworktogetherintheresearchanddevelopmentofeffective,fitforpurposeevaluationpracticetoinformoutreachplanningandassessimpact.Longitudinaltrackingunderpinsthequantitativeevaluation.HEATalsoprovidesdatatounderpinmonitoringandevaluationforthemajorityofNCOPconsortia.ThiswillenabletheuniversityandourcollaborativepartnerstoexamineNCOPdeliveryincombinationwithotheroutreachactivityandtoassesshowtheworkcomplementseachother.WewillalsobeabletoclearlyseparateourNCOPbeneficiariesfromotheroutreachparticipantssothatwecanmonitorgroups,areasandagerangesnottargetedthroughtheNCOP.
HEATprovidesmonitoringandevaluationinformationontheimpactofWPinterventionsthroughanevidencebasedWPevaluationframework.Thisevaluationframeworkaimstoprovideevidencethatengagementinoutreachactivityhasapositiveimpactonstudentoutcomesandtoassesswhetherourworkis:• Reachingandengagingdisadvantagedstudents• Deliveringaprogressiveandcomplementarysetofoutreachactivitiestoarangeofyeargroups• Increasingdisadvantagedstudent’sawarenessandknowledgeofHE
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• ContributingtoincreasedstudentattainmentatKS4andKS5• Contributingtoincreasedretentionineducationratesatage16,17,18years• IncreasingtheapplicantandacceptedapplicantUCASratesofdisadvantagedstudents• IncreasingtheHEentrantandsuccessratesofdisadvantagedstudentsTheUniversityandtheHEIsthatsubscribetoHEAThavedevelopedastudentdatatrackingsystemandasetofmeasureswhichallowannualmonitoringofoutcomesagainstbaselines.Equally,additionalinterimmeasuresareinplacetoevaluatetheimpactofoutreachactivitiesonotherstudentoutcomeswhichindicatethestudent’spropensitytoenterHE,e.g.KS4attainment,KS5attainment,andyear11toyear12retentiondata.Examplesoftheinformationprovidedthroughthecollaborativeserviceare:• Planningdataonschoolsandcolleges(basedonpupilleveldata)tohelpmonitoreffectivetargetingof
schools/collegesandstudents• Postcodedatatoassessstudentprofiles• Arecordingfacilitytofacilitatestudenttrackingandrecordstudentparticipationinactivities• Provisionofarangeofdatasets/measuresrelatedtostudentoutcomes(KS4,KS5,UCAS)• EvidenceexploringtherelationshipbetweenstudentparticipationinoutreachactivitiesandHE
participation(e.gHESAtrackingstudies)
TheHEATstudenttrackingstudiesallowthemonitoringofapplicantsandentrantstootherHEIsandtoHEinFEsettings.Studentledevaluationallowstheexplorationoftheassociationbetweenparticipationinoutreachandsetstudentoutcomesthroughoutthestudentlifecycle.Forexample,longitudinaltrackingallowstheexplorationofpatternsofHEentryovertime(notjustatage18or19years)andthisisespeciallyimportantfortargetgroupofstudents.TrackingstudiesthroughtoHEentryandcompletionalsoallowresearchintotheretentionandsuccessofstudentswhoprogress.
Kent’sevaluationframeworkalsoincludesplanstoassesstheimpactthatourundergraduateStudentAmbassadorScheme(inwhichcurrentstudentsassistinthedeliveryofoutreach)hasontheirretention,successandfutureemployability.
TheUniversityisalsocommittedtoqualitativeevaluationofouroutreachprogrammeandwedeployResearchandEvaluationAmbassadorstocollectstudentfeedbackonindividualoutreachactivityandouroverallprogramme.WealsogatherevaluativeevidencetoassesstheimpactthatouroutreachprogrammeshaveonPartnerSchoolstaffawarenessandattitudes.
Anevaluationofstudentsuccessinterventionsisunderwayinpilotschoolswhereweseektoidentifytheinterventionandpracticethathasledtopositivestudentoutcomessothatwecanrollthispracticeouttoothercohortsandschools.Anevidenceledapproachwillalsoensurethatwecontinuetoadapttothechangingcompositionoflearnersandthatinterventionsarefocussedonstudentneed.Theuniversityiskeentoimprovethewayweevaluateanduseevidenceandtocontinuallyreviewthewayinwhichweengagefuturecohortsofdisadvantagestudents(forbothaccessandstudentsuccessintervention).OurAccessandParticipationPlanSteeringGroupandResearchandEvaluationGroupreviewevidenceandmakerecommendationsregardingtheefficacyofinterventionsandwhethertoceaseorrolloutforfuturecohorts.
Equalityanddiversity
TheUniversityhasgivendueconsiderationtotheEqualityAct2010andconsidersequalityissueswhendevelopingpoliciesthroughoutthelifecycle.TheUniversityhasanincreasinglyculturallydiversehomepopulationandwearerespondingtodifferencesinsocial,economicandculturalcapitalwithourentrant
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cohortsinordertofullysupporttheneedsofstudentsfromarangeofbackgrounds.SignificantinvestmentinStudentSuccessinitiativesaimstoaddressthegapsinperformancethatpersistwithstudentsfromdifferentequalitygroupsincludingBMEgroups,disadvantagedstudentsandstudentswhoenterwithotherqualificationsthanAlevels.Ourintersectionalanalysisofstudentdatahasidentifiedgroupsofstudentswhomwebelievetobeatriskofnon-retentionorunder-performanceandinterventionswillcontinuetobefocussedonthesegroups.
Employabilityandfurtherstudytrendsunderthenewfeelevelswillbemonitoredtoascertainifprogressionintoworkorpostgraduatestudyremainsequitableforallgroups.Whereunder-representationisidentifiedwewillcontinuetotargetactivitytosupportstudentemployability.TargetedactivitysuchasourWorkStudySchemeismonitoredcloselytoensureweareengagingstudentswhomayneedthissupportmost.
Theotherprotectedcharacteristicsthatarenotincludedherearesubjecttonewdatacollectionandtrendanalysisinthefuturewillbeabletoinformnewtargetsintheseareasiftheyarerequired.
Investment
OurInvestmentinAccess,Success,ProgressionandFinancialsupportactivityreflectsourcommitmenttosupportingstudentsateachstageofthelifecycle,withdedicatedsupportavailablethatistargetedbyneed.Ourtotalspendin2019-20onthisactivitywillbe£10,049,641whichis24.4%ofourHigherFeeIncome(HFI).Therewillbe£2,306,000spentonAccess(5.6%ofHFI),£2,119,000spentonSuccess(5.4%ofHFI),£367,641onProgression(0.9%ofHFI)and£5,145,000investedinfinancialsupport(12.5%ofHFI).Ourlevelsofspendwillbebroadlysimilarbetween2020-2022.TheinvestmentreportedinourAccessandParticipationPlandoesnotexceedourtotalinvestmentineacharea,whichishigher.
Provisionofinformationtoprospectivestudents
TheUniversitywillpublishdetailsoffullcostsforstudentsandthemeansofsupportavailable,itsfinancialsupportschemesandeligibilitycriteriainitsannualprospectus.Asthisdocumentispublishedwellinadvanceofregistration,supplementaryinformationwillbeproducedandpublishedbothonlineandinprint.Detailedinformationisprovidedincludinghowtocalculateeligibilityforallbursariesandscholarshipsandaweb-based‘ready-reckoner’todeterminethefinancialaidpackageiseasilyaccessiblewithfulldetailsofthepackageandcriterion.
TheRecruitmentOfficers,VisitDayCoordinators,OutreachCoordinatorsandDevelopmentOfficershavearoleinthedisseminationofinformationtothewidercommunityandstakeholders.Thisinformationwillbepartoftheirportfoliooftalksandpresentationsandtheywilldeliverthisinformationtoschools,students,teachers,parentsandcommunitygroups.TheUniversityiscommittedtosupportingstudentsthroughtheapplicationprocess.
InformationwillalsobemadeavailableinatimelyfashiontoUCASandSLC.
TheUniversitywillprovidefullandaccurateinformationoftheaggregateamountoffeesandothercostsrequiredtocompleteourdegreeprogrammes.WewillalsopublishthefinalAccessandParticipationPlanonourwebsite.
Consultingwithstudents
TheUnionhasbeenconsultedintheformulationofthisagreementthroughattendanceatallkeyplanningmeetings.TheUnionendorsesourAccessplan.TheUnionissupportiveoftheUniversity’scommitmenttofinancialsupportwhilststudyingratherthanintheformoffeewaivers.TheUnionsupportstheguarantee
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thatfullandaccurateinformationoftheaggregateamountoffeesandothercostsaretransparent.ThecurrentAgreementbuildsupontheclearlystatedtargetstodevelopjointworkinginoutreachandstudentemployabilitywithKentUnion,aswellasfullysupportingthecommitmentforimprovingstudentsuccess.
Aspartofourongoingdatacollectionandanalysispre-applicants,applicantsandstudentsareengagedinqualitativeresearchtohelpinformourquantitativeanalysisandplanning.Wealsoundertakeaprogrammeofqualitativeevaluationwithstudentswithinourpartnerschools,collegesandcommunitygroupstoinformouroutreachandwideroffer.
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Table8–Targetsandmilestones
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Table8b-Othertargetsandmilestones
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Kentaccessagreement2019-20FINALv217072018
