Kingston University London Access Agreement

Transcription

1 Kingston University London Access Agreement Introduction Access Agreement 2013/14 and 2014/ The Access Agreement and the Widening Participation Strategic Statement 2 2. Fee and Fee Income 2 3. Expenditure on additional access and retention measures 2 4. Expenditure on scholarships and progression bursaries and outreach, access and 3 retention measures in 2014/15 5. Assessment of Access and Retention Record Use of data and links to teaching, learning and assessment 5 6. Financial support for students 6 7. Working in Collaboration Aimhigher London South Working with St George s University of London Buttle UK Reading Force Working with other HEIs Investment in Outreach and Student Retention Outreach campus-based activities and HE UG recruitment events Visit us: Pre-Application, Post Application and Transition events Compact Scheme (CS) and Care Leavers support Kingston University Student Ambassador Scheme Campaigns Education Liaison (EL) Team Investment in Retention Academic Mentoring Scheme Student Associate Scheme Learning Communities Supporting International Student Mobility Access Agreement Employability Initiatives The Student Experience Scheme Monitoring and Evaluation Equality and Diversity Consultation with the Student Body 26

2 Kingston University London Access Agreement Introduction This Access Agreement describes how Kingston University will engage with and contribute to social mobility at a university, both at regional and national level. The document takes full account of the guidance issued by OFFA and HEFCE and is informed by a critical review of the University s record in widening participation. The University will commit 20.9% of its fee income above the basic fee level to access measures. The Access Agreement pays close attention to the University s strategic plan Led by Learning in which the University continues to confirmits commitment to social mobility: We will develop strategies to support all who can benefit from a Kingston University education, regardless of background, so that they can participate fully and complete it successfully We will continue to be a cosmopolitan, London-based University with an international outlook and a diverse student body This Access Agreement sets outthe fee levels for undergraduate, foundation degree and foundation year programmes in 2014/15 at Kingston University.It describes our approach to safeguarding access in the provision of scholarships, fee waivers, bursaries and investment in outreach and initiatives to improve the student experience - including progression, retention, degree attainment and employability. The University is committed to increasing the amount it spends on evaluation of retention and outreach activities in 2013/14. This analysis will inform decisions about how significantly larger amounts of funding are invested in 2014/15 and beyond. 1.1 Access Agreements 2013/14 and 2014/15 In line with guidance from OFFA, and from our own experience, we have refocused our efforts away from financial support to students towards an increase in outreach and student retention activities. However, we still recognise a value infocused financial support through the National Scholarship and Kingston Scholarship Programmes, while our Progression Bursaries willreward and encourage high academic attainment. We are further developing our Extended Compact Scheme, Academic Mentoring programme and Student Associate Scheme through collaboration with Aimhigher London South. We plan to extend the Student Associate Scheme implemented in 2013/14 as a means to work more closely with schools and colleges and students living in Low Participation Neighbourhoods who can benefit from higher education. This scheme will be integrated with our flagship Compact Scheme to enable Compact undergraduate Students to become Associates and work with both secondary and primary students on a range of awareness, aspiration and attainment raising activities. In partnership with the Kingston University Student Union and as part of the Student Experience work, we are also continuing our Student Academic Development Associate Research Scheme. This scheme which has been accepted onto the HEA Students as Partners Change Academy Scheme, will encourage students and academic staff to work alongside each other in researching and developing approaches that improve the student experience. [2]

3 We will be investing in outreach and retention projects by involving faculties and departments across the University as well as through collaboration with schools and colleges. 1.2 The Access Agreement and the Widening Participation Strategic Statement The funding from the Access Agreement to safeguard access sits alongside other funding which the University invests in widening participation work. The University has agreed to utilise HEFCE Student OpportunityFunding on initiatives which complement those described in the Access Agreement. This will be used to fund both the Education Liaison work as described in Section 7 and on-course work at faculty level aimed at improving retention, attainment and employability. In this way the University is able to align and develop holistically the work described in its Access Agreement and its Widening Participation Strategic Statement. 2. Fee and Fee Income The University is proposing that the HEU Undergraduate and Foundation Degree tuition fees for 2014/15 are as follows: The general flat fee for the Undergraduate 9,000 Foundation Degrees 6,000 The Foundation Year Zero 4,600 Early Years Foundation Degree 4,850 Top Up (level 6) Early Years 6,500 Fees for part time first degree 4,501 Inflationary increases will be taken into account and applied to the fees charged to continuing students, in accordance with national policy. Kingston University does not at present have many courses that actively recruit part time students and the subjects tend to focus more on professional areas such as surveying and civil engineering. 3. Expenditure on additional access and retention measures We value OFFA guidance to utilise our access and retention record which we have used to balance our expenditure on outreach and student retention. In 2014/15 we will build on our existing additional access and retention measures and continue to develop schemes that provide support to students throughout the student lifecycle. These measures will include: development of the Student Ambassador scheme; progression scholarship awards for National and Kingston Scholarship Scheme recipients; targeted outreach with faculties to develop partnerships with schools and colleges; development of progression agreements between colleges and faculties; more targeted outreach to learners in low participation neighbourhoods, mature learners and with looked-after children; faculty-based projects to improve retention and achievement of WP target groups, including BME and disabled students. In 2013/14 the University will invest heavily in evaluation and analysis of student retention and this will inform funding dedicated to retention projects concerning intervention strategies and additional student support that will run from 2014/15. [3]

4 4. Expenditure on scholarships and progression bursaries and outreach, access and retention measures in 2014/15 Summary of costs for Outreach, Retention and Financial Support to Students Total Bursary Expenditure - NSP & Kingston Scholarships 4,338,500 Other Bursaries 835,000 Outreach 1,270,000 Retention 1,850,000 Total Expenditure Committed 8,293,500 SUMMARY OF COSTINGS FOR OUTREACH, RETENTION AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO STUDENTS for Activity National Scholarship Programme Matched Funding and Kingston Scholarship Estimated Costing 4,338,500 Other Bursaries 835,000 Total Scholarships 5,173,500 Compact Scheme 550,000 Outreach Schools and College and Faculty Projects 625,000 Collaborative outreach 70,000 Expanded IAG 25,000 Total for Outreach 1, 270,000 Research and Evaluation 60,000 WPSA Employability Scheme 150,000 Student Experience Scheme 130,000 Student Associate Scheme 100,000 Academic Mentoring Scheme 350,000 Learning Communities 110,000 Retention Projects 950,000 Total for Retention 1,850,000 Total spend 8,293,500 We verify that the above expenditure is countable as described in the OFFA guidelines [4]

5 5. Assessment of Access and Retention Record The University has made significant investment into ensuring fair access to entrants from non-traditional backgrounds and supporting them through to graduation and employment. Appendix 1, Table 1 shows that we have been consistently successful at recruiting young students from state schools and lower socio economic groups; both in absolute terms as shown by our position within the English HE sector and in relative terms, being consistently above the HEFCE location adjusted benchmarks. We will continue to build on this success. The proportion of young entrants from low participation neighbourhoods is an area that we are working to improve. The data shows that while our proportion of students within this category has remained relatively unchanged, our position within the English sector has risen, and the latest data indicates we are close to our location adjusted benchmark. Appendix 1, Table 2 shows that we consistently attract a high proportion of mature students relative to the English HE sector. However, the proportion with no previous HE experience and from a low participation neighbourhood is consistently low and below our location adjusted benchmark. In order to address this shortfall and support our commitment to working with low participation neighbourhood we are working with the Open College Network London Region to identify progression routes from Access to HE Diploma onto undergraduate programmes at Kingston. The retention record summarised in Appendix 1, Table 3 shows that the proportion withdrawing from higher education within the first year is high in absolute terms for both young and mature entrants, positioning us within the lower performing half of English HEIs. However, in relative terms the University has consistently met its benchmark; but a comparatively high proportion of our young intake in particular (3.8% from 2010/11) have tended to transfer to other HEIs thereby making the institutional retention rate lower than planned. An area of particular concern is the degree attainment level of non-white (BME) students. Figures 1a and 1b show that this has been significantly below that of white students at least since 2004/05, in line with the situation across the Higher Education sector. We have implemented a number of initiatives to address this. Appendix 1, Table 4 shows that the employment of graduate qualifiers in 2009/10 increased from the previous year but remained below the employment benchmark and thus an area that we are working to improve. Kingston University has a strong record in bringing together and using institutional data sets to plan, monitor and evaluate its access and widening participation activities. The methodology and use of these has been presented and published within the institution and externally. This Access Agreement reflects the commitment of the University to address the retention, attainment and employment of particular students groups, most notably students from BME backgrounds and students entering with vocational qualifications. [5]

6 5.1 Use of data and links to teaching, learning and assessment In addition to the headline data based on HEFCE performance indicators, monitoring and evaluation of entry standards, progression, attainment and employment at faculty level is disaggregated to highlight the following student groups, which the University is particularly attentive to: Disabled Non TradEntQuals Students with self-reported disability Non A-level, level 3 qualifications or below or no qualification Yng NS-SEC 4-7 Young students identified as belonging NS-SEC groups 4 to 7 Yng from LP Nhd BME Mature new to HE Compact Scheme Young students low participation neighbourhoods (based on POLAR2 method) Nonwhite students Student aged 21 year or over entry who had not previously studied at HE level in the UK for six months or more Students registered with the Kingston University Compact Scheme Within appendices 1, Tables 5 to 8 are used in discussion with faculty managers to help inform activities and interventions to improve the recruitment and success of our target groups. More detailed analysis is also provided to address specific needs. The year on year trend data enables high level monitoring of impact. Table 5 shows the proportions of new entrants within each cohort over a three year period. This data is utilised to inform decisions related to recruitment and targeting including outreach activities aimed at potential entrant groups, for example BTEC students at FE colleges and schools known to have high numbers of pupils from low HE participation neighbourhoods. Table 6 shows the proportion of students re-enrolling after their first year. This is used to inform course interventions designed to help address retention issues such as academic mentoring and personal tutoring. Table 7 shows the degree attainment by faculty and WP cohort. This represents an early stage in consideration of issues around teaching learning and assessment and the use of interventions such as Academic Skills centres and how these affect student groups that the University monitors. Table 8 highlights where employment issues might lie for students within each faculty. It starts to inform the interventions such as the embedding of employability skills within the curriculum [6]

7 6. Financial Support for students Students in 2014/15 Kingston University will participate in the National Scholarship Programme. We will continue to offer our Kingston Scholarship of 1,000 with revised criteria as outlined below. We will also continue to invest in progression bursariesfor those students who successfully complete each year of their studies. Amounts of Financial Support and Eligibility Criteria National Scholarship Programme for new students in 2014/15 ( 3000 per student) Eligibility Criteria (and rationale): Criterion Household income is 25,000 or lower Home address is in England OR the student is an EU student First generation Higher Education entrant Tuition fee greater than 6,000 or an integrated foundation year with a fee of 4,600 Rationale 25,000 is the threshold set by BIS for base eligibility for the NSP; 25,000 is the threshold at which the maintenance grant starts to be reduced NSP Basic eligibility criteria KU criteria for Compact Scheme eligibility We define this as neither parent holding an HElevel qualification The University is committed to supporting progression amongst its diverse profile of undergraduates and in addition to doubling the cohort of students receiving NSP bursaries in 2012/13 it will make progression bursaries available to every cohort of NSP students. These progression bursaries are worth up to 3000 for students who achieve the best grades in their first and subsequent years of study. National Scholarship Programme - Priority Kingston University admits students from a diverse range of backgrounds and expects that the allocation of 462 places in 2013/14 and 682 NSP places in 2014/15 will not be sufficient for the population that will be eligible to apply. In the event of over-subscription, the University will consider giving priority according to whether the applicant meets the entry offer whether the applicant is a mature learner (aged 21 or over on the start date of the course) Household income (students from lowest household incomes receiving a higher priority) Students will also need to have applied to Student Finance England (Student Finance Services for EU Students) for their full entitlement of student finance and taken out a tuition fee loan to be eligible for the National Scholarship Programme at Kingston University. [7]

8 EU students will not have had an income assessment carried out by Student Finance England. Income assessments for these students will be carried out by the University following procedures currently used for the International Mobility Bursary. Kingston Scholarships Programme for New Students in 2014/15 To students who meet the NSP criteria(with the exception of the first generation rule, i.e. students will be able to receive the scholarship even if their parents hold an HE qualification)but do not have their application prioritised, the University will provide Kingston Scholarships of 1000 in their first year of study. In 2013/14 Kingston will provide up to 1500 of these scholarships but estimates that subscriptions will total 850 in 2013/14 and 750 in 2014/15. It will not be possible for students to receive both the National and Kingston Scholarship. Progression Bursaries Students receiving the Kingston Scholarships in their year of entry will also qualify for progression bursaries in their subsequent years of study, in exactly the same way as students who receive the full NSP in their year of entry. Qualification for the progression bursary depends upon the following criteria being satisfied: The student must have received an NSP scholarship or Kingston Scholarship in their year of entry The student must have passed their previous year of the course with a minimum average mark of 50% (equivalent to a 2:2 profile) and successfully progressed into the next year of the course at the first attempt The student s household income must remain below 25,000, as assessed by Student Finance England Students will need to re-apply to Student Finance England for their student finance for 2014/15 but will not need to re-apply for the scholarship. We will automatically re-award scholarships to those progressing students who meet the satisfactory academic progress criteria: Year of Study Grade average Progression Bursary Estimated % Eligible 1 st (70% +) % 1 st year of study 2:1 (60% - 70%) % 2:2 (50% - 60%) % 1 st (70% +) % 2nd year of study 2:1 (60% - 70%) % 2:2 (50% - 60%) % Payment Year Second year of study Final year of study Awarding these progression bursaries to students who entered with an NSP or Kingston University bursary will exceed the University s obligation to match fund its NSP allocations for 2013/14 and 2014/15. [8]

9 Mode of Payment The University will provide a menu of options to all students who qualify for a scholarship or bursary, allowing them to select the way in which they receive the monetary value associated with their award. The menu of options will include: Cash (limited to 1000) Accommodation discounts Fee waivers (compulsory for EU students who are not domiciled in England) The University intends to develop a system of credits that will enable students to disburse their awards on a variety of institutional services and study materials. Credit to fund travel to and from the University will be a priority for this scheme. Students on part-time courses will be eligible to apply for a pro-rata National Scholarship. Information will be made available to applicants at the time that they are offered a place by the University and faculties will be encouraged to promote the availability of the scholarship as part of the process of making an offer. By promoting the scholarship at an early stage we would hope to encourage applicants to make Kingston University their firm choice; Applicants will be able to apply for the scholarship via our Applicant Portal, which is made available once they have accepted our offer. Study Support and Retention Fund A fund of 700,000 will be made available to provide additional on-course support to students from lower income households, whether or not they qualify for either the NSP or Kingston Scholarship. This Fund will be available to students who have taken out their full entitlement to statutory student finance and cases may be prioritised according to household income. The fund is designed to assist with the following situations: To provide additional course-related support for students who would qualify for support but find themselves in financial difficulty To help with cost of travel (eg study abroad schemes, field trips, placements or for very high travel costs for students who have to commute a long distance) To help with cost of course materials (for example art and design students and those who are required to purchase specialist equipment for their course of study) To help pay for the cost of an educational psychologist s assessment for Specific Learning Difficulties such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and autistic spectrum disorder To assist with cases of unexpected financial hardship To supplement the costs of the Kingston Scholarship scheme, in the event of over-subscription In the event of any underspend on Kingston Scholarships; these funds will be made available to the Study Support and Retention Fund. [9]

10 Summary of Expected Investment on Financial Support to Students 7. Working in Collaboration The Widening Participation and Outreach teams are working closely with various external partners. These working relationships enable the University to fulfil its commitment to outreach and wider community engagement. We will continue to work with local authorities on expanding activities for students who receive Free School Meals and with local authority care teams in conjunction with St Mary s University College, St George s University of London and Aimhigher London South on a series of Looked After Children events. The University is committed to continuing its collaborative work with Aimhigher London South and forging relationships with new schools and colleges. The University is committed to maintaining this approach to partnership work recognising that it represents the most cost effective and efficient way of working with prospective students and their supporters. 7.1 Aimhigher London South (AHLS) approach to collaborative targets for Higher Education Institutions Aimhigher London South Ltd (AHLS) works to ensure fair access to higher education for young people from non-traditional backgrounds. This is achieved by linking schools, colleges, universities and education providers together to work effectively. AHLS works in partnership with 11 universities, 31 schools and 5 further education colleges across London and the South East. The network is committed to collaboration and works together to: provide impartial information, advice and guidance to learners from year 8 year 13 (and is developing ways of working with primary to secondary transition (years 5 & 6); share good practice at a local and regional level in order to determine what works well and that activities are effective; develop and apply evaluation and monitoring methods to illustrate long term impact improve the involvement of current students. [10]

11 maintain and develop a long term sustained programme of collaborative activity, that prepares learners from the network s identified target groups that enables successful and appropriate transition to HE both inside and outside the network improve the impact of the networks collaborative activity, through the development of progression support materials in collaboration with HEI and FEC s courses and faculties, as required by schools and the FE sector Collaborative targets Kingston University is committed to Aimhigher London South and the collaborative targets (see Appendix 2) for HEIs to meet their Access Agreement requirements: Monitoring Host one event (minimum) with a range of at least 6 partner universities and 5 schools/colleges (minimum); Contribute to 2 further collaborative events at 2 different HEIs and 5 schools/colleges (minimum) per event; Collaborate with 6 different universities (minimum) through AHLS events; Be involved in the development of support for targeted groups to deliver one programme per annum in discussion with partnership members (eg, LAC, SpLD); Contribute to the development of staff development activities developed in discussion with partnership members at 4 staff development events throughout the year; Sharing What works with other HEIs through good practice events; Develop materials to enable schools to have sustained programmes through HEIs working collaboratively; Develop and improve evaluation and impact tracking systems; Improve the quality of collaborative activity through the improvement of systematic review and evaluation procedures Kingston will also work with AHLS in the monitoring of our collaborative targets on an annual basis through agreeing that AHLS: Impact Collate and report back on our level of involvement in activity; provide information on who we have collaborated with to deliver activity (other HEIs, Colleges and schools) we will participate in one-to one review meetings. AHLS collects data from students that participate in collaborative events. A centralised database has been compiled which allows AHLS to provide all member institutions with a consistent evaluative process to measure the quality of activity and forms the basis of tracking. AHLS measures the long term impact of collaborative events by tracking: The number of learners that progress to individual collaborating institutions; The number of learners that progress to Higher Education per se; The number of learners from specific target groups progressing to collaborating universities. [11]

12 AHLS works with member schools and colleges to target appropriate WP students for collaborative events for Working with St George s University of London We aim to continue working with St George s, University of London on the implementation of this Access Agreement. Through this long established and successful partnership, with which we run with our joint faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, we will look to work collaboratively to ensure that students with an interest in any branch of medical or healthcare study are well supported. We are planning an annual collaborative review to consider opportunities for sharing resources and expertise. The first focus is to explore a mutually collaborative approach to outreach activity and evaluation mechanisms to optimise support for all learners at both institutions. Secondly we aim to explore the viability of developing collaborative targets to ensure parity of approach across both institutions particularly in relation to the joint faculty of Health, Social Care and Education. This will enable us to consider the support for all learners with an aspiration to or are studying health and social care sciences. The Associate Dean with responsibility for Widening Participation (St George s) and Kingston University s Head of Widening Participation meet regularly to discuss widening participation initiatives and share good practice 7.3 Buttle UK We continue to work with Buttle UK in the provision of our support for prospective and current students with a care background and also in staff development and the sharing of best practice as part of their national events and documentation. In the validation report, Buttle UK recognise the exemplary work we do to support Looked After Children. 7.4 Reading Force The University is continuing to support Reading Force, a reading and literacy project in conjunction with the Armed Forces, Local Authorities and schools with high numbers of children from service family backgrounds. The project works with families to encourage reading and discussion, particularly where a parent is serving overseas. The University contributes funding to the project, engagement with our undergraduate Student Ambassadors and on-campus activities. The project has been closely working with groups in Aldershot and Portsmouth but is expanding to wider areas. [12]

13 7.5 Working with other HEIs We will continue to work with individual universities in terms of sharing best practice. In terms of this Access Agreement, we have agreed with St Mary s University College, Roehampton University and the University of Sussex that we will work with them in sharing best practice, identifying opportunities for joint delivery of initiatives, and continue to collaborate on the development of academic and professional staff, the training of students working on widening participation activities, and staff development and awareness raising sessions with lecturers, teachers and advisers from schools and colleges. 8. Investment in Outreach All Student Outreach, Retention and Success activities (as illustrated in sections 8 and 9) will target at least one or more of our WP groups namely Care Leavers; Disabled; BME; Voc entry; Mature Learners; Low Sec; Low Participation Neighbourhoods. A rigorous process has been developed to ensure Access Agreement funds and related activities meet OFFA guidelines. All funded projects are assessed by the Access Working Group and received at Senior Committee level. We will ensure all projects and funding for these projects adheres to the outreach, retention and success project application, selection, evaluation and funding process Flow Chart (appended as part of Appendix 3). Context In line with the sector, Kingston University recognises the increasing importance of targeted outreach and retention work. This is reflected in the investment in development of further outreach and retention projects and an increase in our commitment to these activities from 0.9% of our additional fee income in 2012/13 to 3.9% in 2014/15. Provision of information to prospective students Kingston University is committed to keeping both its prospective and current students and their key influencers informed about all developments with regard to changes in their tuition fees, and the financial support available. As such, it will employ a variety of communication methods, including its contribution to both the Key Information Set and Wider Information Set. We provide timely, accurate information to UCAS (for courses that receive applications through UCAS) and the Student Loans Company (SLC) Students new to Kingston University for 2014 For students scheduled to register for enrolment with Kingston University from 2013 onwards, specific information will be provided in their pre- enrolment packs, the University web pages (currently known as the Getting Ready site), and the Kingston University Students Union web pages. The parent / guardian pages of the University s public web pages will also be updated in order to provide existing and current information for this particular cohort. In addition to the above, we will continue to utilise staff and students who have been specifically trained to work face to face and virtually with prospective students and their supporters. There are a range of activities including representation at HE Fairs, pre-application Open Days, post-application Taster Days and ad-hoc Campus Visits. Also included are communications with students through the online forum Ask Us and social media including Facebook. The University will continue to provide a comprehensive approach to outreach that will raise awareness, aspirations and attainment. The scope and nature of outreach, retention and attainment work with our [13]

14 targeted widening participation cohorts will continue to be determined by an unprecedented level and pace of change from the overhaul of HE teaching fees and funding. The University anticipates that these changes will necessitate greater prominence for the Widening Participation team and from April 2013 this will be achieved through relocation and a change in reporting lines. Being part of the Marketing & Communications department will facilitate greater engagement with central departments and encourage further developments with academic faculties, both to embed outreach activities and to develop new approaches to retention and outreach. In we will provide additional resources to support WP student recruitment and outreach work that will help promote Kingston University (KU) as a university of accessibility and success.a dedicated Outreach Officer within the Widening Participation team will be responsible for coordinating and developing new initiatives. These initiatives will be based on the University WP Target groups and will enable closer working relationships on outreach initiatives with feeder schools and colleges, academic and professional staff. Recruitment and outreach activities, alongside financial support, will support the delivery of the University commitment to widening participation as clearly written in the University strategy Led by Learning, Widening Participation Strategic Statement (WPSS) and the Access Agreement. Achieving this through good primary and secondary outreach to ensure we develop appropriately qualified, well prepared and highly motivated prospective WP students, enhancing their progression, completion and achievement rates in turn. This will mean a package of information to groups of potential WP students will be targeted through an expanded programme of outreach work, events and with information relevant to them e.g. National Scholarship Programme, Kingston Scholarship Scheme, Compact Scheme and Care Leavers. The WP Outreach team will be continuing to: understand and respond to changing patterns of UG decision making behaviour develop a more personalised approach to the provision of information through the use of a variety of communication channels throughout each stage of the decision making process provide prospective students with more opportunities to access to the current KU student experience (such as Student Ambassadors (SAs), work placement students, internships, mentors, volunteers, etc) to complement information from the University look for increased collaborative opportunities to work with the faculties In summary, in we will: be increasing applications to our Compact Scheme from 1,000 to 1,250 improve retention and progression of WP target groups (i.e. improve progression by 0.5% from 72% to 72.5% - 30 students progressing onto Year2) ensure the WP team is best placed to meet both the challenges presented within the emerging HE landscape The Widening Participation team is evolving at Kingston and is developing closer working relationships across departments and faculties as we strive to fully integrate our work. By we anticipate the team s work will be increasingly integrated to be organised around the following clusters: [14]

15 Outreach, campus-based activities and HE UG recruitment events Work in this area will continue to raise awareness and aspirations together with promoting the benefits of HE and KU to targeted prospective students (and their key influencers) from those who are underrepresented in the sector/ku. Working with prospective students from age 10, we will offer young people and mature learners an insight into University/KU life and study to prepare them for making an informed educational choice. The team s work will also involve the attendance of HE UG recruitment events including UCAS events, HE Fairs and other national recruitment. Recruitment in this area will enable a focus for recruiting to WPSA targets and recruiting to the Compact Scheme in addition to supporting faculty recruitment WP targets. Benefits of greater collaboration/integration Schools/colleges will be better targeted to ensure we are working with those students with the ability but who are currently least likely to aspire to and/or gain higher education. By working with the same institutions to build and maintain relations, more intensive and sustained work will take place. Staffing resources will therefore be more effectively utilised members of the team will be involved in all aspects of this area of work and not constrained to anyone stage of the student lifecycle. Evidence of importance of activity(ies) Outreach/campus-based: KU is consistently above the HEFCHE benchmark for access from lower socio-economic groups (Source: Review of Progress 2012) WP Recruitment focussed events: These events enable face-to-face engagement with prospective students (and their key influencers) to provide information (using a variety of sources) in response to the key decision making factors of course, reputation, employability, location and feel for a university Encourage first generation students and their families to recognise the possibilities of a university education Current work of the Education Liaison and Student Recruitment & Events team For the academic year 2012/13, the Education Liaison Officers worked with: 62 schools Over 5000 pupils Intensive sustained activity with multiple interventions with 200 pupils 24 intense full day campus based activities with 750 pupils Marketing Officer (Pre-application stage attended): 12 UCAS conventions (23 days) 10 HEI conventions at schools and colleges Opportunities for expansion and development within area for 2013/14 and 14/15 More sustained activity with top WP feeder institutions particularly those schools with high levels of pupils receiving Free School Meals (FSM); Low Participation Neighbourhoods and Mature Students from Low Sec Backgrounds. We will provide activities such as: Summer Schools targeted at key WP groups [15]

16 Expanded and enhanced delivery with collaborative Aimhigher and other HEI s, including hosting collaborative events. Attendance at all Category A UCAS Convention events Attendance at top 20 feeder college HE events Increased attendance at a broader variety of national events and delivery of workshops at thesesuch as Skills London, National Careers Guidance Show and Smaart London Extend our geographical reach with outreach work to ensure we are working in LPN Manage and assist with faculty work with schools and colleges Increased cross platform work; the outreach team could be the vehicle for campaigns to be taken out to schools and colleges o Ask Us on the road Collaborative targeting schools and colleges project- working with those that we receive high applications from with either low conversion or a high level of no offers made. We will be expanding our work and the resources to ensure the new activities are well resourced and can deliver effectively A new Project Officer will be appointed for outreach and to manage the Student Associate Scheme and increase the capacity of the team to attend more events/deliver more activities. Further posts will coordinate the booking and evaluation of activities and events in this area. There will be other additional resources non-pay resources and will provide more paid opportunities for Student Ambassadors to support an expanded programme of outreach work. 8.1 Visit us: Pre-Application (Love KU), Post-Application (Taste KU) and Transition (Head Start & Fast Forward) events: Team members within this area will work more closely together to plan, implement and evaluate a schedule of pre-application, post-application and transition events. Benefits of greater collaboration/integration Team members will work together on delivering a range of events this will share good practice and further the embedding of widening participation across faculty and departments. In addition, benefits will be gleaned from the consistency in the way activities are presented/delivered throughout the decision making process and support our understanding of the needs of our targeted students. Evidence of importance of activity(ies): Education Liaison: Prospective WP students who are better prepared are more likely to gain a sense of belonging within HE/KU and less likely to withdraw. 8.2 Compact Scheme (CS) and Care Leavers support: The Compact Scheme will continue to expand and ease the transition to HE for students applying for UG courses at KU by offering extra support for students with no previous family experience of HE. Care leavers will also continue to receive support in line with the particular challenges faced by looked-after young people. We are proposing to develop specific outreach activity for looked after young children as well as further support through the application, transition and on course periods. [16]

17 Benefits of greater collaboration/integration Consistent use of messages about the CS, Care Leavers support and scholarships across all stages of the decision making process. Cross promotion of CS, Care Leavers support across all communication channels. Evidence of importance of Compact Scheme: CS students have a higher level of conversion / attainment than non CS students The conversion rate from the offer of a place at KU to applicant acceptance is significantly higher for Compact students than for the overall undergraduate applicant population In terms of progression, analysis of the Compact cohorts indicates that as a whole they are slightly more likely than the general undergraduate population to be successful in the first year The Care Leaver Scheme we are nationally recognised with the Buttle UK Quality Mark for our work with Care Leavers For 2012/ students were recruited onto the Compact Scheme. There are currently 1,750 students across all year groups. The scheme will focus on pre-entry, transition and on-course work with students from WP target groups, reaching a total population of 3,750 students in 2014/15. Stage One Preparing to Apply: (Year 12) This stage will consist of a range of activities and online resources facilitated by staff and student ambassadors and aimed at prospective students primarily from our regional partner schools and colleges but also supporting first generation entrants nationally who have an interest in Kingston University. The focus of this work will be to ensure the students are making more informed choices and appropriate applications. Stage Two Fair Admissions At this stage the compact team will work with admissions staff to ensure that the applications from compact students are dealt with fairly and appropriately in the provision of offers. This may entail advising the student to apply for a course more suited to his/her aspirations and predicted grades and likewise advising admissions staff on an appropriate offer which takes account of the student s predicted grade profile. Stage Three Summer Schools (May to September) In this stage, those compact students who have expressed a firm acceptance of an offer will be invited to take up a place on a Summer School. The Summer School will be facilitated primarily by teams of student ambassadors, who in conjunction with academic and professional staff will support transition into higher education and encourage the compact students early engagement in the life of Kingston University. Specific issues covered will include learning and teaching in higher education particularly focussing on summative assessment practice which may be new to students who have studied on vocational programmes. Other areas will also be concerned with academic skills, with a particular focus on those relevant for their chosen academic programme. Students will be introduced to the range of academic and pastoral support which will be available to them whilst they are studying and they will be encouraged by ambassadors to recognise the importance of self-directed study and independent learning. Students will gain an appreciation of what is expected of them and also what they can expect from the University in terms of support and guidance. The measurable impact of the Head Start Summer School is to improve retention and attainment of these students. A feature of the summer schools will be the forming of learning communities 1 and social networks which will maintained once the student 1 Wenger,E (1998) Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity,cup [17]

18 has entered the University. A pilot Learning Community is currently underway for students from a care background and will inform the developments of further learning communities. 8.3 Kingston University Student Ambassador Scheme (KUSA) KUSA recruits, trains and provides SAs to support the delivery of events/activities across the UK Student Recruitment and Outreach team. Benefits of greater collaboration/integration Sharing of good practice with other areas who train students they work with. Further development and expansion of KUSA training programme to review appropriateness of mandatory and optional units in line with personal development plans and continuous development plans. Opportunities to refine the training programme to ensure SAs have skills to undertake a variety of roles including those activities delivered without the support of staff. Evidence of importance of scheme: Prospective students (and their key influencers) increasingly expect to have access to current students and hear their experiences and benefit from their top tips (Source: Open event evaluations) SAs have cited the scheme as invaluable in securing employment after graduation (Source: KUSA exit interviews) Student Ambassadors are highly valued by both Faculty and Departments (Source: Post KUSA activity feedback to Student Ambassador Manager) Current work of the Education Partnerships team: The Education Partnerships team will deliver within 2011/2012: KUSA recruitment programme (March) recruited 77 new SAs (50 SAs will complete their studies and leave the scheme during the summer 2012 leaving 40 trained SAs) KUSA induction event (April) A programme of networking and social events delivered throughout the year Opportunities for expansion and development within area for 2013/14 SAs to provide greater level of support to WP outreach, campus-based activities and HE UG recruitment events and deliver events without staff Further development of KUSA website, SA and staff handbooks Combine faculty helper schemes within KUSA Incorporate Student Associate Scheme within KUSA to employ Compact Scheme students to support programme of outreach work Mentoring with school pupils and college students to support programme of WP outreach work A new Student Internship role (Grade 5-1 year fixed term contract)) will be created to support the coordination of KUSA and incorporation of the Student Associate Scheme. Additional resource will be used to expand the existing programme of training to ensure SAs are fully equipped with the necessary skills to support the delivery of events/activities across the team. 8.4 Campaigns (including social media, s/newsletter & microsites): As the Compact Scheme has developed we need to diversify the way we work with these students. This area of work will extend beyond the pre-application and application acceptance stages to include awareness and acceptance on course stages of the UG decision making process. In other words Awareness and Transition campaigns will be developed to sit alongside Love KU, Taste KU and Clearing. [18]

19 Team members will work closely with the Web team will develop the Get Further, Ask Us and Getting Reading websites and KUSA to provide increased opportunities to access the student experience. Team members will co-ordinate monthly newsletters to prospective students and Twitter takeovers by student ambassadors together with those responsible for outreach and events. Greater emphasis will be placed on generating student generated content from a programme of activities developed with academics. Benefits of greater collaboration/integration Consistent use of messages and co-ordination of campaigns across all stages of UG decision making process.mapping of activity to ensure more effective use of student generated content and other content.increased opportunities for cross-promotion. Evidence of importance of activity(ies) Social media: Prospective students see social media platforms as an important source of information to support their decision making especially for students who may be the first in their families to go to university or from a care leaver background Ask Us: Prospective students (and their key influencers) expect to be able to engage with current students to share experiences and benefit from top tips. Ask Us: Since site launched in October questions asked. Ask Us: The number of unique visitors to the site in this period compared to the same time a year ago has increased by 37% (12,001 v 8,755). Current work of the UK Student Recruitment & Events and Education Liaison teams: The UK Student Recruitment & Events team for the 2012 entry cycle will deliver: Updated Ask Us and Getting Ready microsites Co-ordination of Love KU, Taste Ku and Clearing campaigns supported by student generated content Monthly newsletters (in conjunction with the Communications team) Monthly Student Ambassador Twitter takeovers Opportunities for expansion and development within area for 2013/14and 2014/15 Campaigns for Awareness and Transition stages More student generated content at least 9 projects (compared to 3 for 2012 entry) Refresh of Get Further website in line with Ask Us and Getting Ready microsite developments Co-ordination and cross-promotion of activity on Ask Us, Twitter takeover and The Student Room platforms and increase patterns of engagement Expansion of profiles on Ask Us and SAs who ask questions Additional resources will be used to fund a 1 year fixed term Grade 7 post to co-ordinate Awareness, Love KU, Taste KU, transition and clearing campaigns with a focus on working closely with the digital marketing officer to expand a programme of social media work across different platforms. Resources will also be used to increase Student Ambassador presence on our microsites and pay students for developing content to support campaigns 8.6 Education Liaison (EL) Team The EL team currently work with over 9,000 learners at 75 schools and colleges per year on a variety of aspiration and attainment raising activities. These activities are aimed at learners from year five through to pre enrolment at the University. More specifically this work includes: Primary School Project (Year 5 & 6); [19]