Access and Outreach. 5.1 It is a matter of the highest strategic importance to the University that we maintain and improve upon our strong track record for widening access. We calculate that 68% of our full-time undergraduate student population currently falls into one or more of the target groups described in paragraph 5.2 below.
Access and Outreach. The activities that we have included in our proposed programme have been selected based on evidence of impact either from Aimhigher or from the University’s own evaluation. Through the structured evaluation of our activities, we will draw together qualitative and quantitative elements to enable the measurement of their impact and effectiveness. The purpose of the evaluation is threefold: to underpin development to assess value for money to gather evidence of impact for accountability. The results of evaluation will inform ongoing development, enabling continuous improvement in ways of working and the identification of effective practice that has impact and provides value for money. The measurement of the effectiveness of activities and targeting will support accountability. The evaluation will include collection and analysis of participant data, together with impact evidence drawn from specific activities, supported by tracking of participants with regard to ongoing engagement with and progression to the University, along with retention and successful completion. We wish to ensure that activities are targeted effectively at appropriate learners and are inclusive of disabled learners and children in care/care leavers. A range of methods will be used to collect evidence to support evaluation of impact, including attitudinal surveys and focus groups with a sample of participants, plus activity surveys, together with feedback from school staff, advisers, tutors, etc. Where available and relevant, data on attainment and progression will also be used to inform the evaluation. We currently work closely with Keele University on the evaluation of collaborative activities delivered through Aimhigher and we will continue with this approach, ensuring that evaluation results for collaborative activities are shared and fed back to the appropriate senior managers and groups responsible for the delivery of the Access Agreement in each institution.
Access and Outreach. 7.1 Collaborative outreach work has continued to focus on London-wide initiatives coordinated by AccessHE for London Higher and the HE in FE policy group, Linking London.
Access and Outreach a. We will be undertaking the following targeted work, building on our current track record. Key targets for activities are listed in Table 5b of the Access Agreement document.
Access and Outreach. Access and outreach activities are kept under review to ensure focus remains on activities that are successful and reach key target groups. We take a quantitative and qualitative approach to our evaluation and monitoring, some examples are shown below: • Through analysing the background data of our participants • Through tracking our participants and monitoring their progression though to Higher Education • Through monitoring our institutional performance against our success of the access measures, as shown in section 3.1. • Through evaluating feedback and evaluative data collected throughout our interactions, from all participants, including young people, school staff and student ambassadors. • Through analysing sector based measures of outreach such as Aimhigher London South published data on successful outreach. Enhancements following monitoring and evaluation will ensure that we maintain a balance of students with traditional and non-traditional qualifications within our student body. Furthermore, we continue to discuss with our partners other ways of supporting them as they prepare their students for university level study.
Access and Outreach. The Access and Outreach team deliver an engagement framework for target schools and colleges – in the form of a coherent, progressive programme of activity for learners in schools and across the student population in further education colleges, including those on Access Courses. This programme reaches out in particular to those schools and colleges which are associated with measures of deprivation such as income deprivation, educational deprivation, child poverty and low higher education participation. The establishment of a new university Campus in Xxxxxx Keynes provides a particular opportunity in this context. • Primary engagement: A targeted early intervention engagement programme for primary aged children (years 4, 5 and 6, Key Stages 1 - 2) which aims to establish, at an early age, the aspiration to participate in higher education among learners from particularly hard to reach groups. We have identified the white working class male group as one that would benefit from early and sustained intervention to encourage progression to Higher Education.
Access and Outreach
