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.
5.2 Our target groups for wider access are learners from the local area, from the lower socio- economic groups, from neighbourhoods with low rates of participation in higher education, from black and minority ethnic groups that are similarly under-represented and from vulnerable groups such as young people leaving care. We seek to widen access to higher education for learners with disabilities and recognise this as a key feature of our widening participation strategy.
5.3 We plan to maintain a broad age range within the student population and we wish therefore to recruit a significant proportion of our students from amongst mature students.
5.4 We also want to continue to ensure that pupils from state schools, including those schools facing significant challenges are able to progress to higher education.
5.5 The University plans actively to build on its achievement as the lead HEI for Aimhigher. We have:
5.5.1 The largest percentage growth in young participation in HE among the 20% most deprived learners in the country at large, except for London.
5.5.2 The largest percentage of UCAS applicants drawn from the most deprived Super Output Areas, an effect attributed both to local demography and to the presence of a local, access-oriented HEI.
5.5.3 An excellent access record in absolute terms, such that:
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. 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 undergraduate and student population currently falls into one or more of the target groups described in paragraph 5.2 below.
5.2 Our target groups for wider access are learners from the local area, from the lower socioeconomic groups, from neighbourhoods with low rates of participation in higher education, from black and minority ethnic groups that are similarly under-represented and from vulnerable groups such as young people leaving care. We seek to widen access to higher education for learners with disabilities and recognise this as a key feature of our widening participation strategy.
5.3 We plan to maintain a broad age range within the student population and we wish therefore to recruit a significant proportion of our students from amongst mature students.
5.4 We also want to continue to ensure that pupils from state schools, including those schools facing significant challenges are able to progress to higher education.
5.5 The University is building on its achievement as the former lead HEI for Aimhigher in its area. We have an excellent access record in absolute terms, such that:
a. 97% of our young full-time undergraduate students are from state schools.
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.
i. Aston University will target key feeder schools and colleges to use successful role models from the student body and alumni to promote recruitment of pupils from widening participation backgrounds and those with excellent entry qualifications, focusing in particular on extending access to SIV and STEM subjects.
ii. Masterclasses and Student Conferences will continue to be a major part of our provision. We aim for over 1,000 students from target schools and colleges to take part in 2015/16
iii. Over 2,000 students in Year 7-13 will visit our campus for HE experience days, again from target schools and colleges.
iv. We appointed a new Information, Advice and Guidance role within the Schools Liaison team in 2013 to work with target schools across the region to strengthen and complement other advice and guidance support. This will focus on Year 8-12 students including supporting Year 9 options and GCSE choices.
v. We will expand the number of student mentors and tutors working in targeted regional schools and colleges, both in person and via e-mentoring. Over 100 Aston student mentors and tutors will be working with at least 500 learners in 2015/16 in addition to our contribution to the Aimhigher Partnership.
vi. We will make the key elements of study skills and online revision advice available to students who apply to Aston through UCAS via our “GetAhead@Aston” website. Applicants will be enabled and encouraged to interact with the University through online study support resources and via a new Aston Progression Pathway (APP). The APP will launch in 2014-15 in 10 target schools in Birmingham. Xxxxx mentors and tutors will work with Y12 and Y13 students considering Aston University programmes to support them with their aspirations and attainment. Up to 50 APP students will have access to Learning Development Centre support and our Masterclass and Subject Enrichment Programme. This support will be specifically targeted to students from the lower socio- economic groups and from schools/colleges whose performance is below the UK average at GCSE and A level. The APP programme is partly funded via Aston Alumni.
vii. We will ensure that Aston academic staff and programme directors are aware of future changes to A levels, GCSEs and other post-16 qualifications from 2015 and provide appropri...
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 7b of the Access Agreement document.
i. Aston University will target schools and colleges with significant indicators of deprivation, using successful role models from the student body and alumni to promote recruitment of learners from widening participation backgrounds. We will focus in particular on extending access to SIV, STEM and Professional subjects.
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. 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
