Common use of Targets and Milestones Clause in Contracts

Targets and Milestones. For the purposes of this Access Agreement, the University of Bristol will assess progress in widening participation against a combination of progress measures which, between them, are designed to assess: The specific impact of a number of key outreach initiatives. Year on year progress in diversifying our applicant and student population. Bearing in mind the range of outreach activities which we plan to offer, we intend to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing on each of the following categories: Applicants from low performing schools Mature applicants Applicants from low participation areas Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Five. As far as possible, these have been calculated taking account of the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives (the Access to Bristol scheme, summer school programme and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix Five). Our assumption is that increases in the percentage of applications from under represented groups will not be achieved at the expense of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increases, we will therefore also need to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (and so the overall number of applications to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findings. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as we are still in the early stages of agreeing our approach to this, it is too early to articulate these measures.

Targets and Milestones. For the purposes of this Access Agreement, the University of Bristol will assess progress in widening participation against a combination of progress measures which, between them, are designed to assess: • The specific impact of a number of key outreach initiatives. • Year on year progress in diversifying our applicant and student population. • Year on year progress in improving conversion of under-represented applicants. Bearing in mind the range of outreach activities which we plan to offer, we intend to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing particularly on each of the following categories: categories (although additional measures included in our 2012 Agreement have also been retained for continuity of monitoring): • Applicants from low performing schools Mature applicants Applicants from low participation areas • Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants • Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix FiveFour. In each case, we have included new measures, to assess improvements in application to intake conversion. As far as possible, these measures have been calculated taking account of the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives (the Access to Bristol scheme, summer school programme and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix FiveFour). Our assumption is that increases in the percentage of applications from under represented groups will not be achieved at the expense of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increases, we will therefore also need to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (and so the overall number of applications to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement Measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on the low school performance category, reflecting the role which this plays in our contextual approach to admissions. Measures relating to mature student intake have been included for continuity. The recent decision to grow our undergraduate numbers substantially means that continuing to measure progress in diversifying intake by looking at under-represented groups as a percentage of total intake is no longer meaningful. For each intake-related measure, we have therefore added the number of students which the original percentages might have been expected to deliver. Monitoring against these categories onlynumbers will give a more accurate picture of progress. All progress measures have been informed by more detailed analysis of progress against the institutional milestones detailed in Appendix Two and will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findings. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as we are still in the early stages of agreeing our approach to this, it is too early to articulate these measures.

Targets and Milestones. For Comparing the purposes relative performance of different groups to the over or under- representation within the institution and taking into account our current performance in our Access Agreement milestones, areas for particular focus include: Low Participating Neighbourhoods; Low income groups; Target groups to include gender, disability and care leavers; Black and minority ethnic (BME) group attainment; Completion rates. As a result of the analysis of our performances, our access, success and progression interventions will concentrate on the following: Continuation of involvement in collaborative outreach activity via the KMPF and the Kent and Medway Collaborative Network (KMCNet) as part of the National Network for Collaborative Outreach (NNCO); Recognition of the importance of carefully targeted activity; The use of serial rather than one-off interventions; The importance of long-term outreach to include the whole student lifecycle; The helpfulness of Higher Education Access Tracker (HEAT) for evaluating the impact of interventions; The importance of a whole institution approach; The importance of student attendance monitoring; Ease of access to information and student welfare support; An increasing emphasis on evaluation of activities across the student lifecycle; Accessibility of employability advice and support. Given our relatively strong record to date for widening access and student success, most of the targets seek to maintain, and where possible improve, this Access Agreementperformance within a more challenging financial environment. Such targets may be especially challenging and stretching in relation to the access of those from Low Participating Neighbourhoods (LPNs), given the demographic decline in the number of young people (aged 18-21) in the population and the University’s already high recruitment levels from these groups. We have removed the University’s NS-SEC target in response to the UK Performance Indicator Steering Group announcement that HESA will no longer be publishing the NS-SEC indicator after 2016. As we already have LPN and Household Income targets in place we shall not be replacing this target with an alternative. We have reviewed our success targets and added new progression targets for 2017. There was a concern in the institution that our internal reporting did not allow for national and regionally adjusted benchmark comparison. We have therefore made the following adjustments to our success targets: Non-continuation two years following year of entry: part-time first degree entrants – all entrants: Replacing the OFFA agreement target with the similar data from HESA allows for national benchmarking to be undertaken in order to ensure that the University is maintaining its commitment to these students. We aim to keep our non-continuation rate in this area below our HESA benchmark rate. Non-continuation following year of entry: UK domiciled full-time first degree entrants – mature entrants: Changing the target to clearly focus on mature full-time first degree students (to match the national HESA data) ensures that we focus our efforts on this section of the student population and for the outcomes to be compared with HESA benchmarks rather than internally produced data. We aim to ensure that this student population’s non-continuation rate is at or below the HESA benchmark rate by 2020/21. Non-continuation following year of entry: UK domiciled full-time first degree entrants – all entrants: In order to ensure that young students are not disadvantaged by the focus on mature entrants, the University of Bristol will assess progress in widening participation against a combination of progress measures which, between them, are designed also commit to assessmaintaining the overall non-continuation rate for all students at or below the HESA benchmark. BME: The specific impact of a number of key outreach initiatives. Year on year progress in diversifying our applicant and student population. Bearing in mind the range of outreach activities which we plan to offer, we intend to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing on each University will replace the current phrasing of the following categoriestarget around BME success with a more explicit aim of reducing the success gap experienced by BME students. Progression: Applicants the University has added a progression target that aims to keep us around or above the sector benchmark for the Employment Indicator from low performing the DLHE survey. Combined targets from the collaborative KMPF project (agreed by all partners) are to raise applications and subsequent conversions to higher education from within the target schools Mature applicants Applicants from low participation areas Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Fiveand colleges in LPNs. As far as possible, these have been calculated taking account of the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives (the Access These targets will need to Bristol scheme, summer school programme and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix Five). Our assumption is that increases be reviewed in the percentage of applications from under represented groups will not be achieved at the expense of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increases, we will therefore also need to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (and so the overall number of applications to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future coming years to reflect the findingschanges to GCSE grading in schools. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution of our Our institutional and collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as we targets are still included in the early stages of agreeing our approach to this, it is too early to articulate these measurestables 7a and 7b respectively.

Targets and Milestones. For On the purposes basis of our strong track record in outreach, that places us in the upper quartile of the English universities of the Xxxxxxx Group, we believe that it is important that we are judged by our relative performance in the HESA Performance Indicators. We will therefore aim to maintain our position in the top quartile of the English universities of the Xxxxxxx Group for the life of this Access Agreement. In addition, we are proposing a number of internal targets which will not only satisfy OFFA guidelines but will also contribute to our monitoring of effective outreach activities.  Increase the proportion of young people from our pre-16 progressive activity target group progressing to level 3 programmes.  The proportion of young people from our pre-16 progressive activity target group applying to a FT place in HE is greater than local averages for young people from socially disadvantaged groups.  Increase the percentage of students engaged in our post-16 outreach programmes applying to the University of Bristol will assess progress in widening participation against a combination of progress measures which, between them, are designed to assess: The specific impact of a number of key outreach initiativesBirmingham. Year on year progress in diversifying our applicant and student population. Bearing in mind the range of outreach activities which we plan to offer, we intend to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing on each of the following categories: Applicants from low performing schools Mature applicants Applicants from low participation areas Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Five. As far as possible, these have been calculated taking account of the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives (the Access to Bristol scheme, summer school programme and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix Five). Our assumption is that increases  Growth in the percentage of applications from under represented groups entrants via our Access to Birmingham Programme.  Ensure that the continuation rates of students who entered via Access to Birmingham is equal to that for the overall cohort.  Increase the percentage of students who entered via Access to Birmingham gaining a 2.i or 1st (with due regard given to the context of the qualification with which the student entered the University.  Improve the proportion of students who entered via Access to Birmingham gaining a graduate level job within 6 months of graduating. Through these targets we will not be achieved demonstrate the impact of our outreach and retention activity at each of the expense key stages between ‘first contact’ with the target group for our pre-16 progressive activity through to their first job after graduation. By monitoring progress at each of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increasesthese key points, we will therefore also be able to identify where appropriate interventions need to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (and so the overall number of applications be made to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findings. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as we are still in the early stages of agreeing improve our approach to this, it is too early to articulate these measuresour outreach and retention activities.

Targets and Milestones. For Track record and targets/milestones We continue to recognise that the purposes current and future environment and context will be unpredictable and challenging across the sector for a number of this Access Agreementyears. However we continue to identify ambitious and challenging targets for future years, based on our previous good track record. Our overall objectives will continue to be to: - Increase the University number of Bristol will assess progress in students recruited from priority target groups where possible, taking into account student number controls; - Increase the volume of activity through Outreach and through the student life cycle; - Increase the number of students retained from priority target groups where possible, taking into account student number controls; - Increase the number of leavers moving into graduate level employment or other graduate level destinations from priority target groups as a percentage; - Continue current efforts to try to further develop sustained programmes of generic widening participation against a combination in partnership with other universities and associated stakeholders. We are likely to wish to revisit our targets to take account of progress measures which, between them, current and future significant changes to the external context within which we are designed to assess: The specific operating. That will include consideration of - the impact of a shrinking undergraduate sector; - student number of key outreach initiatives. Year on year progress in diversifying our applicant controls including core and student population. Bearing in mind the range of outreach activities which we plan to offer, we intend to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing on each of the following categories: Applicants from low performing schools Mature applicants Applicants from low participation areas Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Five. As far as possible, these have been calculated taking account of the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives (the Access to Bristol scheme, summer school programme margin and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix Five). Our assumption is that increases in the percentage of applications from under represented groups will not be achieved at the expense of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increases, we will therefore also need to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (and so the overall number of applications to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand ABB + or equivalent recruitment; - the impact of educational standards competition from other universities and the FE sector; - evaluation of national (NSP) and local (UWE) bursary policies; - ongoing changes in the Bristol area on schools sector – we are already feeling the impact of the demise of Aimhigher, Lifelong Learning Networks and changes to IAG services in particular through Connexions and the new all age guidance service We made provision in our ability 2012/13 Agreement for additional investment in work to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findings. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution review targeting, monitoring and evaluation of our collaborative activity to widening participation activity. This investment will allow us to further critically review our achievements to date and to target future work more accurately. This work will also be aligned with the Higher Education sector as development of a whole but, as we are still in the early stages of agreeing our approach to this, it is too early to articulate these measuresnew Widening Participation Strategic Assessment for 2013/14 onwards.

Targets and Milestones. For OUR COLLABORATIVE OUTREACH TARGETS AMBITION FOCUS SPECIFIC MEASURE(s) We will seek to raise aspirations to Higher Education amongst Looked After Children / Care Leavers. These are a significantly disadvantaged and under- represented group. The University will combine its academic expertise in this field and associated support for Care Leavers who do become students with an ambitious collaborative project: Aspire2Uni. Working with three local authorities in our region we will coordinate an intensive and effective progression programme. Working with the purposes Creating Chances Trust to provide mentoring and aspiration-raising for children from Year 7. As part of this Access Agreement, the programme the University will organise a series of Bristol will assess progress in widening participation against a combination of progress measures whichongoing events and initiatives from year seven through to year thirteen, between them, are designed to assess: The specific impact of a raise aspirations, break down barriers and inform progression to HE. A dedicated mentor will be available for the young people, and Virtual Schools will provide any academic support required to aid progression. Working with local businesses, Creating Chances Trust will raise funds and access high quality work placements, potential employment opportunities and professional role models. To increase the number of key outreach initiatives. Year on participants (mentees) by at least 30 students in each year progress in diversifying our applicant and student population. Bearing in mind the range of outreach activities which we plan to offer, we intend to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing on each of the following categories: Applicants from low performing schools Mature applicants Applicants programme. Ultimately, utilising the HEAT database we will be able to track progression into Higher Education. At the time of writing the University is developing a submission for consideration as part of the (new) National Collaborative Outreach Programme. While this work is in progress we are unable to commit to any more specific targets that might be later addressed by this project. OUR ACCESS TARGETS AMBITION FOCUS SPECIFIC MEASURE(s) We will seek to deliver an annual increase in the proportion of students enrolled from low participation areas Applicants neighbourhoods. We will focus on low participation “target wards” within our regional footprint as identified by the National Collaborative Outreach Programme. Percentage of (young) full- time first degree entrants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Fivelow participation neighbourhoods:  From 20% to 23% by 2020. As far as possibleOverall, these have been calculated taking account the University’s UK student body will reflect the total population demographic of the expected impact communities we serve with respect to ethnicity and gender. We will deliver an improved flexible offer to grow part- time student numbers (with an emphasis on mature learners) Continue to grow the number of students enrolled on a part-time course. We will seek to deliver an annual increase in the proportion of Disabled People enrolled and studying at the University. We will continue to improve levels of pre-entry advice and guidance to support declaration of a disability that will enhance the delivery of support packages and with a specific emphasis on Deaf and Hearing-impaired learners, reflecting our specific expertise in this area. To increase the number of specific outreach initiatives enrolled students who declare a disability to reflect the working age population:  From 13% to 16% by 2020. OUR STUDENT SUCCESS & PROGRESSION TARGETS AMBITION SPECIFIC MEASURE(s) We will support all students to make good progress and be successful in their studies.  To maintain above benchmark the retention of students in each category identified in the HESA performance indicators (the Access to Bristol schemei.e. young and mature, summer school programme and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix Fiveby neighbourhood participation markers). Our assumption aim is to provide an inclusive learning and teaching environment that increases in will enable all students to reach their potential. We have identified an outcomes / attainment gap amongst XXXX students that we are focussed on eliminating.  To maintain above benchmark the percentage proportion of applications from under represented groups will not be achieved at the expense of applications from more traditional marketsstudents who complete first degree courses.  To achieve the specified increases, we will therefore also need to increase the absolute number proportion of applications from under- represented groups students awarded first class or upper second class degrees.  To increase the proportion of BAME students awarded first class or upper second class degrees. We will support all students to realise their ambitions for graduate employment and career development.  To maintain above benchmark performance for graduate employment (and so further study) – as currently measured – and to exceed the overall number of applications to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findings. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as we are still in the early stages of agreeing our approach to this, it is too early to articulate these measuresUK average graduate employment rate.

Targets and Milestones. For Detailed targets and milestones are set out at the purposes end of this Access Agreement. The majority of the ten targets we have chosen to set are based on the HESA widening participation performance indicators and benchmarks and include those on state schools, the NS-SEC classes 4-7, low participation neighbourhoods, non-continuation and disabled students. The remainder relate to increased enrolments of other specific under-represented groups of students, including care leavers and Compact Plus students. These will be monitored using internal University of Bristol will assess progress Brighton data. The University of Brighton has a strong track record in widening participation against a combination of progress measures which, between them, are designed to assess: The specific impact of performance on a number of key outreach initiativesthe widening participation performance indicators and the targets and milestones set out in this Access Agreement aim either to maintain good performance (entrants from state schools and students in receipt of DSA - above benchmark and sector), improve absolute performance (LPN) or to improve performance in both absolute and relative terms (NS-SEC and non-continuation). Year Three targets have been set with regard to achieving improvements in non-continuation rates to reflect the increased and additional efforts in this area. Two are based on year progress in diversifying our applicant the HESA performance indicators (full-time first degree entrants and student population. Bearing in mind the range of outreach activities which we plan to offer, we intend to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing on each of the following categories: Applicants from low performing schools Mature applicants Applicants young full-time first degree entrants from low participation areas Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Five. As far as possible, these have been calculated taking account of the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives (the Access to Bristol scheme, summer school programme and personal adviser schemeneighbourhoods), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix Five). Our assumption is that increases in the percentage of applications from under represented groups other will not be achieved at the expense of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increases, we will therefore also need to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (and so the overall number of applications to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing based on our admissions processinternal data, which provides for school performance analyses non- continuation rates by NS-SEC. The University has set targets that it believes are stretching given the changes being imposed from 2012 onwards and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand significant challenges the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findings. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole butfaces as a result of the significant increases in contributions expected from students. As a result of the recently implemented changes to the student number controls across the sector and the successful outcomes of our Partner College bids to HEFCE in this regard it has been necessary to revisit a number of our previously approved targets and milestones, due to the impact this will have on our student profile. Our performance indicators have been reviewed and the effect of the removal of these numbers from our student cohort has been assessed. As such it has been necessary to adjust slightly a number of our targets and milestones to reflect the change in our student body. See the summary targets and milestones section at the end of this Agreement and Annex B. We recognise that we may wish to revisit our targets in the future in the light of any other significant changes to the context within which we are operating. Also included are a range of targets and milestones around our outreach work. These continue to build on existing work and the Widening Participation Outreach Plan produced in 2010. Our targets include modest increases in the number of schools and pupils we work with. One of the aims is to increase the intensity of the work for schools in the need of the most support. Our partner schools – which have been targeted through analysis of a range of indices of mass deprivation – will be offered access to high and significant intensity activities such as Summer Schools, subject mentoring, subject specific taster events and attainment raising programmes. These targets will be monitored and evaluated through HEAT – a collaborative database developed from the records kept by Aimhigher South East. Although we intend to continue with certain strands of aspiration raising mentoring (such as our Suitable Boy and Primary mentoring programmes), we are planning to shift the main emphasis of our intensive and continuous support for pupils to centre around subject specific modules, which will be available to University of Brighton students on some courses, as we believe such projects are still in beneficial to attainment raising and help raise the early stages profile of agreeing WP across the University. We also propose to convert our approach residential Summer School to this, it is too early a non-residential event to articulate these measuresenable us to redistribute our resources into developing more non-residential subject specific Schools.

Targets and Milestones. For Detailed targets and milestones are set out at the purposes end of this Access Agreement. Following the guidance set out by OFFA which notes the current uncertainties around sector funding, we have not significantly changed our targets for 2015-16 nor extended the targets in this Agreement to cover additional years. As shown in section 2 the University of Bristol will assess progress Brighton has a strong track record in widening participation against a combination of progress measures which, between them, are designed to assess: The specific impact of performance on a number of key outreach initiativesthe HESA widening participation performance indicators and the targets and milestones set out in this Access Agreement aim either to build upon our good performance (e.g. entrants from state schools and students in receipt of DSA), improve absolute performance (e.g. LPN) or to improve performance in both absolute and relative terms (e.g. NS-SEC and non-continuation). Year on year progress The university traditionally achieves good outcomes for students with disabilities in diversifying our applicant terms of recruitment and admissions, retention and progression. We have also achieved good outcomes for mature student populationadmissions, progression and satisfaction, although as noted in section 2b, mature student retention provides an area for further targeted intervention. Bearing in mind the The University firmly believes that a wide range of different widening participation indicators needs to be used in order to accurately assess the complex nature of the issues in ensuring access and success for under-represented groups. In order to monitor our progress consistently on an annual basis and to be able to benchmark our performance against other institutions in the sector we rely primarily upon the HESA widening participation performance indicators for our broad institution- wide targets. We would welcome the development in the sector of additional robust and standardised measures as part of OFFA and HEFCE’s work on developing the National Strategy for Access and Student Success, or the fundamental review of the PIs carried out by the UK Performance Indicators Steering Group (UKPISG). The ten targets we have chosen include those for state schools, NS-SEC classes 4-7, low participation neighbourhoods, non-continuation and disabled students. The remainder relate to increased enrolments of other specific under-represented groups of students, including care leavers and Compact Plus students. Three targets have been set with regard to achieving improvements in non- continuation rates to support the focus of our outreach efforts related to low participation neighbourhoods and social class. Two are based on the HESA performance indicators (full-time first degree entrants and young full-time first degree entrants from low participation neighbourhoods), the other is based on internal data, which analyses non-continuation rates by NS-SEC and aims to reduce the difference in non-continuation rates between NS-SEC groups 1-3 and 4-7. Progress against targets will be monitored through the university’s outreach evaluation strategy (detailed in section 4 below). Our targets are under constant review and are considered regularly at the University level by both our Recruitment and Admissions Committee (RAC) and our Student Retention Improvement Team (SRIT) and also at the academic level through Academic Boards and Management Groups. Targets and milestones (outreach) We have consistently performed well against our existing targets for widening access and, as outlined in section 2a above, have used the evaluative evidence from previous outreach activity to set targets for 2015-16. Although, given the current uncertainties around funding, we have not made significant changes to the targets or work plan for 2015-16, we have updated our targets to reflect the development of additional outreach activity laid out elsewhere in this access agreement, the embedding of new systems and staffing structures, sustained activities which delivered through the Compact Plus programme and our collaborative work. We will retain our general outreach targets for secondary schools and post-16 institutions, but have added targets around the number of participants we plan to offerattract. The number of schools we plan to work with will remain the same, as this represents all the schools in Sussex we intend have identified as needing the most support but we expect to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing on each of revisit these targets as we expand our outreach activity into other geographical areas. We have reorganised our outreach targets to better reflect our strategic priorities into the following categoriesgroupings: Applicants from low performing schools Mature applicants Applicants from low  Primary work  Secondary work  Post-16 work  Student participation areas Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Five. As far as possible, these have been calculated taking account of the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives (the Access to Bristol scheme, summer school programme including modules and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix Five). Our assumption is that increases in the percentage of applications from under represented groups will not be achieved at the expense of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increases, we will therefore also need to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (mentoring)  Summer Schools  Compact Plus participants  Collaboration and so the overall number of applications to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findings. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as We have underpinned the importance of the collaborative activities we are still developing with UCL by including targets around this work. We will target schools based on indices of multiple deprivation and have developed a collaborative target that 85% of participants will consider that higher education is something they could aspire to. As collaboration is such an important aspect of equipping learners to make the right decisions for their progression, we shall continually review our efforts in this area, and add to these as necessary. Although not a specific target within our access agreement, we anticipate that outreach work targeted at areas such as Central Sussex, the Gatwick diamond and South London will broaden the black and minority ethnic demographic of participants in our outreach activities and widen access from these groups to the university. The university’s Student Equality Report has highlighted Race as an area for improvement for the university particularly in terms of Black/Black British students’ rates of admission, progression, and retention. There may be further analysis required of the impact of our outreach work in terms of our applications from this group to our courses, in respect of national and regional data. Targeting resources where they will have the most impact Utilising the guidance from HEFCE (‘targeting disadvantaged learners’ and ‘toolkits for practitioners: targeting’) and the data provided through the HEAT database we have implemented an appropriate targeting policy. Our outreach resources are targeted towards schools based on a number of indices of multiple deprivations:  free school meals  sum of percentage living in NS Sec 4-7  sum of percentage living in Polar Quintile 1  sum of percentage living in IMD high deprivation areas. Schools are ranked for each category, and an aggregate score is given to each institution which then gives it a place of priority for outreach resources. More intensive outreach activities, such as Summer Schools or mentoring schemes, are targeted towards individual participants who meet two or more of the entry criteria for the University’s Compact Plus programme:  looked after by a local authority, or have left care  in receipt of free school meals  living in POLAR3 quintile one or two  having a disability  living in a household where the main wage earner is in NS-SEC 4-8 (for which we use the National Office of Statistics matrix)  from a family with no previous experience of Higher Education. Targeting resources towards outreach activities which are the most effective Evidence from the HEAT database about the success of previously run projects based on project evaluation by participants is used to inform our planned programme for 2015-16. This evidence has led us to expand our portfolio of activities in two key areas: Summer Schools and mentoring for both primary and secondary students, both of which have been shown to influence positive changes in attitudes towards HE of participants. We have found Summer Schools to be particularly effective, both for raising awareness and aspirations around subjects, but also in raising applications. As an example, of the students participating in the early stages Sports Science Summer School, 50% applied for a place at the University of agreeing Brighton. We have now increased the number of Summer Schools which we run. We have continued to develop our approach mentoring programme based on positive evidence from evaluation. Overall, participants demonstrated a positive attitudinal shift when asked core questions before and after the project. Following the project there was an increase in the numbers of students who indicated increased aspiration to thisgo to University, it is too early who felt they would ‘fit in’ at University and who said they had all the information needed to articulate make a decision about applying to HE. We have also observed benefits to University student mentors, such as increased confidence and developing their employability skills. We are also adding to the number of intensive, repeat intervention activities based on the feedback we have received in previous years. All of these measuresactivities will now sit with the Compact Plus evaluative framework allowing us to build up a comprehensive picture of the success of our outreach programme.

Targets and Milestones. For Detailed targets and milestones are set out at the purposes end of this Access Agreement, . As shown in section 2 the University of Bristol will assess progress Brighton has a strong track record in widening participation against a combination of progress measures which, between them, are designed to assess: The specific impact of performance on a number of key outreach initiativesthe HESA widening participation performance indicators and the targets and milestones set out in this Access Agreement aim either to build upon our good performance, improve absolute performance or improve performance in both absolute and relative terms (e.g. NS-SEC and non- continuation). Year on year progress The university traditionally achieves good outcomes for students with disabilities in diversifying our applicant terms of recruitment and admissions, retention and progression. We have also achieved good outcomes for mature student populationrecruitment, progression and satisfaction. Bearing in mind the The University firmly believes that a wide range of different widening participation indicators needs to be used in order to accurately assess the complex nature of the issues in ensuring access and success for under-represented groups. In order to monitor our progress consistently on an annual basis, and to be able to benchmark our performance against other institutions in the sector, we have in the past relied upon the HESA widening participation performance indicators for our broad institution-wide targets. Reviewing our success measures As with the changes noted elsewhere regarding the DSA, the university has agreed that it is timely to review and refine our targets which had focused solely on increased enrolments of other under- represented groups of students (including care leavers and students identified through our Compact Plus programme). Our pre-entry work for care leavers is well established and successful and as a result we have reviewed our target to increase care leaver numbers recruited year-on-year and in 2016-17 will identify baseline data and develop targets that will prioritise retention and success for this group of young people, with an aim of closing the gap in retention rates between care leavers and all undergraduate students. In reviewing our targets our intention is to develop those which focus on progression, success and employability of specific widening participation cohorts, rather than simply the recruitment of these students to our institution. Our aim behind this review is to reflect not only the changes to the annual published HESA data but more importantly to fully reflect the whole-institution approach to widening participation across the student lifecycle from access to success. New areas that we will research and prepare to include in the future are as follows:  a new set of targets and annual milestones that focus on student achievement of specific under-represented student groups including; NS-SEC Groups 4-7; LPN; students with a declared disability; care leavers and BME students;  to replace the outgoing DSA PI with a target and annual milestone that focuses not only on enrolments of students with a declared disability but also a measure of their retention and success;  to review targets related to delivery of activities and numbers of interventions with specific under-represented students through our Compact plus programmes and develop targets designed to measure the impact of these activities in terms of encouraging participants to apply to HE, both to our own institution and HE generally. As specified in section 2 above, the current Access Agreement will focus upon monitoring our performance related to enrolments from state schools and colleges; enrolments from NS-SEC Groups 4-7; enrolments from low participation neighbourhoods; non-continuation rates, both university-wide and for specific under-represented groups and numbers of interventions / volume of activity related to under-represented groups delivered through the Compact and Compact Plus programmes. Progress against targets will be monitored through the university’s outreach evaluation strategy (detailed in section 4 below). Targets and milestones (outreach) We have consistently performed well against our existing targets for widening access and, as outlined in section 2a above, have used the evaluative evidence from previous outreach activity to set targets for 2016-17. Our outreach targets for secondary schools have been reviewed and these ambitious targets reflect our planned delivery of a sustained programme of intervention for Years 7 through to Year 11 in our key partner schools. The number of secondary schools we plan to work with will remain broadly the same, as this represents the majority of the schools in Sussex that we have identified as needing the most support, however we aim to increase the numbers of primary schools with which we will work by 2019-20. Our outreach targets focus on the following groups or activities, organised to reflect a number of our key priorities:  Activities with primary school pupils  Activities with Compact schools and colleges (all year groups)  Activities with Compact Plus students - years 7-11  Activities with Compact Plus students - post-16 (years 12 -13 and Access to HE students)  Summer Schools  Student participation (numbers of our student undertaking accredited school engagement modules, working as mentors or WP ambassadors)  Progression to HE of Compact Plus members in Polar 3 (Quintiles 1 and 2) within 2 years of completing their studies, benchmarked against data from other HEAT member universities  Collaborative targets for primary and post-16 work with other HEIs. Although not a specific target within our access agreement, we anticipate that outreach work targeted at areas such as Central Sussex, the Gatwick diamond and South London will broaden the black and minority ethnic demographic of participants in our outreach activities and widen access from these groups to the university. The university’s Student Equality Report has highlighted Race as an area for improvement for the university particularly in terms of Black/Black British students’ rates of admission, progression, and retention. There may be further analysis required of the impact of our outreach work in terms of our applications from this group to our courses, in respect of national and regional data. Targeting resources where they will have the most impact Utilising the guidance from HEFCE (‘targeting disadvantaged learners’ and ‘toolkits for practitioners: targeting’) and the data provided through the HEAT database we have implemented an appropriate targeting policy. As specified in the previous Access Agreement, our outreach resources will continue to be targeted towards schools based on a number of indices of multiple deprivations, including free school meals, NS Sec 4-7, Polar Quintile 1, IMD high deprivation areas. Schools are ranked for each category and an aggregate score is given to each institution which then gives it a place of priority for outreach resources. We will continue to offer more intensive outreach activities, such as Summer Schools or mentoring schemes, to individual participants who meet certain of the entry criteria for the University’s Compact Plus programme:  looked after by a local authority, or have left care  in receipt of free school meals  living in POLAR3 quintile one or two  having a disability  living in a household where the main wage earner is in NS-SEC 4-8 (for which we use the National Office of Statistics matrix)  from a family with no previous experience of Higher Education. We understand that these criteria are complex and may be difficult for schools or individual participants and their families to understand, and we are in the process of reviewing these criteria with our partner Compact Schools, with the aim of producing simplified eligibility criteria for 2016- 17. Targeting resources towards outreach activities which are the most effective Evidence from the HEAT database about the success of previously run projects is used to inform our planned programme for 2016-17. This evidence has led us to expand our portfolio of activities in two key areas: Summer Schools and mentoring for both primary and secondary students, both of which have been shown to influence positive changes in attitudes towards HE of participants. We have found Summer Schools to be particularly effective, both for raising awareness and aspirations around subjects as well as increasing applications to HE. Evidence from The University of Brighton HEAT tracking report 2007/08-2013/14 shows that participants who attended summer schools had the highest progression to HE rates of all activity types with 52% of summer school participants progressing to HE. Following the projects there was an increase in the numbers of students who indicated increased aspiration to go to University, who felt they would ‘fit in’ at University and who said they had all the information needed to make a decision about applying to HE. We have continued to develop our mentoring programme based on positive evidence from evaluation. Overall, participants demonstrated a positive attitudinal shift when asked core questions before and after the project. We have also observed benefits to University student mentors, such as increased confidence and developing their employability skills. To enable us to increase our mentoring offer we plan will be piloting various e-mentoring projects in 2015-16 and plane to offerroll-out the successful projects in 2016-17. We are also adding to the number of intensive, repeat intervention activities based on the feedback we intend have received in previous years. All of these activities will now sit within the Compact Plus evaluative framework, allowing us to measure year on year progress in attracting build a wider pool of applicants by focusing on each comprehensive picture of the following categories: Applicants from low performing schools Mature applicants Applicants from low participation areas Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Five. As far as possible, these have been calculated taking account of the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives (the Access to Bristol scheme, summer school programme and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix Five). Our assumption is that increases in the percentage of applications from under represented groups will not be achieved at the expense of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increases, we will therefore also need to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (and so the overall number of applications to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment success of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findings. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as we are still in the early stages of agreeing our approach to this, it is too early to articulate these measuresoutreach programme.

Targets and Milestones. For the purposes of this Access Agreement, the University of Bristol will assess progress in widening participation against a combination of progress measures which, between them, are designed to assess:  The specific impact of a number of key outreach initiatives.  Year on year progress in diversifying our applicant and student population.  Year on year progress in improving conversion of under-represented applicants. Bearing in mind the range of outreach activities which we plan to offer, we intend to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing particularly on each of the following categories: categories (although additional measures included in our 2012 Agreement have also been retained for continuity of monitoring):  Applicants from low performing schools Mature applicants Applicants from low participation areas  Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants  Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix FiveFour. In each case, we have included new measures, to assess improvements in application to intake conversion. As far as possible, these measures have been calculated taking account of the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives (the Access to Bristol scheme, summer school programme and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix FiveFour). Our assumption is that increases in the percentage of applications from under represented groups will not be achieved at the expense of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increases, we will therefore also need to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (and so the overall number of applications to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement Measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on the low school performance category, reflecting the role which this plays in our contextual approach to admissions. Measures relating to mature student intake have been included for continuity. The recent decision to grow our undergraduate numbers substantially means that continuing to measure progress in diversifying intake by looking at under-represented groups as a percentage of total intake is no longer meaningful. For each intake-related measure, we have therefore added the number of students which the original percentages might have been expected to deliver. Monitoring against these categories onlynumbers will give a more accurate picture of progress. All progress measures have been informed by more detailed analysis of progress against the institutional milestones detailed in Appendix Two and will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findings. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as we are still in the early stages of agreeing our approach to this, it is too early to articulate these measures.

Targets and Milestones. For On the purposes basis of our strong track record in outreach, that places us in the upper quartile of the English universities of the Xxxxxxx Group, we believe that it is important that we are judged by our relative performance in the HESA Performance Indicators. We will therefore aim to maintain our position in the top quartile of the English universities of the Xxxxxxx Group for the life of this Access Agreement. In addition, we are proposing a number of internal targets which will not only satisfy OFFA guidelines but will also contribute to our monitoring of effective outreach activities. • Increase the proportion of young people from our pre-16 progressive activity target group progressing to level 3 programmes. • The proportion of young people from our pre-16 progressive activity target group applying to a FT place in HE is greater than local averages for young people from socially disadvantaged groups. • Increase the percentage of students engaged in our post-16 outreach programmes applying to the University of Bristol will assess progress in widening participation against a combination of progress measures which, between them, are designed to assess: The specific impact of a number of key outreach initiativesBirmingham. Year on year progress in diversifying our applicant and student population. Bearing in mind the range of outreach activities which we plan to offer, we intend to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing on each of the following categories: Applicants from low performing schools Mature applicants Applicants from low participation areas Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Five. As far as possible, these have been calculated taking account of the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives (the Access to Bristol scheme, summer school programme and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix Five). Our assumption is that increases • Growth in the percentage of applications from under represented groups entrants via our Access to Birmingham Programme. • Ensure that the continuation rates of students who entered via Access to Birmingham is equal to that for the overall cohort. • Increase the percentage of students who entered via Access to Birmingham gaining a 2.i or 1st (with due regard given to the context of the qualification with which the student entered the University. • Improve the proportion of students who entered via Access to Birmingham gaining a graduate level job within 6 months of graduating. Through these targets we will not be achieved demonstrate the impact of our outreach and retention activity at each of the expense key stages between ‘first contact’ with the target group for our pre-16 progressive activity through to their first job after graduation. By monitoring progress at each of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increasesthese key points, we will therefore also be able to identify where appropriate interventions need to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (and so the overall number of applications be made to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findings. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as we are still in the early stages of agreeing improve our approach to this, it is too early to articulate these measuresour outreach and retention activities.

Targets and Milestones. For The University’s statistical milestones relating to our student cohort will be taken from the purposes following HESA performance indicators: State School (location adjusted) LPN (location adjusted) Mature students with no previous HE & from LPN Non-continuation of this Access Agreementyoung and mature students following year of entry from LPN In addition we also monitor the proportion of students: in receipt of full state support with a self-declared disability who are male on the primary level PGCE We are also seeking to add a target relating to students progressing to employment and further study. In order to set a baseline and appropriately stretching targets we will be reviewing the available data using our new systems to establish the most robust measure for consistent reporting. The University considers that benchmarks are the most helpful milestone against which to assess our performance, the University of Bristol will assess progress in widening participation against a combination of progress rather than absolute measures whichwhich do not reflect context. But, between them, are designed to assess: The specific impact of a number of key outreach initiatives. Year on year progress in diversifying our applicant and student population. Bearing in mind the range of outreach activities which we plan to offerequally, we intend to measure year on year progress recognise the value of aspirational targets and have therefore expressed milestones in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing on each of the following categories: Applicants from low performing schools Mature applicants Applicants from low participation areas Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Fiveabsolute terms. As far as possible, these These milestones have been calculated taking account set using the most recent HESA data as a baseline, which may not give an accurate representation of our current position given the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives (year to year variability. In order to calculate statistical milestones we have plotted past performance to determine an overall trend and, in consultation with OFFA, have set stretching targets which often exceed the Access to Bristol scheme, summer school programme values indicated within these trends. In some cases this takes our milestones considerably above our current performance and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix Five). Our assumption is that increases in the percentage of applications from under represented groups will not be achieved at the expense of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increases, we national average and will therefore also need require annual review to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (and so the overall number of applications to the University)ensure they remain realistic. Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account This is particularly relevant as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findings. We also hope to develop measures sufficient data to assess the contribution impacts of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as we fees and changes in student number control and changing partnerships becomes available. These milestones are still detailed in the early stages 2016/17 resource plan, Table 7a. Our other milestones and targets in the 2015/16 resource plan, Table 7b relate to outreach/WP activity and student support services. The University has a strong and established outreach programme, with milestones relating to both the level of agreeing engagement and the proportion of participants from under-represented groups. As outlined in section 4, our approach access to this, it is too early data has improved allowing us to articulate these measuresmore effectively monitor our progress. Using the new reporting tool we will be developing targets in relation to student support once we have a complete cycle of data to analyse.

Targets and Milestones. For The University’s statistical milestones relating to our student cohort will be taken from the purposes following HESA performance indicators: State School (location adjusted) NS-SEC (location adjusted) LPN (location adjusted) Disabled full time first degree entrants in receipt of this Access AgreementDSA Mature students with no previous HE & from LPN Non-continuation following year of entry from LPN Mature students non continuation from LPN We will also monitor the proportion of students in receipt of full state support. Given the exceptionally steep rise in our entry tariffs and the unknowable impact of increased fees on student participation, the University considers that benchmarks are the most helpful milestone against which to assess our performance, rather than absolute measures which do not reflect context. But, equally, we recognise the value of Bristol aspirational targets and have therefore expressed milestones in absolute terms. In order to calculate statistical milestones we have plotted past performance to determine the overall trend. Given the rising tariff outlined in section 2.2 we envisage that performance will assess progress initially plateau in widening participation against 2010/11 and 2011/12 and have thus applied the trend to calculate future aspirations from 2012 onwards. In some cases this takes our milestones considerably above the national average and will therefore require annual review to ensure they remain realistic. These are detailed in Annex B, Table 5a. Our other milestones and targets relate mainly to our outreach work. The University has a combination strong and established outreach programme. For outreach we will maintain the quality and quantity of progress measures whichactivity whilst tightly monitoring targeting and effectiveness. Examples of milestones include: Increasing the proportion of participants from LPN for Summer Schools, between them, are designed to assess: The specific impact of a Mentoring and Gifted and Talented activities. An increase in the number of key outreach initiativesparents and teachers with whom we engage. Year Development of University transition skills modules for year 12, 13 and mature students. Review of opportunities for collaborative, cross boundary projects to build on year progress our history of working in diversifying our applicant and student population. Bearing in mind the range of outreach activities which we plan to offer, we intend to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing on each of the following categories: Applicants from low performing schools Mature applicants Applicants from low participation areas Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Five. As far as possible, these have been calculated taking account of the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives (the Access to Bristol scheme, summer school programme and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated partnership with them (also detailed at Appendix Five). Our assumption is that increases HEI’s in the percentage of applications from under represented groups will not region. Fund learning and teaching projects to further develop good practice relating to student retention and success Further detail can be achieved at the expense of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increasesfound in Annex B, we will therefore also need to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (and so the overall number of applications to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findings. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as we are still in the early stages of agreeing our approach to this, it is too early to articulate these measuresTable 5b.

Targets and Milestones. For the purposes of this Access Agreement, the University of Bristol will assess progress in widening participation against a combination of progress measures which, between them, are designed to assess:  The specific impact of a number of key outreach initiatives.  Year on year progress in diversifying our applicant and student population. Bearing in mind the range of outreach activities which we plan to offer, we intend to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing on each of the following categories:  Applicants from low performing schools  Mature applicants  Applicants from low participation areas  Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7  Applicants from minority ethnic groups  Disabled applicants  Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Five. As far as possible, these have been calculated taking account of the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives (the Access to Bristol scheme, summer school programme and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix Five). Our assumption is that increases in the percentage of applications from under represented groups will not be achieved at the expense of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increases, we will therefore also need to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (and so the overall number of applications to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findings. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as we are still in the early stages of agreeing our approach to this, it is too early to articulate these measures.

Targets and Milestones. For the purposes of this Access Agreement, the University of Bristol will assess progress in widening participation against a combination of progress measures which, between them, are designed to assess: • The specific impact of a number of key outreach initiatives. • Year on year progress in diversifying our applicant and student population. Bearing in mind the range of outreach activities which we plan to offer, we intend to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing on each of the following categories: • Applicants from low performing schools • Mature applicants • Applicants from low participation areas • Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7 • Applicants from minority ethnic groups • Disabled applicants • Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Five. As far as possible, these have been calculated taking account of the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives (the Access to Bristol scheme, summer school programme and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix Five). Our assumption is that increases in the percentage of applications from under represented groups will not be achieved at the expense of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increases, we will therefore also need to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (and so the overall number of applications to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findings. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as we are still in the early stages of agreeing our approach to this, it is too early to articulate these measures.

Targets and Milestones. For We have challenging and stretching targets across all stages of the purposes student life-cycle. These targets have been established following lengthy discussion with senior management, relevant heads of this Access Agreementdepartment and the University’s Strategic Data and Intelligence Manager. We have considered a wide range of factors when setting these targets including:  a significant analysis of our undergraduate student body  benchmarks where possible, including HESA performance indicators, NTU’s latest student success trends and our collaborative partners (in particular the University of Bristol will assess progress Nottingham, the East Midlands Widening Participation Research and Evaluation Partnership and Children’s University)  our successes and commendations, including by OFFA in 2014  a significant institutional commitment to all stages of the student lifecycle, as indicated in our ‘Success for All’ initiative  our extensive experience in this field. Having been proactive in widening participation against for over 15 years we have a combination great deal of progress institutional knowledge as to what is achievable. Monitoring and evaluation We wrote an evaluation plan covering the period 2014-15 to 2018-19, in line with the National Strategy for Access and Student Success. This plan recognises the importance of embedding evaluation measures whichacross each stage of our student life-cycle; from pre- entry outreach interventions, between themto student retention & success initiatives and, are designed finally, progression to assess: The specific further study or employment in the professions. Along with producing ongoing evidence of the impact of our interventions, the main priority of our evaluation strategy, as set out in the plan, is to ensure that we systematically use data and evidence to inform our access, student success and progression provision. Against the backdrop of the above, we undertook a number literature review into the growing field of key character-based education in 2016. The literature pointed to a strong association between growth mind-set and improved educational attainment. This led to an internal discussion around the possible application of incorporating character-based provision within existing outreach initiativeswork. Year This culminated in the development of our pilot outreach programme, PEPPER which is an amalgamation of the positive psychology literature, marketed in a memorable and attractive form. Evaluation of the programme has been an integral part of its development and has been embedded from the offset. We are one of ten higher education institutions that subscribe to the East Midlands Widening Participation Research & Evaluation Partnership (EMWPREP). In 2016, we have also joined the Higher Education Access Tracker (HEAT) service to provide us with further opportunities to enhance our evidence base. As part of these partnerships we have access to online databases which permit the systematic collection and recording of activity and participant data. This facilitates the monitoring of our targeting procedures to ensure those that are most in need of support are accessing our interventions. We also track participants’ attainment and progression to HE, which underpins our monitoring and evaluation strategies and evolving Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and use the results to inform future provision. We are also one of five institutions taking part in the OFFA funded and Xxxxxxx led research aimed at developing a common evaluation methodology, which further demonstrates our commitment. Whilst, in isolation, our attainment and HE progression tracking does not permit us to claim a causal effect on year progress participant success due to other potential influential factors, this builds on our ‘layers of evidence’, with the research findings triangulated using other (qualitative) methodologies. Moreover, we are looking into the feasibility of embedding randomised controlled trials as part of our PEPPER programme (see above), which may provide more concrete evidence of the impact on learner attainment and progression. We will systematically track our former outreach participants who have progressed to NTU undergraduate study in diversifying terms of their subsequent success whilst at university. We will ascertain any association between participation in our applicant outreach programmes and any deviation from average retention and attainment rates. This will provide an indication of the extent to which the interventions are preparing students for the transition to HE and contributing to their subsequent success. We will supplement the findings of the above tracking exercise by interviewing a sample of former participants who are now studying an undergraduate course at NTU, to gain further insight into the long-term impact of the activities. NTU’s Schools, Colleges & Community Outreach (SCCO) Department’s access, student populationsuccess and progression interventions are delivered via four main projects; Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx Volunteering, NTU Progression team, Schools & Colleges Outreach and The Progression Team. Bearing These projects will be evaluated (both individually and collectively) via the quantitative tracking methodologies noted above. Where appropriate, these findings will be triangulated with various project-specific evaluations, using a variety of research methodologies. The findings of these interventions will be fed back to inform ongoing programme development. We have undertaken a small scale evaluation of our financial support. However, the findings were inconclusive, not least due to regular changes we’ve made in mind our financial support systems. We will, however, make use of OFFA’s new financial support evaluation tool. We regularly evaluate aspects of the student experience through a range of outreach activities which we plan to offer, we intend to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants research methodologies. These permit analysis by focusing on each of the following categories: Applicants from low performing schools Mature applicants Applicants from low participation areas Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants and demographic data such as gender, age, ethnicity, disability and social class, providing an opportunity to explore the student experience for different groups. Interventions aimed at improving the success of students with protected equality & diversity characteristics and those from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Five. As far as possible, these have been calculated taking account of the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives widening participation backgrounds (the Access to Bristol scheme, summer school programme and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix Five). Our assumption is that increases in the percentage of applications from under represented groups will not be achieved at the expense of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increases, we will therefore also need to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (and so the overall number of applications to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, ‘Success for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress All’ and ‘BTEC Champions’ initiatives) are evaluated at the specified rates; local academic school level, with support from an external evaluator, NTU’s Centre for Academic Development & Quality (CADQ) and SCCO. The research explores emerging themes and informs how we may need to adjust can further enhance the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect success of students from the findings. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as we are still in the early stages of agreeing our approach to this, it is too early to articulate these measuresnoted historically disadvantaged groups.

Targets and Milestones. For OUR COLLABORATIVE OUTREACH TARGETS AMBITION FOCUS SPECIFIC MEASURE(s) We will act to raise aspirations to Higher Education amongst Looked After Children / Care Leavers. These are a significantly disadvantaged and under- represented group. Working with four local authorities in our region we will coordinate an intensive and effective progression programme. Working with the purposes Creating Chances Trust to provide mentoring and aspiration-raising for children from Year 7 onwards. To increase the number of participants (mentees) by at least 30 students in each year of the programme. Ultimately, utilising the HEAT database we will be able to track progression into Higher Education. The University will combine its academic expertise in this Access Agreementfield and associated support for Care Leavers who do become students with an ambitious collaborative project: Aspire2Uni. As part of the programme the University will organise a series of ongoing events and initiatives from year seven through to year thirteen, designed to raise aspirations, break down barriers and inform progression to HE. A dedicated mentor will be available for the young people, and Virtual Schools will provide any academic support required to aid progression. Working with local businesses, the Creating Chances Trust will raise funds and access high quality work placements, potential employment opportunities and professional role models. At the time of writing, the University is implementing the (new) National Collaborative Outreach Programme: Aspire to HE. OUR ACCESS TARGETS AMBITION FOCUS SPECIFIC MEASURE(s) We will seek to deliver an annual increase in the proportion of Bristol will assess progress in widening participation against a combination of progress measures which, between them, are designed to assess: The specific impact of a number of key outreach initiatives. Year on year progress in diversifying our applicant and student population. Bearing in mind the range of outreach activities which we plan to offer, we intend to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing on each of the following categories: Applicants from low performing schools Mature applicants Applicants students enrolled from low participation areas Applicants neighbourhoods. We will focus on low participation target wards within our regional footprint as identified by the National Collaborative Outreach Programme. Percentage of (young) full- time first degree entrants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Fivelow participation neighbourhoods:  From 20% to 23% by 2020. As far as possibleOverall, these have been calculated taking account the University’s UK student body will reflect the total population demographic of the expected impact communities we serve with respect to ethnicity and gender. We will deliver an improved flexible offer to grow part- time student numbers (with an emphasis on mature learners) Continue to grow the number of students enrolled on a part-time course. We will seek to deliver an annual increase in the proportion of Disabled People enrolled and studying at the University. We will continue to improve levels of pre-entry advice and guidance to support declaration of a disability that will enhance the delivery of support packages and with a specific emphasis on Deaf and Hearing-impaired learners, reflecting our specific expertise in this area. To increase the number of specific outreach initiatives enrolled students who declare a disability to reflect the working age population:  From 13% to 16% by 2020. OUR STUDENT SUCCESS TARGETS AMBITION SPECIFIC MEASURE(s) We will support all students to make good progress and be successful in their studies.  To maintain above benchmark the retention of students in each category identified in the HESA performance indicators (the Access to Bristol schemei.e. young and mature, summer school programme and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix Fiveby neighbourhood participation markers). Our assumption aim is to provide an inclusive learning and teaching environment that increases in will enable all students to reach their potential. We have identified an outcomes / attainment gap amongst XXXX students that we are focussed on eliminating.  To maintain above benchmark the percentage proportion of applications from under represented groups will not be achieved at the expense of applications from more traditional marketsstudents who complete first degree courses.  To achieve the specified increases, we will therefore also need to increase the absolute number proportion of applications from under- represented groups students awarded first class or upper second class degrees.  To increase the proportion of BAME students awarded first class or upper second class degrees.  To maintain above benchmark performance for graduate employment (and so further study) – as currently measured – and to exceed the overall number of applications to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findingsUK average graduate employment rate. We also hope will support all students to develop measures to assess the contribution of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as we are still in the early stages of agreeing our approach to this, it is too early to articulate these measuresrealise their ambitions for graduate employment and career development.

Targets and Milestones. For On the purposes basis of our strong track record in outreach that places us in the upper quartile of the English universities of the Xxxxxxx Group, we believe that it is important that we are judged by our relative performance in the HESA Performance Indicators. We will therefore aim to maintain our position in the top quartile of the English universities of the Xxxxxxx Group for the life of this Access Agreement. In addition, we are proposing a number of internal targets which will not only satisfy OFFA guidelines but will also contribute to our monitoring of effective outreach activities:  Increase the proportion of young people from our pre-16 progressive activity target group progressing to level 3 programmes;  The proportion of young people from our pre-16 progressive activity target group applying to a FT place in HE is greater than local average for young people from socially disadvantaged groups;  Increase the percentage of students engaged in our post-16 outreach programmes applying to the University of Bristol will assess progress in widening participation against a combination of progress measures which, between them, are designed to assess: The specific impact of a number of key outreach initiatives. Year on year progress in diversifying our applicant and student population. Bearing in mind the range of outreach activities which we plan to offer, we intend to measure year on year progress in attracting a wider pool of applicants by focusing on each of the following categories: Applicants from low performing schools Mature applicants Applicants from low participation areas Applicants from socio-economic groups 4-7 Applicants from minority ethnic groups Disabled applicants Local applicants Progress measures for each of these categories are provided at Appendix Five. As far as possible, these have been calculated taking account of the expected impact of a number of specific outreach initiatives (the Access to Bristol scheme, summer school programme and personal adviser scheme), each of which also has more detailed performance targets associated with them (also detailed at Appendix Five). Our assumption is that increases Birmingham;  Growth in the percentage of applications from under represented groups entrants via our Access to Birmingham Programme;  Ensure that the continuation rates of students who entered via Access to Birmingham is equal to that for the overall cohort;  Increase the percentage of students who entered via Access to Birmingham gaining a 2.i or 1st (with due regard given to the context of the qualification with which the student entered the University);  Improve the proportion of students who entered via Access to Birmingham gaining a graduate level job within 6 months of graduating. Through these targets we will not be achieved demonstrate the impact of our outreach and retention activity at each of the expense key stages between ‘first contact’ with the target group for our pre-16 progressive activity through to their first job after graduation. By monitoring progress at each of applications from more traditional markets. To achieve the specified increasesthese key points, we will therefore also be able to identify where appropriate interventions need to increase the absolute number of applications from under- represented groups (and so the overall number of applications be made to the University). Only two of these categories have any bearing on our admissions process, which provides for school performance and mature applicant status to be taken into account as part of a holistic selection process. For this reason, measurement of the University’s intake profile will be focused on these categories only. All progress measures will be re-calculated annually to reflect assessment of our progress to date. In addition, it should be noted that we intend to carry out further research, for example, to better understand the impact of educational standards in the Bristol area on our ability to progress at the specified rates; we may need to adjust the progress measures contained in this agreement for future years to reflect the findings. We also hope to develop measures to assess the contribution of our collaborative activity to widening participation to the Higher Education sector as a whole but, as we are still in the early stages of agreeing improve our approach to this, it is too early to articulate these measuresour outreach and retention activities.