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The University Executive Committee is responsible for all matters associated with the development and management of the university.
Last updated: 28 March 2022
The assessment of the University of Gloucestershire’s (UoG) performance has been completed against key underrepresented groups, as outlined in the Office for Students Regulatory notice document. These key groups are:
HESA UKPI: UK-domiciled Young Full-time UG entrants from Q1 postcode, 2016/17
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| First Degree | 13.9% | 15.6% | 1.7% |
| Other UG | 18.5% | 27.1% | 8.6% |
Our 2016/17 OFFA monitoring return shows that 96.1% of UK domiciled young full-time undergraduate entrants came from state schools or colleges. We are above our benchmark of 95.0%. Due to our commitment to long-term outreach activity, the proportion of young entrants from state schools has remained consistently well above the location-adjusted benchmark and above the sector average of 90.1%. For UK domiciled young full time UG entrants from a Q1 postcode the benchmark is 13.9% for 2016/17, the university outperforms this with a variance of 1.7% with 15.6% of students recruited for 2016/17.
Of those who completed an evaluation form as part of Outreach activity, the percentage of students from a Q1 postcode (16.7%) exceeds our benchmark’. One of the criteria for our compact schools is based on LPN data, and therefore by prioritising them for outreach, a large amount of activity can be focussed on those from Q1 postcodes. Another criteria for current compact schools is that they might have a higher than national average number of students eligible for FSM. Therefore a large amount of our outreach activity can be focussed on this target group.
TEF Continuation metric (FT continuation into year 2)
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| Young | 91.8% | 94.8% | 3.0% |
| Mature | 88.0% | 91.8% | 3.8% |
UoG Student Profiles: UK-domiciled First Degree course, award classifications in 2016/17
| 1st | 2:1 | Other | |
| Young | 22.3% | 46.4% | 31.3% |
| Mature | 21.0% | 41.28% | 37.6% |
Overall performance against sector benchmarks is good although further work must be undertaken around success to enable mature students to achieve higher attainment rates. While the continuation rate for mature students is lower than for young students, the continuation rate for mature students at the university is better than that for young students when compared to their respective sector benchmarks.
Mature students receive a tailored induction/welcome event prior to the main induction programme, and this is universally valued by the attendees, and gives them a full introduction to the range of support offered by the University to assist with their study skills.
HESA UKPI: HE students in receipt of Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) 2016/17
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| UoG | 7.4% | 9.1% | 1.7% |
HEIDI+: UK-Domiciled UG entrants with self-declared disability, 2016/17
| Sector | Region (South West) | UoG | Variance to region |
| 13.0% | 15.5% | 20.1% | 4.6% |
The University performs very well in terms of access to higher education for students with a self- declared disability. The sector average for entry in 2016/17 was 13.0% and regionally it was 15.5%, the University’s intake was 20.1% of students starting an undergraduate course. In addition, the benchmark for HE students in receipt of Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) for 2016/17 was 7.4% compared to the University which is at 9.1%.
We are currently below the regional and sector benchmarks for the percentage of students who declare a learning or physical disability on our Outreach evaluation forms (8.4%). However, when outreach activity is targeted the response in evaluation is encouraging with 17.1% answering positively as to whether they would now consider higher education as an option. We continue to support the National Star College with their Information events to support students with a disability. We also prioritise applications from students with disclosed disabilities for the summer residential and mentoring schemes.
TEF Continuation metric (FT continuation into year 2)
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| No Disability | 91.1% | 94.3% | 3.2% |
| Disability | 90.3% | 92.7% | 2.4% |
UoG Student Profiles: UK-domiciled First Degree course, award classifications in 2016/17
| 1st | 2:1 | Other | |
| No Disability | 22.7% | 45.6% | 31.7% |
| Disability | 19.3% | 44.3% | 36.4% |
Overall performance against sector benchmarks is good. However, the continuation rate for students with a declared disability is lower than that for students without a declared disability, and is also worse when compared to their respective sector benchmarks.
We are proud that we recruit a large cohort of disabled students to the University (20.1% of entrants), and colleagues across the Student Services Department and Academic Schools work collectively to offer appropriate support for students with a disability or learning difficulty. 92.7% of our students with a declared disability successfully continue with their studies into year 2 (2.4%
above benchmark).There is some work to be done to equalise this with those students with no declared disability with 94.3% of these continuing into year 2. It is pleasing to see that students with a declared disability do not appear to have been adversely affected with the changes to support processes following significant changes to the DSA system.
LAC and care leavers are prioritised for the summer residential schemes. We also work in collaboration with other universities in the South West to put on events to support care leavers and Foster Carers, which we will continue. Of the activity delivered to underrepresented groups care leavers show the most positive responses. Of 116 seen in 2016/17, 22.2% responded positively when asked if they would now consider higher education.
Students from a care background are offered both financial and pastoral support through the Student Services Department, with a named adviser offering both pre-application and on-going advice to students who are willing to engage. Large minority of students from a care background do not wish to engage in the advice and support on offer due to often a lack of trust they may have in formal advisers from their previous experiences. Students at the University who engage with the support tend to build a very positive relationship with their link adviser across the course of their studies.
Although the Buttle Quality Mark is now defunct, the University achieved accreditation in 2015, and work to stick to its principles, and therefore maintain a named manager within the Student Services Department as a contact for students with a care background, both in the applicant stage and once enrolled. The University maintains a scholarship for care leavers, which consists of a 50% fee waiver plus a minimum £1,000 bursary towards general living, accommodation and study costs. The bursary will be received as discounted halls of residence fees or cash support in years 2 and 3 should students move into private accommodation. The student can request an increased bursary of up to £4,500 per annum, this is determined upon interview and dependent on funding received by the student’s own Local Authority.
Using the lens of ‘All graduates in UK employment’, the 2015/16 DLHE survey revealed a substantial increase in the proportion of our graduates in professional-level employment – a 5.3% increase, from 66.3% to 71.6%. Combined with the 5.6% increase revealed through the 2014/15 survey, we have made 10.9% progress in this measure over the past two years. This improvement aligns with the introduction and development of ‘Your Future Plan’ – an innovative programme that enables a personalised package of employability support to be developed and delivered for every student, underpinned by an expansive suite of careers, employability skills and work experience services & opportunities.
TEF DLHE employment or further study
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| White | 94.9% | 95.2% | 0.3% |
| BME | 90.3% | 92.0% | 1.6% |
TEF DLHE highly-skilled employment or further study
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| White | 67.1% | 64.8% | -2.4% |
| BME | 63.8% | 61.5% | -2.2% |
TEF LEO sustained employment or further study
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| White | 83.4% | 84.1% | 0.6% |
| BME | 77.8% | 83.8% | 6.0% |
TEF LEO Above Median Earnings
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| White | 54.8% | 52.2% | -2.5% |
| BME | 50.3% | 52.7% | 2.4% |
Nonetheless, we remain below sector average when it comes to professional-level employment outcomes for our graduates and the latest Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) data tells us that while Black & Minority Ethnic; disabled; mature; and POLAR-3, Quintile 1 & 2 students outperform their peers for ‘employment (of any sort) or further study’, when it comes to ‘highly-skilled employment or further study’, all but mature students underachieve compared to their peers. Furthermore, using the TEF’s lens of ‘LEO Above Median Earnings’, outcomes for disabled; mature; and POLAR-3, Quintile 1 & 2 students are below average.
TEF employment or further study
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| Young | 94.6% | 94.6% | 0.0% |
| Mature | 94.3% | 94.6% | 1.7% |
TEF highly-skilled employment or further study
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| Young | 64.7% | 61.0% | -3.8% |
| Mature | 73.7% | 75.7% | 1.9% |
TEF LEO sustained employment or further study
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| Young | 83.3% | 82.8% | -0.5% |
| Mature | 80.8% | 86.8% | 6.1% |
TEF LEO Above Median Earnings
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| Young | 54.2% | 53.1% | -1.6% |
| Mature | 50.6% | 46.7% | -4.0% |
TEF data does not isolate outcomes for care leavers and this year marks the first time we have been able to provide information on Widening Participation characteristics into our ‘Future Plan portal’ –
the platform through which we manage all of our employability events, opportunities and services and monitor levels of student engagement. As such, a key task for 2018/19 and 2019/20 will be understanding who our care leavers are and the particular needs and expectations they have when it comes to employability support.
TEF employment or further study
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| Q3-5 | 94.8% | 94.4% | -0.4% |
| Q1-2 | 94.2% | 95.0% | 0.8% |
TEF highly-skilled employment or further study
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| Q3-5 | 66.1% | 61.5% | -4.7% |
| Q1-2 | 61.7% | 59.9% | -1.8% |
TEF LEO sustained employment or further study
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| Q3-5 | 83.3% | 82.0% | -1.3% |
| Q1-2 | 83.5% | 84.9% | 1.5% |
TEF LEO Above Median Earnings
| Benchmark | UoG Indicator | Variance | |
| Q3-5 | 56.1% | 55.5% | -0.6% |
| Q1-2 | 47.9% | 47.1% | -0.8% |
In combination, all five key Widening Participation groups are a focus for Progression activities in 2019/20.
“Our vision is to enable transformation, particularly for our students. We want each student, during their time at the University, to gain the skills, knowledge, insight and confidence to transform their own lives for the better.”
University of Gloucestershire Strategic plan 2017-2022
The University of Gloucestershire is committed to widening access and participation in higher education. Our strategic plan 2017-2022 informs and guides our approach to support for our students from widening access, to graduating with a career ahead of them. The university seeks to transform students from underrepresented groups through removing barriers, challenging perceptions and providing continual support through a student’s successful study and subsequent progression. We seek to make an impact on students throughout the full cycle from our first engagement with them at primary school age and beyond, to our extensive support services covering induction and achievement and our personalised career plan ‘Your Future Plan’, which provides a framework to target student groups and improve their outcomes.
The University of Gloucestershire has an outstanding and committed Outreach team that delivers a range of activities that inspire and inform disadvantaged groups in schools and the community. Our approach for 2019/20 will be to review our existing activity so that more of our engagements with school learners are able to measure the impact and attainment of those we work with. Our strategic ambitions are to increase Access to the University with our BME student demographic, although our environment makes this a challenging ambition, it is one we are keen to work on in targeted and impactful ways. We will also further improve the quality of the data we capture and how we critically evaluate and reflect on the outcomes of our outreach activity so that we are better able to demonstrate continuous improvement.
To support these changes the university has carried out a review of its Outreach team and the activities we deliver in 2018. The review considers resources, staffing and systems and processes with the objective of assessing the impact of our outreach activities and improving how we collect data and evaluate. The review also considered the wider political context and best practice within the sector. This review has led to a re-think in our approach to access and the activities we engage in.
In 2016/17 over 8,000 students accessed outreach activities from University of Gloucestershire. We recognise that success should not be measured by the number of interactions but by the firm outcomes of those interactions on a student’s success – in the first instance progressing onto study with a university but ultimately their success at university and beyond. The Outreach team will focus on developing activities which transition into multiple interactions with students across a substantial period of time. We will revise the way we develop activity ensuring clear outcomes and attainment and will evaluate this activity to measure its success.
The university has an existing mentoring programme that has been successful, but will move to focus more on attainment by developing the scheme into a tutoring programme. Following feedback from our compact schools through forums the university organises, we recognise that there is more value to schools and students in offering tutorial support in subject specific areas. We will deliver tutorials, or ‘Master classes’, to our compact schools for those students that require additional support to achieve a pass in GCSE Maths. Many universities require Maths at GSCE level; it is something that will help students during their time at university, and many employers also require this qualification thus aiding progression. We will look to extend the programme to include English language and Computer Science following feedback from our schools on subject areas where additional support would be of most value.
The appointment of a Data and Evaluation Officer has led to a review of our methods of data capture and our evaluation framework and the effectiveness of how we measure the impact of our activities. We will move from an in-house database to invest in the ‘Higher Education Access Tracker (HEAT) software, this will allow us to track individual students through the outreach process through administrative data sets such as the Department for Education, the Skills Funding Agency and the Higher Education Statistics Agency. Data sharing across agencies also allows HEAT to provide measures of impact at an individual level. By linking participant data to student outcome data, we will be able to explore, in detail, the relationship between outreach participation and student success.
Following the assessment of our own performance we have reviewed our activities to ensure we are doing more to address mature student access as well as ethnicity. We will continue to develop activities that address all underrepresented groups and achieve this through our work with existing compact schools but also by extending our school network to include more schools from outside of our region that meet a widening participation criteria. Our aim is to stabilise and then increase the number of UK domicile BME students choosing, and enrolling, on undergraduate courses at the University of Gloucestershire. This aim supports the “University’s primary goal to sustain, and grow over time, recruitment of students from the UK” (Strategic Plan 2012-17).
This will be achieved by teams across the university undertaking a range of pro-active activities including action research, positive actions and marketing campaigns, and working in partnership with a range of external organisations. The university aims to establish new partnerships and to deliver aspirational and informative workshops to promote Higher education as a progression route to 600 BME students. We are also working collaboratively with a consortium of universities in the West Midlands to deliver a joint conference for BME students aged 15-16 years old with the purpose of promoting Higher education. The university has appointed a BME Community Officer in 2018 to follow up on this work and to establish the university in the West Midlands as delivering consistent activity to BME students.
We will develop more targeted activity for mature students, building on our relationships with colleges. To further improve enquiry to application conversion we will re-launch a mature student event at our Open Days providing sessions bespoke to the requirements of mature students and offering information and solutions to any real or perceived barriers to accessing higher education. Using our new ‘event management’ tool for Open Days we will offer the session at the point of booking and aim to see 30 students across our events in 2019/20. We will continue to offer flexibility in our entry requirements for mature students, recognising that experience and motivation are of value and can be gauged through interviews and other methods of assessment.
The University will work in collaboration with Cheltenham Festivals to deliver inspiring activity that promotes the arts and higher education to underrepresented groups. Activity will focus around key festivals in Literature, Science and Jazz but will also include year round collaboration on activity to schools, as well as the sharing of our network of schools, contacts and best practice. This partnership has developed following the work done together on Hillary Rodham Clintons visit to the Literature Festival in 2017. As a part of the work students from a widening participation background and our compact schools had the opportunity to attend the event, meet with Hillary Clinton and enter a journalism competition. We will work together to continue to develop high impact activity that will transform students’ aspirations.
We will continue to work closely with our Strategic Alliance, a partnership between the University of Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS), Gloucestershire College and Bath College. The aim is to make Higher Education (HE) more open to students with clear progression routes and the chance to study closer to home. As a result of this partnership, the university has gained access to more learners within the region and delivered a suite of aspiration- raising activities, with an agreed advance calendar of outreach opportunities and dedicated events.
We will focus a proportion of our activity on their mature student body to promote the benefits of continuing study into Higher education. We will monitor the success of this activity through tracking students’ progression into the University.
The University will continue to collaborate with nineteen other universities to fund, maintain, develop and promote the free to use, careers and progression planning websites managed by the Western Vocational Progression Consortium (WVPC) based at the University of Bath. Lifepilot, engaging and supporting mature and part-time students in progressing to higher level study (www.life-pilot.co.uk), Careerpilot, an award winning website* providing one-stop inspirational, impartial pathway and progression information to 13-19 year olds, parents and advisers in the South of England region.
The site was used by 420,000+ users in 2017/18 (www.careerpilot.org.uk). Careerpilot supports schools in meeting the 2018 Careers Statutory Guidance and 8 Gatsby Benchmarks and is integrated into the work of six NCOP projects.
There has been an extensive review of the Student Ambassador scheme, which included a focus group of existing ambassadors, held with the specific aim of encouraging more students from underrepresented groups to apply. As a result of this review, from 2018/19 our student ambassadors will be provided with a greater range of support, training, development and work opportunities to strengthen their employability skills and outcomes. This level of support and the improvements to the scheme will be led by the newly appointed Student Ambassador Manager and Student Ambassador Co-ordinator.
The work to develop the scheme further started in 2017 with a greater focus on recruiting students from under-represented groups. Of the student ambassadors who were successfully recruited during that year, 60% met one or more of our widening participation criteria. These numbers represent a continuous improvement and focus on recruiting students from underrepresented groups into the ambassador scheme so that they can benefit from the opportunities and support provided and increase their chances of a positive employability outcome.
We have appointed five permanent members of staff in September 2017 to develop and deliver subject specific outreach work in 8 key subject areas. Our intention is to continue the investment in subject specific outreach and expand the focus of this resource to raising attainment in partner schools. We will ensure the graduates appointed to these roles develop industry/academic experience and can provide schools with a bespoke offering that can focus on interventions to raise attainment. To support this, we will fund them to attain Post Graduate qualifications in their field. We will use the next 12 months to develop a new framework to show how this investment can address both widening participation and attainment objectives.
The Outreach team will continue to run two annual residential summer schools for year 10 and year 12 students based on successful evaluations. Students from underrepresented groups in higher education are prioritised and the Y10 residential is ring fenced for applications from compact schools. In 2016/17, 36% of Year 10 and 21.4% of Year 12 students were from POLAR3 Quintile 1 areas. Also, 25% of the Year 12 students and 16% of the Year 10 students were from BME
*In March 2018 Careerpilot was awarded a Careers Development Institute Award in the category ‘Careers and Employability Website’.
backgrounds. Most of the students would be the first in their family to access higher education (80% and 66% respectively). The key aim of both residentials is to promote experience and information- based decision making regarding progression to higher education, and over 87% of both cohorts felt that they gained all of the information to make an informed decision about university. Secondary aims are to build confidence of individual learners in their own ability to achieve academically and socially, to ensure that they feel a sense of belonging in a higher education setting. Approximately 96% of students from both year groups felt more confident to go to university at the end of the programme, and 90% of Year 10 and 96.4% of Year 12 students thought they would ‘fit in’ at university after participating in the Residentials. The Y12 summer school also aims to support students to consider which course within a chosen academic school may be the best fit for them.
In 2018/19 we are piloting an overnight computing challenge for Y12 students, and a three day Art and Design summer school for 40 Year 10 students from schools in the Forest of Dean. Priority will be given to students from underrepresented groups, and we will reflect on evaluation from both events to determine whether we continue to expand our summer programme of events to include subject-specific activity.
In 2018/19 we have expanded our primary outreach to include two schools with higher than average percentages of children in receipt of FSM, for the long-standing primary project. This is a six week project, run by 2nd year BEd students and student ambassadors who create ‘modules’ outside of the primary national curriculum, resulting in a graduation at the university led by the Vice Chancellor. We are going to expand our primary activity further in the future to ensure that we offer a whole student cycle approach to long term outreach. We will work closely with our partnership schools to support transition activity to secondary school and raise aspirations early, with the aim to encourage attainment-raising early on. We will work collaboratively with schools to measure the success of this.
The University of Gloucestershire has a strong track record in supporting students with their studies, and in enabling them to be successful in their first year of undergraduate study to progress to year 2.
To be able to consistently retain, and enable, high levels of students to complete their first year of their course has been achieved through a range of interventions and approaches, these include:
The data related to student success within the institution is positive in that the vast majority of students successfully complete their first year of undergraduate study and return for year 2. The milestones data shows that the University performs consistently above the benchmark expectations across all main target types within the Access & Participation Plan. This is testament to the close working between academic colleagues, members of a range of professional service departments and the Students’ Union all striving to improve the collective student experience and the outcomes for individual students. There are however some cohorts of the student body where the University is keen to seek to improve outcomes, and these are outlined below.
Students from a BME background are less likely to progress to their second year of study (92.0%, as opposed to 95.2% of white students). Although this is above the University’s benchmark of 90.3%, it feels appropriate that the University should seek to close the gap. As such, for 2019/20 a new programme will be developed that will see positive interventions being made by Personal Tutors working with the Student Achievement Team, and the students themselves, to provide a range of skills sessions and guidance that will assist in raising the levels of achievement from this cohort, and seek to aid them in completing their first year of study, and returning for year 2.
Similarly, there is a difference for students with a declared disability or learning difficulty, in that 91.8% of this cohort progress to year 2, whilst 94.8% of students who have no declared disability progress. Once again the University performs better than its benchmark for this measure (set at 90.3%) however it feels appropriate that work should be undertaken to narrow this gap. In a similar style to the work outlined above for BME students, we will continue to deliver positive interventions
through a partnership approach between Personal Tutors, Disability Advisers and the students themselves working with other relevant colleagues across the University (i.e. the Student Achievement Team, and the Library, Technology & Information Department) to seek to improve outcomes for this student cohort.
Mature students also perform well against the University benchmark (with 91.8% progressing to year 2, against a benchmark of 88.0%), but once again there is a gap, with 94.8% of ‘young’ students successfully progressing to their second year of study. The University has delivered a specialist welcome and induction event for mature students for the last 5 years, and this has been rated highly by attendees each year, and numbers of attendees have grown considerably in the last 3 years. This event helps new mature students to acclimatise to University, receive an introduction to key support services, and perhaps most importantly make connections with their peers at the outset of the academic year. Whilst this event aids the induction of mature students, there needs to be a sustained level of specialist support available through the academic year, which could make a real difference and close the gap that has been outlined. To this end, a new programme of targeted interventions for mature students will be developed, with a focus on digital literacy and study skills. If successful, this will help to close the gap related to progression from year 1 to year 2.
Underpinning all aspects of the student experience, is the work being undertaken by the University to foster a strong sense of belonging to the University for its students. This is already relatively strong, with a large minority of students taking part in various activities linked with Students’ Union- led sports clubs and a range of societies. Work is underway however to develop a stronger sense of community and belonging through the introduction of a greater range of social activities for the student community. This will be delivered through a residential life programme for students in halls of residence and seeking to improve the range and diversity of student social and extra-curricular activity available to students through better supporting the SU to deliver a full programme across all campus sites. It is evident that some cohorts of students such as those with a declared disability and mature students are less likely to participate in clubs and societies, and as such a programme of accessible events and experiences will need to appeal to such students. It is anticipated that through supporting students to gain such a sense of belonging, this will aid both their personal wellbeing as well as their academic studies.
The partnership approach between Academic Schools and key professional support departments (including the Students’ Union) that already exists within the University is key to providing high quality advice, guidance and support for our students; through the interventions outlined, this sense of partnership will continue to pay dividends for student retention and success on a mass and individual scale.
University of Gloucestershire’s Strategic Plan 2017 – 2022 sets out as its Goal 1: ‘To provide a breadth and richness of experience that enables all our students to reach their full potential’, with an ambitious objective that the university will be in the top quartile of universities for graduate-level employment by 2022. We are committed to narrowing the gap when it comes to the professional- level employment and earning potential of our Widening Participation graduates and we believe an increased focus on ‘human scale’ provision that responds to students’ individual interests and needs will be key. As such, our programme of ‘Progression’ activities has at its core the expansion and refinement of our ‘Your Future Plan’ programme of personalised careers & employability support for every student.
Through ‘Your Future Plan’, we will provide interventions in 2019/20 that are designed to:
Actively scaffold the transition of our final year Widening Participation students to fulfilling post-study employment, equipping them to compete on a level playing field with their peers in applications, interviews & assessment centres and strengthening their resilience, confidence & level of ambition so they are well placed to capitalise on opportunities in the first few years of their careers. This will include careers provision that is bespoke to the needs of BME, disabled and mature students
At the heart of the ‘Your Future Plan’ programme is the annual completion of a career review questionnaire by students (incorporating self-assessment against a framework of skills valued by graduate employers), the outcomes of which are followed up through reflective and action-centred conversation between each student and their Personal Tutor. A recent survey of 101 Level 4 students and 43 Level 5 students who completed a questionnaire revealed:
A similar survey will be undertaken in 2019/20 to ensure the tool continues to inspire reflection, action and the take up of careers and employability support by students from a Widening Participation background. We will be monitoring % completion rates at School, Subject Community &
Course-level to ensure the tool is widely used across the institution. Responding to feedback from students, we will be revisiting the Level 4, 5 & 6 questionnaires in readiness for the start of 2019/20 to ensure they add value for mature students, who are often mid-career rather than starting out.
Our ‘Future Plan portal’ is the online platform through which students: find and apply to work-based learning opportunities; learn from a library of resources (e.g. virtual interviews; psychometric and personality tests; labour market information / sector insights); sign up for careers & employability events; book appointments with Careers Consultants (and more broadly, to facilitate access to our ‘Success’ provision). For the first time this academic year, we have been able to input details of Widening Participation characteristics from student records into the portal and by 2019/20 this will enable greater analysis of different levels of engagement by defined groups and what services, resources and opportunities they most value, allowing us to plan and target our programmes more effectively.
Extensive consultation with our students, as led by Subject Representatives, has informed development of this Progression plan, complemented by detailed review of 2016 and 2017 National Student Survey freeform comments. This revealed a strong desire for employability activities that are integrated with students’ wider academic study. In response, we will further develop the three weeks’
Given a large proportion of our students hail from POLAR 3, Quintile 1 & 2 backgrounds and that Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) metrics tell us this group achieve poorer professional-level employment outcomes and earnings than their peers, we propose to offer financial support, within our 2019/20 Access & Participation programme, that will help these students access short course and educational visit opportunities organised through Your Future Plan.
Maps provided to inform assessment of our recent TEF submission revealed a large proportion of our students join us from the region immediately around our institution and a similarly large proportion stay in Gloucestershire to work post-study (in fact, DLHE surveys reveal a year-on-year increase in graduates staying in the region to work – from 36% of 2012/13 leavers to 42% of 2015/16 leavers). However, comparison with maps outlining areas across the UK that have a high concentration of professional-level jobs suggest that some of our graduates may be missing out on opportunities to launch or accelerate their career through lack of mobility. We will respond to this context in two ways. Firstly, recognising our role as an ‘anchor institution’ for Gloucestershire and
the increasing degree to which our graduates constitute the future workforce and business owners of our region, we will provide a range of activities that enhance our Widening Participation students’ leadership, enterprise & wider employability skills and which bring them more regularly into contact with successful professionals and major graduate recruiters on their doorstep – not least as providers of work-based learning through which they can apply new skills. Secondly, we will scaffold our Widening Participation students’ mobility by providing bursaries that allow them to take up more ambitious work placements and internships further afield, introducing those who aspire to be – or who need to be – nationally mobile for work to areas of the country where there are high levels of professional-level employment appropriate to their interests. These work experience bursaries will be of increasing importance as the university progresses towards its Your Future Plan-linked goal of every undergraduate student undertaking an assessed work placement as part of their course by 2022.
We will also establish a bursary to support Widening Participation students to complete elements of their study in a partner institution abroad. The UK Higher Education International Unit’s 2015 report ‘Gone International: Mobile Students and Their Outcomes’ found: a lower proportion of graduates who are mobile are unemployed; and that graduates who are mobile earn more in 40 out of 67 subjects, the biggest ‘premium’ being in many of University of Gloucestershire’s specialisms (Sociology; Computer Science; Theology & Religious Studies; Physical Geographical Sciences).
Recognising the impact of international experience on student employability, we have just created an International Study Coordinator post within our employability team and her initial consultation with students has revealed prohibitive financial barriers to participation for those from backgrounds of socio-economic disadvantage. This new bursary line seeks to remove or erode these barriers.
For all of the above bursaries – for work experience, international study, CV-boosting short courses and employability-themed educational visits – we will: apply Widening Participation criteria; ask about the expected added value the support will generate at the outset; and assess the impact on employability skills and career readiness on completion.
Continuing the theme of personalisation, we will refine and expand the 1:1 mentoring programmes we have developed and trialled in 2017/18 and 2018/19. An important touchstone for the Future Plan employability team is the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s 2013 ‘Educational Aspirations’ report that asserted: ‘It is particularly important to help [young people] from disadvantaged backgrounds understand their choices because their family and social networks are less likely to include people from the backgrounds they aspire to […] Interventions should focus on keeping [young people’s] aspirations on track rather than just ‘inspiring’ them. Strategies might include: Skilled, learning- focused mentoring’. In support of a Widening Participation student, an external professional mentor can offer: ‘lived experience’ insight into a role, organisation or sector; an expansion of career horizons, introducing new possibilities; a realistic sense of the often challenging, often non-linear nature of modern career journeys, strengthening graduate’s resilience and resolve to ‘keep going’; access to their networks; and can affirm the employer-friendly skills and attitudes that student mentees already possess. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the mentoring partnerships we will broker between students and external professionals will capture their impact on employability skills, career planning and self-awareness / confidence. In parallel, we will also run a peer-to-peer mentoring programme. For mentees, this will deliver ‘been there, achieved that’ encouragement to persist in their study and employability development. Mentors – who will be given quality training in advance – will develop key skills such as coaching, communication, problem solving and emotional intelligence.
Ongoing effort will be made across all our 2019/20 Progression activities to foreground development of those employability skills that graduate recruiters most care about, equipping our Widening Participation students to recognise, celebrate and articulate their strengths to others. This is important in job applications, interviews & networking and as the foundation for a student’s internal narrative and sense of self-worth. In recent months, we have analysed 40 research studies into the attributes employers are seeking in new entrants, resulting in a framework of seven core employability skills. Self-assessment against these will underpin our evaluation strategy and we will organise an annual ‘Future You’ week of workshops, masterclasses and keynote presentations (in addition to the aforementioned three weeks of employability activity organised at Academic School level) that brings them to life. Within and beyond this week, we will actively source inspirational guest contributors that represent positive role models to our Polar 3 – Quintile 1 & 2, disabled, mature, care leaver and BME communities.
Students who commenced their course prior to the academic year 2019/20 and who have had no break in study will continue to receive financial support based upon the schemes that were in operation in their year of entry.
The University believes that access to financial support, particularly to cash bursaries, is necessary to some students to allow them to enter higher education or to support their successful progression through their course. Financial support for students joining the University in 2019/20 will be provided in two ways; through streamlined targeted cash bursaries and scholarships and through a generous hardship fund. Utilising both of these financial support mechanisms allows the University to meet two major objectives: to widen access from disadvantaged groups and to promote student achievement and excellence.
The University will offer the following bursary and fee waiver packages to students joining the University in 2019/20:
Care Leavers remain a key priority group for the University. The University will continue to improve pre-entry guidance, on-going post-entry support throughout the student lifecycle and beyond, together with a generous financial support package to this target group. Despite the Buttle Quality Mark no longer being awarded, the University is committed to undertaking the actions from the action plan submitted as part of achieving the Buttle UK Quality Mark for Care Leavers.
The Care Leavers Scholarship will be offered for up to 15 home students who have been in local authority care for the duration of their three-year undergraduate degree, tailored to individual needs. This consists of a 50% fee waiver plus a bursary of up to £4,750 per annum determined upon interview and dependent on funding received by student’s Local Authority.
In recognition of the additional challenges and barriers in accessing education faced by asylum seekers and refugees, the University of Gloucestershire will offer a Sanctuary Scholarship for one new undergraduate student, per academic year. The scholarship will cover the full tuition fees for up to three years for a refugee who has settled within the county of Gloucestershire and who has been granted permanent ‘leave to remain’ status. Eligible students will be assessed against set criteria based on their predicted academic results, references, personal statements and other relevant information.
For 2018/19 the University will continue to offer a Partnership Bursary of £500 cash in their first year to all home, full-time, students with a widening participation criteria studying at one of the Compact schools and colleges or at a Strategic Alliance partner. The scholarships reinforces our commitment to the compact scheme, which focuses on widening participation colleges and schools.
The University will continue to offer a Mature Students Bursary, as concerns about financial security and potential financial hardship continue to be cited as a reason why mature students withdraw from their course prior to its completion.
In addition to offering financial support to assist with access to higher education and the continuation of studies, the University is continuing with a Opportunities Fund for 2019/20 starters. Students from disadvantaged and under-represented backgrounds will be able to apply to the fund which will be delivered as cash bursaries offering financial support to those who wish to participate in placements, trips, events and opportunities which will enhance their study, experience and improve their employability. Applications for financial support will be assessed and differing amounts relevant to each opportunity will be offered. A certain amount of this fund will specifically be set aside to reimburse full or partial travel, accommodation and childcare costs associated with undertaking a domestic or international work placement. Additional funding will be made available to enable students to undertake paid summer internships in their second year.
The Hardship Fund will continue to provide support to all home and EU undergraduate and postgraduate ITT students who are facing financial hardship.
The University will support students wanting to take advantage of work experience and summer internship opportunities through creating a bursary fund. We see a real benefit to students that utilise these schemes through ‘Your Future Plan’ and want to encourage underrepresented groups to take advantage and to not let finance be a barrier to their involvement.
The University is committed to investing in initiatives for potential and existing students so that their studies are supported both financially and by opportunities that enhance their future studies and employability.
In 2019/20, we intend to invest 18.9% of the University’s higher fee income to support bursaries, outreach, retention and employability measures. Based on the current student number forecasts that
we are using for budget setting purposes, the spend on students from under-represented groups is calculated to be £3.7 million.
The investment in Access, Success and Progression is expected to total £2 million, with the remaining £1.7 million being spent on financial support. Of the £2 million, around £700,000 (35%) will be allocated to pre-entry outreach (access) activity, £800,000 (40%) towards student success and around £500,000 (25%) on progression. A further £4.2 million will be invested in initiatives that support access, success and progression, beyond that identified within our Access and Participation Plan. The University believes that these allocations will enable us to meet our targets and further establish activities that provide successful outcomes for all students, regardless of their background.
In the development of this plan we have been working with our Student Ambassadors and have developed a variety of opportunities and channels for feedback. We have used interviews for our Senior Ambassador roles to promote the Access and Participation plan and to gather feedback, we have also run a workshop at our Student Ambassador away day where we summarised the assessment of our performance and asked for responses to our strategy for addressing these areas. In addition, Ambassadors have been sent the plan with the context for its development and have received follow up telephone interviews for consultation.
Future iterations of the Access and Participation Plans will be run through a university working group which we will ensure has student representation so that they are feeding into every stage of the plans development. In addition, the university will run focus groups for each key section of the document with Assessment of Performance, Ambition and strategy, and Financial Support all providing students with the opportunity to shape the direction and strategy of the pan.
The University of Gloucestershire is committed to ensuring that students have timely, accurate and transparent information regarding the pricing and content of their course. Details of fees and financial support for students are published on the University website and as soon as they are approved by the Office for Students. Information is provided to UCAS and the SLC for the purposes of informing their user groups. All information will be available in print, electronic and face- to-face form, including at open days and parent events. Any additional costs are available to see on the website and all publicity advices prospective students to seek this information.
The University’s social networking groups invite questions from prospective students and will continue to be dealt with promptly. Market research reports will inform published information (digital and print) and will reflect the needs of underrepresented groups. A range of video profiles communicate the University of Gloucestershire experience to prospective students and these videos represent students from diverse backgrounds.
| Full-time and part-time course fee levels for 2019-20 entrants. |
| Please enter inflationary statement in the free text box below. |
| The University expects to charge the maximum regulated fee allowed by the Government. Therefore if for 2019/20 Universities are allowed to raise regulated fees by the level of inflation, we will do so. |
| Full-time course type: | Additional information | Course fee: |
| First degree | £9,250 | |
| Foundation degree | £9,250 | |
| Foundation year / Year 0 | * | |
| HNC / HND | * | |
| CertHE / DipHE | * | |
| Postgraduate ITT | £9,250 | |
| Accelerated degree | Entrants from 2019/20 | £11,100 |
| Sandwich year | £1,000 | |
| Erasmus and overseas study years | £1,000 | |
| Other | * | |
| Franchise full-time course type: | Additional information: | Course fee: |
| First degree | Yeovil College University Centre (10007696) | £6,284 |
| Accelerated degree | South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (10036143) | £9,000 |
| Foundation degree | South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (10036143) | £7,500 |
| Foundation degree | New College Swindon (10004579) | £6,165 |
| Foundation degree | Gower College Swansea (10030408) | £7,500 |
| First degree | Gower College Swansea (10030408) | £7,500 |
| CertHE / DipHE | Gower College Swansea (10030408) – CertHE only. | £7,500 |
| Foundation year / Year 0 | * | |
| HNC / HND | * | |
| Postgraduate ITT | * | |
| Sandwich year | * | |
| Erasmus and overseas study years | * | |
| Other | * | |
| Part-time course type: | Additional information: | Course fee: |
| First degree | £6,935 | |
| First degree | Yeovil College University Centre (10007696) – | £4,745 |
| First degree | Gower College Swansea (10030408) – | £5,625 |
| Foundation degree | £6,935 | |
| Foundation degree | New College Swindon (10004579) – | £4,620 |
| Foundation degree | Gower College Swansea (10030408) – | £5,625 |
| Foundation year / Year 0 | * | |
| HNC / HND | * | |
| CertHE / DipHE | * | |
| Postgraduate ITT | £6,935 | |
| Accelerated degree | * | |
| Sandwich year | * | |
| Erasmus and overseas study years | * | |
| Other | * |
| Reference number | Stage of the lifecycle (drop-down menu) | Main target type (drop-down menu) | Target type (drop-down menu) | Description (500 characters maximum) | Is this a collaborative target? (drop- down menu) | Baseline year (drop-down menu) | Baseline data | Yearly milestones (numeric where possible, however you may use text) | Commentary on your milestones/targets or textual description where numerical description is not appropriate (500 characters maximum) | ||||
| 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | |||||||||
| T16a_01 | Access | Socio-economic | HESA T1b – NS-SEC classes 4-7 (Young, full-time, undergraduate entrants) | To achieve our location adjusted benchmark for young full-time undergraduate entrants from socio-economic classifications 4 – 7 as identified by HESA | No | 2013-14 | 33.3 | 36.3 | 36.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | We will no longer be using this target once HESA discontinue the PI |
| T16a_02 | Access | State school | HESA T1b – State School (Young, full-time, undergraduate entrants) | To maintain our current position in the recruitment of students from state schools and colleges, which is above our location adjusted benchmark | No | 2012-13 | 95.9 | 96.2 | 96.3 | 96.3 | 96.3 | 96.3 | |
| T16a_03 | Access | Disabled | Other statistic – Disabled (please give details in the next column) | To exceed the current benchmark for known disability as recorded by HESA on HEIDI – first year students UGT students | No | 2015-16 | 12.7 | 16 | 16.5 | 16.7 | 16.9 | ||
| T16a_04 | Access | Low participation neighbourhoods (LPN) | HESA T1b – Low participation neighbourhoods (POLAR3) (Young, full-time, undergraduate entrants) | To achieve our location adjusted benchmark for young full-time undergraduate entrants from low participation neighbourhoods as measured by POLAR3, as identified by HESA | No | 2013-14 | 14 | 15.1 | 15.4 | 15.9 | 16 | ||
| T16a_05 | Student success | Multiple | Other statistic – Completion/Non continuation (please give details in the next column) | To maintain the baseline rate of non-progression for all full-time undergraduate students. This figure identifies students who do not complete their course, formally suspend their studies or do not progress onto a new year of study, as a proportion of those who were actively studying in the previous academic year. | No | 2012-13 | 6.9 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 6.8 | Improved clarity in target description. |
| T16a_06 | Access | Gender | Other statistic – Gender (please give details in the next column) | To maintain the proportion of male entrants to primary initial teacher training courses. | No | 2013-14 | 19 | 20.5 | 21 | 21.5 | 21.5 | 21.5 | Improved clarity in target description. |
| T16a_07 | Student success | Gender | Other statistic – Gender (please give details in the next column) | To maintain and subsequently reduce the proportion of male entrants to initial teacher training courses who withdraw before the end of their first year of study. | No | 2012-13 | 17 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 6.8 | Improved clarity in target description. |
| T16a_08 | Access | Ethnicity | Other statistic – Ethnicity (please give details in the next column) | To maintain the proportion of BME entrants to initial teacher training courses, with a view to future growth | No | 2012-13 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | Improved clarity in target description. |
| T16a_09 | Student success | Mature | HESA T3a – No longer in HE after 1 year (Mature, full-time, first degree entrants) | To exceed the current national benchmark and decrease the current percentage to reflect previous lower rates. | No | 2014-15 | 9.6 | 8.6 | 8.4 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 8.1 | |
| T16a_10 | Progression | Multiple | Other statistic – Other (please give details in the next column) | To increase the completion rate for the university’s ‘Your Future Plan’ questionnaire for all students who enter an undergraduate course at level 4. | No | 2016-17 | 57 | 59 | 61 | 63 | 65 | 67 | Improved clarity in target description. |
| T16a_11 | Progression | Multiple | Other statistic – Other (please give details in the next column) | No. of under-represented and disadvantaged students awarded work experience bursary | No | 2016-17 | 0 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | |
| T16a_12 | Progression | Multiple | Other statistic – Other (please give details in the next column) | No. of Level 5 under- represented and disadvantaged students on Summer internship programme | No | 2016-17 | 0 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | |
| T16a_13 | Access | Attainment raising | Other statistic – Other (please give details in the next column) | No. of subject talks, taster days, subject conferences organised and delivered by subject specific officers | No | 2016-17 | 58 | 62 | 64 | 66 | 68 | 70 | |
| T16a_14 | Access | Attainment raising | Other statistic – Other (please give details in the next column) | No. of students seen by subject specific officers for subject specific activities (talks, taster days, and conferences) | No | 2016-17 | 1332 | 1430 | 1480 | 1530 | 1580 | 1600 |
| Reference Number | Select stage of the lifecycle | Main target type (drop-down menu) | Target type (drop-down menu) | Description (500 characters maximum) | Is this a collaborative target? | Baseline year | Baseline data | Yearly milestones (numeric where possible, however you may use text) | Commentary on your milestones/targets or textual description where numerical description is not appropriate (500 characters maximum) | ||||
| 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | |||||||||
| T16b_01 | Access | Multiple | Outreach / WP activity (other – please give details in the next column) | Compact partnership with widening participation local schools and colleges – no. of students enrolling | No | 2012-13 | 223 | 380 | 395 | 400 | 405 | 410 | |
| T16b_02 | Access | Multiple | Outreach / WP activity (other – please give details in the next column) | As above no. of widening participation schools and colleges | No | 2012-13 | 22 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | |
| T16b_03 | Student success | Gender | Outreach / WP activity (other – please give details in the next column) | Deviler a post-16 conference to target male primary teachers – no. of students reached | No | 2013-14 | 7 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | |
| T16b_04 | Access | Ethnicity | Outreach / WP activity (other – please give details in the next column) | Deliver ITT talks in schools and colleges to target BME ITT students – % of overall no. of students reached | No | 2013-14 | 6 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | |
| T16b_05 | Access | Gender | Other (please give details in Description column) | Deliver an open event for undergraduate and postgraduate ITT courses – no. of male students attending | No | 2012-13 | 32 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
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