Access and Participation Statement 2018-2020 Higher Education Responsible post holder Dean of Higher Education Approved by / on September 2017 Reviewed May 2018 Next Review May 2020 Relationship to Strategic Goal Goal 4 - Excellence in Community Responsiveness Publication Method SharePoint and Website
Contents 1. Vision, Mission, Value and Strategic Goals... 3 2. Introduction and Context... 4 3. Statement on Access, Student Success and Progression... 4 4. Conclusion... 6 2
1. Vision, Mission, Value and Strategic Goals Vision, Mission, Values and Strategic Goals 2015-20 The information below sets out the College s Vision, Mission, Values and Strategic Goals. Our Vision The College s vision is to be recognised, valued and respected in our communities as listening, responsive and relevant. We will be recognised as an outstanding centre of vocational and educational excellence and will play a leading role in economic and social development. Our Mission The College s mission is delivering real skills and knowledge for the real world. Our Values Responsive & Respectful Ambitious & Aspiring Innovative & Inspiring Successful & Supportive Enterprise & Engaging 2015-2020 Strategic Goals the goals the policy/document relates to should be included below please delete as appropriate Goal 1 - Excellence in Learner Success By 2020 we will deliver excellence in all areas of the learner experience, outcomes and destinations. Goal 2 - Teaching and Learning By 2020 we will be an organisation that shares best practice and learns from others and has a reputation for excellence in Teaching and Learning and its contribution to student success. Goal 3 - Investing in Excellence By 2020 we will have a first class working environment with industry standard resources, be an employer of choice and a reputation for excellence in all that we do. Goal 4 - Excellence in Community Responsiveness By 2020 we will be seen by all, including employers, as a collaborative and effective strategic partner in the economic, social and cultural development of South London and beyond. 3
2. Introduction and Context The Access and Participation statement outlines the College s commitment to widening access and participation to students from disadvantaged areas and most deprived wards and providing accessible, transparent and fair information, advice and guidance to all. The College has played a significant role in the South East London community, providing education which makes a real and positive difference to people s lives by achieving the below: Encouraging applications from all those with the motivation and ability to thrive at LSEC, whatever their background Student choice and value for money, keeping affordable fee model Fair and effective admissions policy Additional support to improve success and progression in Higher Education Flexible provision to support transition into higher education Further development of access to Higher Education provision, adult courses and Foundation Years The College recruits from a mainly local catchment area, with 89% of students from the region. There is a higher proportion of Higher Education students from low socio-economic groups compared with the national average, with 25% of students coming from the top 20% most deprived wards in the UK and 22% from the Participation of Local Areas (POLAR) quintile 1 and 2 areas. 1 The vast majority of students (94%) have low or nontariff entry grades when they enrol onto courses at the college. The University Centre student cohort is predominantly mature (77% 21 or over), with 54% from BAME backgrounds. There are 57% of students who are female and 43% male. 2 The creation and implementation of the 2018-2020 Access and Participation will continue to be the responsibility of the College s Senior Management Team. 3. Statement on Access, Student Success and Progression\ The College to meet its strategic goal of excellence in community responsiveness has achieved a good record of widening participation with students from areas of high deprivation with 25% of students in the first and second most deprived wards achieved higher than the national benchmark. A high level of attainment and learning gain from students with low or no entry tariffs, with 20% of full-time students having qualifications at or below level 2 (compared to 2% within HEI s), with high levels of successful outcomes. The College is good at attracting students from disadvantaged areas with widening participation rates are above the national rate at 22% of the total cohort. The college has strategic alliance with Canterbury Christ Church University and University of Greenwich to develop and deliver curriculum to promote access and widening participation. The College s Admissions Policy is clearly aligned to the College s overall strategic aims, the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategy and our Excellence in Community Responsiveness. It is our intention to deliver the highest level of professional and Customer Service to ensure each individual from their first point of contact with London South East Colleges is directed to the right course, at the right level, with the right support. The overall aim of this policy is to ensure an effective, efficient and coordinated admissions process that upholds the values of equality, inclusion along with 1 http://www.hefce.ac.uk/analysis/yp/polar/map,of,young,participation,areas/ 2 TEF ( Teaching Excellence Farmworker and Student Outcomes) Framework 2016/17 4
maximising the potential and employability of our current and future students. The College will achieve this aim by: Assessing each application carefully and fairly Ensuring appropriate course placement based on interest, entry criteria, assessed skill level (including English and maths) and aspiration Offering places to applicants who have the potential to do well in Higher Education at the College In addition to setting transparent criteria for entry to Higher Education courses, the College welcomes applications irrespective of background and from mature students with industry experience. The College is committed to providing impartial advice and guidance to ensure our applicants and students are placed and supported on appropriate courses from application through to course completion and onwards to their future destinations. This is outlined in full in the College s Admissions, Information, Advice and Guidance Policy and in accordance with the Expectation found in Chapter B2 of the UK QAA Quality Code. As evidenced in the QAA s Review Visit in March 2017, The responsibility for student recruitment and the admissions process lies with the College. The Higher Education Registrar works closely with the awarding body counterparts to ensure that all information and admission processes align to that of awarding bodies. The College's Admissions Policy and Procedure clearly articulates the application process for different types of higher education programmes and is accessible on the College's website. There is a clear internal process for admissions. The Higher Education Registrar and higher education curriculum staff, aided by the Student Hub team, are responsible for ensuring that an efficient admissions process is in place. The College has sufficient mechanisms in place to ensure that the approach to admissions is consistent and transparent. The College actively conducts outreach work in the community engaging with local schools, other colleges, employers, community groups and working closely with Linking London and Partner Universities, University of Greenwich, London South Bank University, Ravensbourne, Goldsmiths University and Canterbury Christ Church University. In addition, the College is committed to providing progression opportunities to best meet the needs of students, enhancing their career opportunities and long-term earning potential. The College is part of HEFCE funded by National Collaborative Outreach Programme (NCOP). This project aims to identify students from the target wards, who are studying at one of the London and South-East Colleges campuses to deliver one to one careers and guidance support with target students; facilitate peer mentoring between target students and current undergraduates; arrange for target students to visit sites where higher education is delivered. This is achieved by building productive working relationships with academic and pastoral staff at the college. There is a wide range of higher education programmes on offer, enabling the target students to gain a broad understanding of the different types of higher education programmes that are available for local students. The aims of the project are to: 5
Increase the target student s knowledge and awareness of studying in higher education; Build long-term relationships between target students and staff who are supported by undergraduates to raise aspirations; Understand the barriers that target students face, and offer solutions to overcome these barriers where possible; Support achievement inside and beyond the classroom to ensure that students are in a position to progress to higher education; Encourage student engagement with other interventions that are being delivered as part of the widening access agenda; Encourage the student to develop long-term aims and objectives linked to their career aspirations; Transitional and on-going support for students are extensive both inside and outside of the classroom and include personal and welfare support, academic and study skills support and personalised support for students with additional learning needs. 4. Conclusion London South East Colleges are focussed on achieving excellence on our strategic aim and objectives outlined within our vision, mission and values. Adopting a variation of measures to manage quality processes for excellence will involve collaborative approach and innovative practices, whereby success indicators are an integral practice towards the attainment and monitoring of access and participation targets. This combined with the attention features recognised from the POLAR3 statistical monitoring methodology, data via the Higher Education and Access Tracker (HEAT), TEF Metrics, HESA will enable the College to significantly quantify performance achievement for a range of students from identified deprived backgrounds and/or surroundings. 6