UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM - ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION PLAN 2020-21 TO 2024-25

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UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM - ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION PLAN 2020-21 TO 2024-25
UNIVERSITY OF
 BIRMINGHAM
             ACCESS AND
     PARTICIPATION PLAN
    2020–21 TO 2024–25
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM - ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION PLAN 2020-21 TO 2024-25
Contents
Foreword                                           3

1.Assessmentofperformance                       5
 Figure1                                         5
 Figure2                                         7
 Figure3                                         9
 Figure4                                        10
2.Strategicaimsandobjectives                  13
3.Strategicmeasures                             17
 Figure5:BirminghamScholarTheoryofChange   17
4.Provisionofinformationtostudents           31

References                                        37
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM - ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION PLAN 2020-21 TO 2024-25
Access and participation plan 2020–21 to 2024–25   3

Foreword

TheUniversityofBirminghamisproudofits        BirminghamScholarswhentheyjointhe
longstandingandpioneeringapproachto             University.Otherstudentswillbeidentified,
wideningparticipationinhighereducation.        flaggedinourPersonalAcademicTutoring
Ourambitionisthatstudentswiththepotential    systemandinvitedtojointheprogramme,
tosucceedattheUniversityhavethe               sothatwecanreducethegapsinattainment
opportunitytogainaccess,achievetheir           andprogressionidentifiedinourdataand
academicpotentialandprogresssuccessfully        enablestudentstogoontorewarding
totheirchosencareersorfurtherstudy.Inthis   graduatecareersorpostgraduatestudy.
AccessandParticipationPlan,wesetouthow
wewillachievethisthroughourinnovative        Webelievethateffectivewideningparticipation
new‘BirminghamScholar’Framework.                inHErequiresustoworkinpartnershipwith
Thissitsacrossthefullapplicantandstudent     ourHEcolleagues,andthiscommitmentis
lifecycleandenablesustoprovidetargeted,       demonstratedthroughourleadershipofthe
personalisedinterventionstosupport              regionalAimhigherPartnershipandour
thoseapplicantsandstudentsfromunder-            activityasafoundingmemberofRealising
representedbackgrounds,whomaybein             Opportunities.Workingwithschoolsand
needoffurtherhelptoaccess,toprogress        collegesremainsimportantforustoachievethe
andtocompletetheircoursesuccessfully          objectiveswehaveset,whichiswhywesetup
atBirmingham                                        theUniversityofBirminghamsecondaryschool,
                                                     haveastrategicpartnershipwithUniversity
OurAccesstoBirminghamScheme(A2B),              CollegeBirmingham,workwithmorethan
launchedin2001,wasoneofthefirstinthe       250partnerschools,andengagewidelywith
highereducationsector,andwearepleased         theeconomicandsocialregenerationofthe
thatmanyotheruniversitieshavesinceadopted     BirminghamandWestMidlandsregion.
asimilarapproach.Wehavesetoutambitious
planstocontinuetodevelopandincreasethe       Ifyouareinterestedinfindingoutmoreabout
numbersofstudentswhobenefitfromour            anythinginourplandonothesitatetoget
support,broadeningA2Bintoour‘Pathwaysto       intouch!
Birmingham’process,with10%ofourintake
expectedtoenterviathisrouteby2025.
Alongsidethis,wearesupportingtheambition
oftheOfficeforStudents(OfS)toreducethe
gapbetweenstudentsenteringtheUniversity
frompostcodeareasknownasPolar4,Quintile
5andQuintile1,andhavesetourselvesan
ambitiousinstitutionaltarget,accompaniedbya
rangeofadditionalinterventions,tohelpusto
achievethis.

Aswellasincreasingourfocusonthe
recruitmentoflessadvantagedstudentstothe
UniversityofBirmingham,weremaincommitted
tosupportingstudentswhoprogressthrough
ourprogrammestootherinstitutions,supporting
sector-wideimprovementandthedeliveryof
nationaltargets.Wealsocontinueimportant
workwithpre-16learnerstohelptoraise
aspirationsandattainment,andenable
studentstomakeinformedchoices
aboutfuturestudyoptions.

ApplicantstotheUniversityviaPathwaysto
Birminghamwillautomaticallybecome
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM - ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION PLAN 2020-21 TO 2024-25
Access and participation plan 2020–21 to 2024–25         4

University of Birmingham
Access and participation plan
2020–21 to 2024–25
TheUniversityofBirminghamhasembraced           numberofareasofsuccessonwhichwecan              measures,suchastheperformanceoftheir
wideningparticipationandfairaccesssinceits    build,aswellashighlightingsomeareaswhere         school,householdincome,wheretheylive,
foundation.InrecentyearstheUniversityhas      ouranalysishighlightsthatmoreneedstobe           whethertheyaredisabled,andwhetherthey
providednotonlyoutstandinginitiativesto        done.ExpertisefromtheUniversity’sown               arethefirstintheirfamilytoattenduniversity.
widenparticipationatBirminghamandbeyond,       researchcentres,includingtheCentrefor              Thisisarealisticandbalanced,yetstretching
butalsosectorleadershipamongstthe              ResearchinRaceandEducation,the                     andambitious,approach,andonethatwehave
selectivehigh-tariffuniversitiesacrosstheUK.   DepartmentofDisability,InclusionandSpecial         championedthroughourA2BScheme.This
Wewereoneofthefirstuniversitiestouse        Needs,andtheJubileeCentreforCharacter             approachhasbeenfurtherdevelopedthrough
contextualoffers,withuptotwograde             andVirtueshasinformedthedevelopmentof             therecentintroductionofawiderandmore
reductionsforthosewhohaddemonstrated          ourAccessandParticipationstrategy,andwill         flexiblerangeofaccessprogrammesunder
thepotentialtosucceedbutnotreachedthe        continuetodoso.                                       ourPathwaystoBirmingham(P2B)banner.
standardentrytariff.OurpioneeringAccessto
Birmingham(A2B)programmehasbeenwidely          WhilstwerecognisetheshiftinOfSfocusto           Wearecommittedtocontinuingourfocuson
copiedacrossthecountry,andwenotethat        closingthegapinaccessbetweenstudents              measuresofmultipledisadvantageand,through
itisreferencedbytheOfSasbestpractice.      fromlow(Quintile1)andhigh(Quintile5)             thisPlan,wearesettingourselvesanambitious
TheA2Bprogrammeisbuiltonextensive             participationneighbourhoods,evidence                  targettogrowthenumberofstudentsweadmit
engagementwithschoolsacrosstheregion,          suggeststhatPOLARdata,inisolation,isa           throughourflagshipPathwaystoBirmingham
withourstudents,staffandalumniworking         verylimitedmeasureofdisadvantage.Itisa           accessprogrammes.RecognisingtheOfS
directlytoraiseaspirationandsupport            single-dimensionmethodology(basedon                  nationalkeyperformancemeasure,however,
attainment.Thesuccessoftheprogrammeis         allocationofpostcodesonly),whichdoesnot           andtherolewehavetoplayinthis,wehave
basedoncarefulselectionof,andsustained        reflectthecomplexandoftenintersectional            alsosetourselvesasupplementaryandrealistic
engagementwiththetargetgroup.Themajority      natureofdisadvantage;indeedresearch1has            targetspecificallyrelatingtoclosingthegapin
ofourUK-domiciledundergraduatefirst-            shownthatonly13%ofstudentseligiblefor            accessbetweenstudentsfromlow(P4Q1)
degreepopulationstudyfull-time(99%);            FreeSchoolMealslivewithinP4Q1areasof             andhigh-participationneighbourhoods.
three-quartersarefromstateschools,anda        thecountry.Thisissupportedbyevidencefrom
thirdarefirst-generationstudents(2018–19        ourowninstitutionaldatawhichshowsthat             Ourstrategyisunderpinnedbyournew
data),andafiftharefromdisadvantaged           nearlytenpercentofstudentsfromlow-                BirminghamScholarframework.Thisisafull
backgrounds(PolarQuintiles1and2).               participationneighbourhoodscomefrom                  lifecycleframeworkthatprovidestargeted,
                                                     high-incomehouseholds.Thechallengeof                personalisedinterventionstosupportspecific
Ourcommitmenttowideningparticipation           focusingpurelyonreducingthePOLARgapis            groups(includingthosetargetedwithinthis
goesbeyondsimplyaccesstotheUniversity        furthercompoundedbythelimitednumberof             Plan)ofapplicants,studentsandrecent
ofBirmingham.Wearetheonlyuniversityto        Polar4Quintile1(P4Q1)studentswholeave             graduateswhoarelikelytofaceadditional
haveopenedourownsecondarytraining             schoolwiththequalificationsforadmissionto         challengesthroughouttheirstudentjourney.
schooldedicatedtoraisingaspirationand          higher-tariffinstitutions,comparedtothe             Aspartofthisframework,currentstudentswill
achievement.TheSchoolisacomprehensive          numbersfromothergroups.Forexample,in              continuetohaveacentralroleinco-creating
non-selectiveinstitutionwithahighlydiverse     2017–18,UCASdatashowedtherewereonly               initiativesandsupportingtheirpeers.
studentpopulation.Thishasbeenasignificant     2,700P4Q1studentsnationallywhoachieved
financialandresourceinvestment;thislevelof    AABorbetter.Thissuggeststhataccessisa           WearepleasedthattheOfShasrecently
commitmentissector-leading,andweseethis       complexissuewhichcannotbeaddressedby              awardedChallengefundingtotwoUniversity-
asacoreelementofourcontributionto            universitiesinisolation,andthereisariskthat     ledinitiativesinlocalgraduateemployability
improvingaccesstohighereducation.Weoffer      universitieswillbecompetingforasmallpool        andstudentmentalhealth,bothofwhichwill
anumberofannualscholarshipstostudents         ofpriorityapplicants.                                  contributetotheobjectivessetoutinthisplan.
fromtheUniversitySchooltosupporttheir
progressiontohighereducationstudy              Ourexperienceshowsthatamulti-dimensional
atBirmingham.                                       measureofdisadvantage–onewhich
                                                     recognisesthemultipleandcomplex
Thisdocumentsetsoutanambitious,                backgroundsfromwhichourstudentscome
outcomes-basedAccessandParticipationPlan.       –ispreferabletoasingularfocusonP4Q1
Wewelcometheopportunitytoplanandset          cohorts.Forovertenyears,ouraccessstrategy
targetsoveralongerperiodthanpreviously.       hasfocusedonsupportingstudentsthatare
Ourperformanceassessmenthighlightsa             disadvantagedasevidencedbyabasketof
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM - ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION PLAN 2020-21 TO 2024-25
Access and participation plan 2020–21 to 2024–25     5

1. Assessment of performance

Webelievethatourperformancedatahighlight      Ouranalysishasfocusedonfull-time,                 Access
theimpactoftheUniversity’scommitmentto        first-degreestudentsonly,asthatreflectsour       Ouraccessstrategytodate,andourprevious
equalityofaccessandopportunity,aswellas      institutionalcontextasamajorityfull-time,         OFFAtargets,havefocusedonincreasing
theabsolutevalueofaBirminghameducation.       residential,campus-baseduniversity(99.5%           accessforregionalstudentswithmultiple
Birminghamstudentsfromeachofthefour2          ofourundergraduatesstudyfull-timefirst            characteristicsofdisadvantagethoughour
OfStargetgroupsoutperformthesectorin          degrees,equatingtoover22,000students).            A2Bscheme.Wehaveconsistentlymetour
absolutetermsacrosscontinuation,attainment      Ourpart-timeundergraduateprovisionis               A2Btargetand,in2018–19,6.8%ofour
andgraduateandhighlyskilledemployability.     restrictedtoasmallnumberofspecialist             intakewereA2Bstudentsfrombackgrounds
Inmanycases,theabsoluteperformanceof         programmes,withatotalpopulationof                reflectingmultiplemeasuresofdisadvantage.
ourstudentsacrossthefour2OfSpriority          128(2018–19).                                         Wehavelongrecognisedthatstudentsfrom
under-representedgroupsisbetterthan                                                                    disadvantagedbackgroundsmayexperience
thesectoraverageforstudentsfrom               1.1 Higher education participation                      educationaldisadvantageandwealreadyoffer
moreadvantagedbackgrounds.Assuch,                    (POLAR4 Quintiles)                                 targetedcontextualoffers.Studentswho
Birminghamstudentsfromunder-represented          Figure1showsthepercentageperformance              progressfromouraccessprogrammes
groupsareaslikely(ifnotmorelikely)          gapsforP4Q1students(ascomparedto                 (includingA2Bstudents)receiveatwo-grade
tocontinueontheircourse,achievegood           P4Q5students)acrossthefourmainelements           reductiononourstandardoffer,whilestudents
honoursandgainhighlyskilledemployability       ofthestudentlifecycle,overafive-yearperiod.     fromPOLARQ1backgroundsoutsideofthe
thantheaverageEnglishstudentfrom               TheUniversityofBirminghamperformance               regionreceiveaone-gradereduction.Though
over-representedgroups.                             (orangeline)iscomparedagainstthesector           ourexistingaccessstrategywehaveincreased
                                                     (blueline);significantgapsarerepresentedby       theproportionofA2BapplicationsfromP3Q13
Wehavereducedtheperformancegapacross          asolidcircle,andnon-significantgapsare           areasfrom15%to28%,andin2018wesaw
eachofthesemeasuresforallfourtarget          representedbyahollowcircle.Thelighter            a70%increaseinA2BentrantsfromP3Q1
groupsovertheperiodfrom2012–13.Inall         orange/bluerangesindicatethe95%                    (102students),againstapreviousfour-year
buttwocases(maturecontinuationandP4Q1         confidenceintervalsforBirminghamandthe            averageof60students.
progression)ourgapsarebelowthesector,         sectorrespectivelyandthisillustratesthe
and,inthecaseoftheP4Q1progressiongap        relativesensitivityofaparticulargaptosmall      Ourabsoluteperformanceinrecruiting
thedifferenceisnotstatisticallysignificant.   populations(thesmallerthepopulation,the           studentsfromPOLAR4Quintile1(P4Q1)
Ourlongstandingcommitmenttoimproving            largertheintervalrangeislikelytobe).The        backgroundsshowsthatwearemakingsteady
accessmeansthatourintakeofstudentsfrom       figureshowsstatisticallysignificantgapsfor        progress.P4Q1studentsaccountfor6.1%of
disadvantagedbackgrounds(asmeasuredby           accessandattainmentforP4Q1students,and           ourfull-time,first-degreeintake(2017–18);
ourA2BpopulationandPOLAR3Q1and2)            thatgapsforcontinuationandprogressionare         agrowthof20%since2013–14.
hasgrowninabsoluteterms,andourintakeare     notstatisticallysignificant.Weunpickthis
majoritystateschooleducated(c.75%).           analysisfurtherinthefollowingsub-sections.
OfSdatahighlightstatisticallysignificant
accessgapsacrossanumberoftheOfS
targetgroups,butitisimportanttonotethat
ouraccessstrategytodatehasfocusedon
providingsupportandfairaccesstostudents           Figure 1: POLAR Quintiles 1 and 5 percentage performance gaps across the student
fromourlocalregion,basedonabasketof             lifecycle, UoB (orange) vs sector (blue) (OfS data release March 2019, POLARQ1
indicatorsofdisadvantage,notjustthose              is ‘split 2’)
specifiedbyindividualOfSKPMs.

Weexpandonthissummaryinthefollowing
sub-sections.Ineachsectionweprovide
anassessmentoftheextenttowhichour
performanceindicatesaneedfortargeted
interventionstosupportimprovedperformance,
eitherthroughformaltargetsorthroughthe
continueddevelopmentofexistingmeasures.
WehaveutilisedtheOfSdatasetasthe
startingpointforouranalysis,supplementedby
arangeofdetailedinternalandexternaldata
(TEFmetrics,UCASequalitiesdata,HESAand
DLHEdataandinternalKPIs)asappropriate.
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM - ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION PLAN 2020-21 TO 2024-25
Access and participation plan 2020–21 to 2024–25        6

1. Assessment of performance
(continued)

Notwithstandingimprovementsinabsolute           pastoralcareandstudentsupportstructures         Thegapis,however,statisticallysignificantand
terms,our2017–18gapinaccessbetween           (seeSection3‘StrategicMeasures’).We             wewillcommittoreducingthisgapaspartof
P4Q1andP4Q5studentsis39.3%.Thisgap          understand,however,thatmaintainingour            theaimsandobjectivesoutlinedinthisPlan.
hasincreasedslightlyovertheperiodfrom        strongperformancewillbecomeincreasingly          Thiswillbeanambitioustargetgiventhe
2013–14,againstadecliningsectorgap,and       challengingasweworktoincreaseourintake        plannedgrowthofintakeinthiscohort.Whilst
remainsstatisticallysignificant.Ourratiois    ofP4Q1wherewemayberecruitingstudents          ourtargetisfocusedonP4Q1,perOfS
7.4:1andthiscomparestoaRussellGroup         withadditionalfinancialsupportneeds,family      guidance,wealsonotethatourdatashowa
ratioof6:1anda‘hightariffinstitutions’4    commitmentsandworkcommitments.Itis              significantattainmentgapforIMD5students.
ratioof5:1.                                       importantthatwecontinuetoofferthe              Ouranalysissuggeststhatthereissignificant
                                                    additionalsupportnecessarytohelpstudents        overlapbetweenPOLARandIMD,andwe
Ourperformancereflectspositiveoutcomes        tobalancethesechallengeswiththoseof            saymoreinSection3abouttheadditional
onthosemeasuresthatwehavepreviously          studyingatBirmingham(seeSection3–              measureswewillputinplacetosupport
targeted.ClosingtheQ1/Q5gapisanew           StrategicMeasures–fordetailsofthesupport      reducingthePOLARattainmentgapandhow
target.Wearecommittedtoreducingthatgap      weprovide).Wewillcontinuetoprioritisethis     thesemeasureswill,concurrently,supportthe
whilstretainingourcommitmentstosupporting     supportandseektomaintainourstrong              reductionoftheIMDgap.
fairaccessacrossmultiplemeasuresof            performanceinthisarea.
disadvantageaswebelievethistobean                                                                 Progressiontohighlyskilled
appropriateandaccuratereflectionof             Success(attainment)                                  employmentorfurtherstudy
disadvantage.Wehavethereforefurther            80.9%ofourP4Q1studentsachievedgood             Wehaveconsistentlyout-performedthesector
developedouraccessofferingtoincludea         honoursin2017–18.Thisis7.1percentage           inabsolutetermsoverthefullreportingperiod.
widerandmoreflexiblerangeofaccess            pointshigherthanthesectorrate,andreflects     Highlyskilledemployabilityforour2016–17
programmesunderthebannerofPathways           athirdconsecutiveyearimprovementin              P4Q1graduatesis74.6%.Thisisoversix
toBirmingham(seelaterStrategicMeasures        absoluteattainment.ThegaptoP4Q5good            percentagepointshigherthanthesectorrate.
section).Wewilldemonstratethevalueand        honoursattainmentis9.1%(2017–18);thisis        Wehaveseenadeclineinrecentyearswith
impactofthisthroughachallengingtargetto     belowthesectorgap(9.4%)andagainmarksa        P4Q1highlyskilledemployabilityfallingfrom
increaseintakeviatheseprogrammes.Wealso      continuedpositivetrajectoryinreducingthe        82.2%to74.6%,andthishascontributedto
recognisetheOfSnationalkeyperformance         performancegap.                                      theperformancegaptoP4Q5students
measure,andtherolewewillplayinthisin
lightofcurrentperformance.Wewillseekto
addressthisthroughasupplementaryaccess
targetspecificallyfocusedonclosingthegap
inP4Q1access,butourapproachmustbe
realisticgiventheevidenceofasmallnational
poolofsuitablyqualifiedapplicants(evenwith
gradedrops).Section2.2providesfurther
detailonouraccesstargets,andSection3
providesdetailonthemeasureswehavein
placetosupporttheirachievement.

Success(non-continuation)
ThecontinuationrateforP4Q1studentsis
95%(2016–17)andthisisfivepercentage
pointshigherthanthesectorrateforP4Q1.
Thisreflectsfouryearsofcontinuous
improvementandisabovethesectoraverage
continuationrateforP4Q5students.Thegap
inperformancecomparedtoP4Q5studentsis
small(2.7%)andwellbelowthesectorrateof
4.3%.Overtheperiodfrom2012–13thegap
hasreducedfrom4.1%to2.7%,andisno
longerstatisticallysignificant.

TheUniversityhasasustainedandverypositive
retentionrecordacrossallstudentgroups
(seefigures1–4).Thisreflectsourcontinued
investmentinanddevelopmentofintegrated
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM - ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION PLAN 2020-21 TO 2024-25
Access and participation plan 2020–21 to 2024–25      7

1. Assessment of performance
(continued)

increasingfrom-0.9%in2012–13,to6.3%          Access                                                Thisisacomplexchallenge,andonethathas
in2016–17.Thisislargerthanthesectorgap,    In2017–18,25.4%ofourfull-time                   rootsdeepinthesecondaryschoolsystem
butwenoteitisnotstatisticallysignificant    undergraduateintakewerestudentsfrom              (andearlier).Wehave,however,undertaken
(adifferenceof12studentswoulderadicate        BAMEbackgrounds,comparedto31%                    detailedanalysistounderstandhowwecan
thegap).                                            nationally.OurBAMEintakehasincreased           bettersupportsuitablyqualifiedBlackand
                                                     by8%since2013–145.TheBAMEaccess                AsianapplicantstoenrolatBirmingham.
Internalanalysisofourperformancehas            gaphas,however,increasedfrom45.9%in            Ourevaluationhasshownthatofferratesare
highlightedthatlocallydomiciledA2Band          2013–14to49.3%in2017–18,againsta               broadlyequalacrossthedifferentethnicity
Blackstudents(whomakeup15%and11%of          lowerandfallingsectorgap(38.1%in               groupsforqualifiedcandidatesinnon-
ourP4Q1cohortrespectively)arecontributing      2017–18).                                             interviewingsubjects.Howeverforsome
disproportionatelytoourdecliningabsolute                                                              subjectsthatemployinterviews,suchas
performance(andassociatedincreasedgap).         TheaccessgapsaremostsignificantforBlack       Medicineanddentistry,BAMEstudentsare
GraduateemployabilityforA2Bstudentshas         studentsandstudentsofotherethnicity,being      lesslikelytoreceiveanoffer.Wehavetaken
fallenfrom82.6%to77.4%,andforlocalBlack     69.9%and73.6%respectively(althoughthe           stepstoaddressandmonitorthisthough
studentsithasfallenfrom88.2%to71.4%          lattergrouprepresentsverysmallabsolute          thecollationofdatarelatingtointerview
(comparedtorelativelystablelocalBAME           numbers–45students).WhilstTransparency          attendance,performanceatinterview,
graduateemployability).                             Conditiondatashowrelativelylowofferrates       academicthresholdsandreasonsfordecision
                                                     forBlackandAsianstudents,our2018UCAS          toensurethatunexpectedvariationsarenot
Supportingourstudentsintograduateand           dataalsoshowthatBlackapplicantsareless        present.Dataarenowreviewedsystematically
highlyskilledemployabilityisakeystrategic     likelytoapplywiththepredictedgradesthat       atkeypointsduringtheinterviewprocesses,
priorityandwearecommittedtoreversingthe      meetouroffercriteria(55%ofBlackapplicants     andweareconfidentthatourprocessesare
declininggraduateemployabilityratesforour      meetourstandardcriteriavs67%ofWhite           consistent,transparentandequitable.Weare
P4Q1students.Wehavealreadybegunto             applicants).Forsomeprogrammes,themix           extendingtherobusttrainingweprovideto
addressthesechallengesthroughourAccess         ofAlevelsubjectsstudiedisafurther            interviewpanelstofurtherminimisetheriskof
toCareers(A2C)programme(seeSection3,          importantbarrier.                                    unconsciousbiasandenhancingtheavailability
‘StrategicMeasures),andincontinuedsupport                                                            oftargetedinterviewsupport,buildingonbest
ofourstrategicobjectivewewillspecifically     WetargetschoolsforourOutreachactivity         practiceinmedicine.Wehavealsotakensteps
targetlocallydomiciledA2BandBlack              thathavehighproportionsofBAMEstudents          tobettersupportourBAMEapplicants
studentsaspartofthetargetssetoutin         andthismeansthatBAMEstudentsare                tobepreparedfor,andinformedabout,
thisPlan.                                           proportionallywell-representedinourA2B          theapplicationprocesstoincreasetheir
                                                     andlowparticipationintakepopulation:            chancesofsuccess.OurRoutestothe
1.2 Black, Asian and minority                        11%ofourP4Q1intakeareofBlackethnicity        Professionsscheme,forexample,isan
     ethnic students                                 and76%ofour(2018)A2Bintakewerefrom           18-monthprogrammeofsupportforstudents
Figure2showsthepercentageperformance           BAMEbackgrounds.                                     whoarelookingforcareersinmedicine,
gapsforBAMEstudents(ascomparedto                                                                    dentistry,law,accountingandfinance
Whitestudents)acrossthefourmainelements                                                             andengineering.
ofthestudentlifecycleoverafive-yearperiod.
Birminghamperformance(orangeline)is
comparedagainstthesector(blueline);                Figure 2: BAME vs White performance gaps across the student lifecycle,
significantgapsarerepresented                       UoB (orange) vs sector (blue) (OfS data release March 2019, BAME is ‘split 2’)
byasolidcircle,andnon-significantgapsare
representedbyahollowcircle.Thelighter
orange/bluerangesindicatethe95%
confidenceintervalsforBirminghamandthe
sectorrespectively;thisisprovidedtoshowthe
relativesensitivityofaparticulargaptosmall
populations(thesmallerthepopulation,the
largertheintervalrangeislikelytobe).The
figureshowsstatisticallysignificantgapsfor
accessandattainmentforBAMEstudents
whilegapsforcontinuationandprogression
arenotstatisticallysignificant.Weunpickthis
analysisfurtherinthefollowingsub-sections.
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM - ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION PLAN 2020-21 TO 2024-25
Access and participation plan 2020–21 to 2024–25         8

1. Assessment of performance
(continued)

Success(non-continuation)                           TheBAMEgaptoWhiteperformanceis                   thedetailedlevel,wherehighlyskilled
96.2%ofourBAMEstudentscontinuedtheir          12.3%;thisissmallerthanthesectorgap             employabilityoutstripsthesectoracrossthe
studiesin2016–17;thisissevenpercentage        (13.7%).WhilstourBAMEattainmentgaphas            board(by11.9percentagepointsforourAsian
pointshigherthanthesectorrate(89%)and        generallybeenonanimprovingtrajectory,we          students,4.3pointsforourBlackstudents,
marksabroadlyincreasingtrajectoryoverthe      sawaslightincreasefrom2016–17to                  5.8percentagepointsforourstudentsof
reportingperiod.Thisperformanceisreplicated    2017–18,andthegapremainssignificant.               mixedethnicityand17.1percentagepoints
atthedetailedlevel,withAsian,Blackand                                                                forourstudentsofotherethnicity).
studentsofmixedandotherethnicityallhaving    Atadetailedlevel,thegaptoWhiteattainment
absolutecontinuationratesabovethesector6.       rangesfrom8.2%(forstudentsofother                ThegapinBAMEhighlyskilledemployability
                                                     ethnicity)to15.7%(forBlackstudents);inboth      hasfallenfrom8.3%(2012–13)to2.8%
ThegapinBAMEperformancecompared               casesthegapsaresmallerthanthesector             in2016–17,andisnowstatisticallynot
toWhitestudentshasfallenfrom3%in             (14%and23.2%respectively).Ourrateof              significant.Thispictureisreplicatedforour
2012–13to0.6%in2016–17;thisiswell            improvementinreducingtheBlackattainment           Asianstudents(wherethegapreducedfrom
belowthesectorgapof3%,andisnot              gaphasoutstrippedthesector,fallingfrom           9%to0.8%)andstudentsofotherethnicity
statisticallysignificant.                           20.3%in2013–14to11.8%in2016–17.                  (wherethegaphasreducedfrom-0.5%
                                                     However,thegapremainsstatistically                 to-4.5%).
Similarly,atthedetailedethnicitylevel,         significant.
performancegapsaresmallandnotstatistically                                                            Whilstthegaphasincreasedforstudentsof
significant(Asian-0.7%,Black2.8%,              Asianstudentshavethesecond-largest                 mixedethnicity(from-2.5%to4.9%)thegap
mixed0.8%,other5.8%).                             attainmentgap(12.5%),andasourlargest             remainsstatisticallynotsignificant.
                                                     proportionofBAMEstudents(accountingfor
Thedatadonothighlightanysignificant           60%ofthe2017–18graduatingBAME                     ForourBlackstudents,theperformancegap
differencesincontinuationforourBAME            population)arecontributingmoresignificantly        toWhitestudentshasincreasedfrom-2.4%
students,eitheratthebroadordetailed           toouroverallBAMEattainmentgap.This               (2014–15)to7.9%(2016–17).Thisgapis
ethnicitylevel.Wenote,however,thatthe         (AsianvWhite)gaphasbroadlytrackedinline        abovethesectorandstatisticallysignificant;
widersocietalandstructuralissues                withthesector,althoughlatestdata(2017–18)        ithaslargelybeencausedbyfallingabsolute
underpinningdifferentialBAMEperformance          showourgaptobehigherthanthesector.              employabilityratesforourBlackstudents
andweremaincommittedtotheinterventions                                                                againstastableperformancefromWhite
wehavedevelopedovertherecentpast             Thedatahighlightastatisticallysignificantgap     students7.Internalanalysishasfurtheridentified
(seeSection3,StrategicMeasures)that           intheperformanceofBAMEstudentsas                 aspecificchallengewithourlow-participation
havehadapositiveimpactonourcurrent           comparedtoWhitestudentsinattainmentof            Blackstudents(asdefinedasthoseentering
performance.Suchmeasuresincludeour              goodhonours,andwewillcommittoreducing           throughourA2Bprogramme).BlackA2B
BAMEAmbassadorsscheme,supportedby              thisgapaspartoftheaimsandobjectives            studentshaveagraduateemployabilityrateof
theOfSandrecognisedbyUUKandNUSas            outlinedinthisPlan.Ouranalysishasshown          50%(2016–17data)comparedto77.4%for
bestpractice.Wewillcontinuetoprioritise      thatBlackandAsianstudentshavethemost            theoverallA2Bcohort.
thissupportandensurethatanygapinBAME        significant(intermsofpopulationsizeand
continuationdoesnotincreasetoastatistically   absoluteperformance)gaps;wewilltherefore          Therefore,wewilltargetBlackstudents,
significantlevelthroughtheobjectivesand        targetthesecohortsofstudentsthrough               particularlythosewhoareA2Bentrants,
targetssetoutwithinthisPlan.                    targetedinterventions(seeSection3–                foradditionalemployabilitysupportandto
                                                     StrategicMeasures).Indoingsowewillalso          enhanceengagement.
Success(attainment)                                 contributetotheOfSKPM4toreducethe
78.7%ofourBAMEgraduatesachievegood            Blackattainmentgap.                                   Supportingourstudentsintograduateand
honours;thisis11percentagepointshigher                                                                highlyskilledemployabilityisakeystrategic
thanthesectorrateforBAMEgoodhonours.         Progressiontohighlyskilled                         priority,andwehavealreadytakenstepsto
Atadetailedethnicitylevel,studentswith        employmentorfurtherstudy                             supportincreasedengagementwithour
‘other’ethnicityhavethehighestabsolute         GraduateoutcomesforourBAMEstudentsare            careerssupportbasedonlearningfromour
performance(82.9%comparedtothesector           strong.77.4%ofourBAMEgraduatessecured            evaluationactivities(seeSection3,Strategic
rateof67.3%),whilstBlackstudentshavethe      highly-skilledemployabilityin2016–17;thisis       Measures).WewillcommitwithinthisPlan
lowest(75.3%,comparedtothesectorrateof       9.5percentagepointshigherthanthesector           toseektoreducetheBlackgraduate
58.1%);inallcases,ourstudents’absolute        rate(67.9%)andmarksasustainedimproving           employabilitygap.
performanceoutstripsthesector.                    trajectory.Thispictureisreplicatedat
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM - ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION PLAN 2020-21 TO 2024-25
Access and participation plan 2020–21 to 2024–25        9

1. Assessment of performance
(continued)

1.3 Mature students
TheUniversityofBirmingham’sstrategic                Figure 3: Mature vs Young performance gaps across the student lifecycle
missionsistodeliverfull-time,campus-based          (OfS data release March 2019, Mature is ‘split 2’)
undergraduateprovision,andtherefore95%of
ourpopulationisfull-time,withmaturestudents
onlymakingupasmallproportionofour
population.Figure3showsthepercentage
performancegapsformaturestudents(as
comparedtoyoungstudents)acrossthefour
mainelementsofthestudentlifecycle,overa
fiveyearperiod.Birminghamperformance
(orangeline)iscomparedagainstthesector
(blueline);significantgapsarerepresented
byasolidcircle,andnon-significantgapsare
representedbyahollowcircle.Thelighter
orange/bluerangesindicatethe95%
confidenceintervalsforBirminghamandthe
sectorrespectively;thisisprovidedtoshow
therelativesensitivityofaparticulargapto
smallpopulations(thesmallerthepopulation,
thelargertheintervalrangeislikelytobe).    Success(non-continuation)                           (2013–14)to8.5%,andisnowbelow
Thefigureshowsstatisticallysignificantgaps     Ourabsolutecontinuationrateformature           thesectorgap(9.5%).
foraccess,continuation,attainmentand            studentsis88.9%,thisis3.4percentage
employability,howeverinthelattercasethisis   pointsabovethesector,andreflectsabroadly     MaturestudentsattheUniversityof
a‘negative’gapwherebyourmaturestudents        positivetrajectoryoverthereportingperiod.      Birminghamhaveahigherrateofachieving
outperformtheiryoungpeers.Weunpickthis        Theperformancegaptoyoungstudentshas           goodhonours,andarethereforemorelikely
analysisfurtherinthefollowingsub-sections.      fallenfrom13.6%(2012–13)to8.1%in              tosucceed,thantheaverageEnglishstudent
                                                     2016–17.                                             under21(79.6%ofBirminghammature
Access                                                                                                    studentsachievegoodhonours,compared
Givenourcontextasmajorityfull-timeand         Wehaveundertakenfurtheranalysistoseekto      with79.3%ofsectorunder21s).Ourfull-time
campus-basedforourundergraduatestudy,          understandthereasonsunderlyingwhyour           maturepopulationissmall;anadditional12
weanticipateandacceptahighfull-time           maturestudentsdonotcontinueintheir            students,annually,gaininggoodhonourswould
accessgapbetweenyoungandmature                 studies.Overathree-yearaggregatedperiod        eradicatethegap;thisislessthan0.3%ofour
learners.Itisunsurprising,therefore,thatthe   (2015–16to2017–18),two-thirds(66%)of           annualgraduatingcohort.Assuch,wedonot
OfSdatashowahighaccessgapformature          maturestudentsleftforpersonalreasons           believethatisitappropriatetosetaformal
full-timelearners.In2017–18,97.1%ofour        beyondtheUniversity’scontrol(forexample,       targetforsuchsmallnumbers,howeverwewill
(2017–18)full-timeintakewereunder21,          movingintoemployment,healthreasons,             continuetosupportourmaturestudentsto
andthisrepresentsa94.2%accessgap.              transferredtoanotherinstitutionorbalancing     achievetheiracademicpotentialthrough
                                                     full-timestudywithexistingpersonal              accesstotargetedinterventionsprovided
Ourcoremissionisfull-time,campus-based         commitmentsbecameunsustainable).Wewill          undertheBirminghamScholarframework
undergraduateeducation,andtofocusona          continuetoworkwithourmaturestudentsto        (seeSection3‘StrategicMeasures’,
matureaccessgapwouldbecontrarytothis.       betterunderstandtheirindividual                  forfurtherdetails).
WeareconfidentthattheOfSrecognisesthe        circumstancesandoffersupporttowardsthe
importanceofinstitutionalautonomyinsetting     mostappropriateoutcomeforthem.Wenote          Progressiontohighlyskilled
subjectmixandmajoritymodeofdelivery.We       thatinsomecases,non-continuationisthe         employmentorfurtherstudy
arenot,therefore,seekingtoaddressthisgap     appropriateoutcomeforanindividual.               In2016–1789.3%ofourmaturestudents
inourPlan.Wenote,however,thatour(very                                                            securedhighly-skilledemployability,thisis13.5
smallandspecialist)part-timeundergraduate       Success(attainment)                                 percentagepointshigherthanthesectorrate.
populationcomprisespredominantlymature           Thegoodhonoursrateforourmaturestudents       Thegaptoouryounggraduatesis‘negative’
students(78.4%ofourpart-timeother              is79.6%;thisis9.8percentagepointshigher      acrossthefullreportingperiod,withmature
undergraduateintakein2017–18wereover           thanthesectorandmarksasustainedincrease      studentsconsistentlyshowingahigherhighly
21)andwehaveadedicatedmaturestudent          overtheperiod(improvingfromagood              skilledemployabilityratethantheiryoung
ambassadortosupportthesematurelearners.         honoursrateof66.2%in2013–14).Thegap         peers.The2016–17gapis-10.1%.
                                                     inperformancehasfallenfrom20.4%
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM - ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION PLAN 2020-21 TO 2024-25
Access and participation plan 2020–21 to 2024–25       10

1. Assessment of performance
(continued)

Thedatashowaconsistentlystronglypositive       Access                                                 StudentDisabilityServicewhichprovides
performanceforourmaturestudentsingaining       11.3%ofourstudentintakein2017–18                informationandsupportfrompre-application
highlyskilledemployability;assuchwedonot      consistedofstudentswithareporteddisability.     tograduationwithexpertiseacrossarange
intendtosetatargetinthisarea.Wenote        Overtheperiodsince2013–14,ourdisabled           ofdisciplines–includingmentalhealth.
thattheOfSdashboardflagsthisgapas             populationhasincreasedby34%(to525).
statisticallysignificant,howeveritwould         Wehavereducedthedisabledaccessgap               Success(non-continuation)
beperversetoartificiallyconstrainthe            from80.5%in2013–14to74.7%in                    95.5%ofourdisabledstudentscontinuein
performanceofourmaturestudents                  2016–17,broadlymirroringthesectortrend.         theirstudies,comparedto90.3%acrossthe
toaddressthisperceivedissue.                      Atadisaggregatedlevel,theaccessgapsare         sector(2016–17data).Thecontinuationgap
                                                      broadlycomparable(cognitiveandlearning            tostudentswithnoknowndisabilityissmall
1.4 Disabled students                                 disability85.1%,mentalhealthdisability            (1.3%),notstatisticallysignificantandrelates
Figure4showsthepercentageperformance            85.3%,multipleimpairments86.1%,sensory            toverysmallnumbers(
Access and participation plan 2020–21 to 2024–25        11

1. Assessment of performance
(continued)

resumetheirstudies,alongsidereasonable         toa-7.4%gapforstudentswithsensory             WeworkwithBirminghamVirtualSchools,
adjustmentsforon-coursesupport(see             disabilities.Inallcasesourstudentswith         localauthoritiesandlocalHEIstoprovidea
Section3‘Alignmentwithotherstrategies’       reporteddisabilitiesoutperformtheir              robustprogrammeofactivityforcare
fordetail).                                        non-disabledpeers.                                   experiencedyoungpeople.Weareactive
                                                                                                          participantsofNationalNetworkofEducation
Success(attainment)                                Thedatashowaconsistentandstrongly              forCareLeaversandtheWestMidlandsCare
Birminghamstudentswithareporteddisability     positiveperformanceforourstudentswith           LeaversNetwork,andwehaveapresenceon
aremorelikelythantheaverageEnglishstudent   reporteddisabilitiesingaininghighlyskilled      thePropelwebsite.Wegivecareexperienced
toachievegoodhonours.85.6%ofour              employability;assuchwedonotintendtoseta     applicantspriorityaccesstoouroutreach
studentswithareporteddisabilityachieved       targetinthisareabutwillcontinuetoprovide     programmes,andprovideasinglepointof
goodhonoursin2017–18;thisis10.4              supportandservicestothesegroupsunder          contactforyoungpeopleincare,careleavers
percentagepointshigherthanthesector.         theBirminghamScholarframework(see,               andtheiradvisers.Weworkverycloselywith
Thegapinattainmentcomparedtoother            particularly,ourAccesstoCareersprogramme,       theBirminghamChildren’sTrust,ensuringtheir
studentshasfallenfrom5.4%in2014–15           outlinedinSection3(StrategicMeasures).           personaladvisershaveanamedcontactto
to2.6%in2017–18.Wenotethatthe                                                                    discussanyprospectiveorcurrentapplications
gapsfrom2015–16onwardsarenot                  1.5 Care leavers                                      totheUniversity.Inaddition,ourUniversityof
statisticallysignificant.                          Dataoncareleaversisbasedonself-                BirminghamSchooladmissionspolicyaffords
                                                    identification.Werespectthewishesofthose       prioritytoLookedAfterorPreviouslyLooked
Atadetailedlevel,theattainmentofstudents    studentswhodeclinetobeidentifiedas            Afterchildren.
withdeclaredmentalhealthandsocial             careleavers.
communicationdisabilitiesareoutoflinewith                                                         Success(non-continuationandattainment)
ourinstitutionalaverage,withanattainment     Giventheverysmallcareleaverpopulation         Theaggregatedcontinuationrate(2014–15to
gap(tootherstudents)of5%and6.9%             attheUniversity(ourcareleaverpopulationin     2018–19)forourcareleaversis91.8%;thisis
respectively,althoughwenotethatthelatter     2018–19waslessthan45,orlessthan0.3%          comparedto94.2%forallotherUK-domiciled
gapisbelowthesectorandnotstatistically      ofthepopulation),wedonotproposeformal         undergraduateentrants.Goodhonours
significant,andinbothcasesstudent             targetsaspartofthisPlan(suchsmall             attainment(aggregated2015–16to2017–18)
populationsarerelativelysmall(250and         populationscanresultinsignificantswingsin      was80.0%comparedwith88.3%among
15respectively).                                   performanceonthebasisoftheperformanceof       allotherUK-domiciledundergraduateleavers.
                                                    oneortwostudents).Insteadwewillcontinue
OfS’KPM5seekstoreducetheattainment          todevelopoursuiteofspecificsupport             Careleaversareinvitedtoattendanenhanced
gapbetweendisabledandotherstudents.          servicesforcareleavers,examplesofwhichwe      welcomeeventandsocialnetworkingeventat
Wewill,therefore,committomaintainingour      provideaspartoftheself-assessmentbelow.        thestartoftheirstudiesatBirmingham,with
positiveperformanceacrossthelifeofthis       Ourcommitmenttoprovidingsupport                 theaimofsupportingtransitionand,ultimately,
Plan.Inrecognitionoftherelativelysmall       tocareleaversacrossthestudentlifecycle        retention.Careleaversareeligibletoreceivean
populationandtheperformanceswingsthat         isdemonstratedbythefactthatwearea            accommodationdepositwaiver,receivepriority
smallchangesinabsoluteperformancecan          signatorytothe‘TheCareLeaverCovenant’          fortheirfirstchoiceUniversity-ownedhallsof
haveonpercentagegaps,ourtargetwillseek      whichispartofthegovernment’sKeepon            residenceandflexiblecontractsforUniversity-
toensurethatanygapwillnotincreasetoa      Caringstrategytosupportpeopleleaving           ownedstudentaccommodation(coveringthe
statisticallysignificantlevel.                    caretobecomeindependent.Ourcommitment           fullcalendaryear).Wearefurtherenhancing
                                                    isunderpinnedbyaworkinggroup(with              oursupport,followingstudentfeedback,with
Progressiontohighlyskilled                     membershipincludingtheGuildofStudents)          theprovisionofawelcomepackageincluding,
employmentorfurtherstudy                         whoconsidertheUniversity-widesupport             forexample,bedding,kitchenutensilsanda
81.9%ofourstudentswithareporteddisability   availabletocareleaversanditsoverall            foodvoucher.
achievedahighlyskilledjobin2016–17;         effectiveness.
thisis11percentagepointshigherthanthe                                                             Progressiontoemploymentorfurtherstudy
sector.Overtheperiodfrom2012–13wehave       Access                                                Graduateemployability(aggregatedovertwo
seenacontinuouspositivetrajectory,withthe    Todateouraccessinitiativeshavesupported        years2015–16and2016–17)forourcare
highlyskilledemploymentgapbetween              careleaverstoaccesshighereducationaspart      leaverswas91%.Thisshowsthatourcare
disabledandnon-disabledstudentsfallingfrom    ofourbroadprogrammeofsupportthrough            leaverstudentsaremorelikelytosecurea
6%to-2.6%in2017–18,whereourdisabled         PathwaystoBirminghamaswellaspre-16             highlyskilledleveljobthantheaverage
studentpopulationhasahigherhighlyskilled     activity.In2018,theUniversityreceivedUCAS      (young)Englishstudent8.
employabilityratethantheirnon-disabled         applicationsfrom256self-identifiedcare
peers.Thispictureisreplicatedacrossthe       leavers,89ofwhichreceivedanoffer.
detailedlevel,withgapsrangingfrom-0.3%      Ourintakeofcareleavershasincreasedfrom
forstudentswithmentalhealthdisabilities,     ninein2014–15to17in2018–19.
Access and participation plan 2020–21 to 2024–25      12

1. Assessment of performance
(continued)

CareleaversareprioritisedfortheGateway      WehaveseenthatBAMEstudentsare                  resultedinahighlydiversecommunity,witha
Bursarywhichprovidesfinancialsupportto       well-representedinourA2Bandlow                  rangeofeducationalability.In2018–19,66%of
studentsundertakinginternshipsorwork          participationintakepopulation,with76%of        ourschoolpopulationwerefromBAME
experiencerelevanttotheirfuturecareer(see   our(2018–19)A2BintakefromBAME                   backgrounds,4.8%ofoursecondarypopulation
StrategicMeasuressection),andforthe         backgrounds,and11%ofourP4Q1intake              comprisedchildrenwithEducationHealthCare
ImpactChallenge.Furtherworkisunderwayto     beingofBlackethnicity.Anumberofour            Plans(comparedto1.6%forallstate-funded
enhancethesupportweprovidetocareleavers     targetsreflecttheoutcomesofthis                mainstreamsecondaryschoolsinEngland)and
whoapplyforaplaceonourinternships,         inter-sectionalanalysis,particularlyafocus      14.6%wereeligibleforfreeschoolmeals.36%
graduatetrainingprogrammesand                  onlocallydomiciledBlackstudentsfor              ofourintakequalifiedforPremiumFunding
apprenticeships.                                   increasedemployabilitysupport.                      (comparedwithnationalfiguresof27.9%),and
                                                                                                         17.3%hadEnglishasanadditionallanguage.
1.6 Intersections of disadvantage                  1.7 Other groups who experience barriers              Fromthisdiversecohortwehaveseenreal
Intersectionalanalysishasbeenincorporated     in higher education                                   successinsupportingstudentstoprogress
intoouranalysisabove,inordertobetter       TheUniversityofBirminghamSchoolwas              tohighereducation.80%(112students)of
understandourperformanceandthepotential      establishedwithaclearpurposetocreatea         the2017–18Alevelcohortgainedplacesat
reasonsunderlyingit.Wehaveshown,for         highlydiverseandinclusivestudybody,andthe     universities,with43%ofthesestudents
example,thatlocallydomiciledA2BandBlack     aimofadvancingtheeducationalprogression,        progressingtoRussellGroupinstitutions
studentsarecontributingdisproportionatelyto   attainmentandaspirationofBirmingham’s            (41%ofwhichenrolledattheUniversity
ourP4Q1highlyskilledemployabilitygap.       youngpeople.Ouradmissionspolicyhas              ofBirmingham).
Access and participation plan 2020–21 to 2024–25     13

2. Strategic aims
   and objectives
Ourambitionisthatstudentswiththepotential    ofwideningparticipation.Asoneofthelargest     internallyandwherewecanworkinpartnership
tosucceedattheUniversityofBirmingham          teachertrainingcentresintheUKwealsohave      withthesectortosupportchange.
havetheopportunitytogainaccess,achieve        adirectimpactonimprovingthequalityof
theiracademicpotentialandprogress               teaching,aswellasincreasingopportunities       Weareworkingwithourregionalandnational
successfullytotheirchosencareersorfurther     foryoungpeopletobewell-informed,                partnerstosupportstudentstoaccessthe
study.Wehaveheldthisambitionsinceour         encouragedandengagedasameansto                 courseandinstitutionthatisrightforthem.
creationin1900,andthroughoutourhistory        supportthemtosecurehigherlevelsof             ExamplesincludeourNCOP,AimHigher,
havesoughttoprovideleadership,innovation,      prioracademicattainment.                            RealisingOpportunitiescollaborative
andarealistic,evidence-basedapproachto                                                               programmesandourstrategicpartnershipwith
studentaccessandparticipation.                    Werecognisethataddressingmanyofthe             UniversityCollegeBirminghamaswellasour
                                                     challengesinsecuringequalityofopportunity       recentOfS-fundedprogrammewithNewman
WearetheonlyUKUniversitytoopenandown       willrequireacoordinatedapproachacrossthe       UniversityandUniversityCollegeBirmingham
afullycomprehensive,non-selectivesecondary      entireeducationalandemploymentsector.           tosupportlocally-domiciledgraduatesinto
trainingschooldedicatedtoraisingthe                                                                 employment.Weoutlinemoredetailonour
aspirationandthepotentialofitspupils,and     Ourstrategyisthereforeadualapproach            strategicapproachtodeliveringchangein
thisistestamenttoourbeliefintheimportance   recognisingwhereweareabletoeffectchange       partnershipwithothersinsection3.1.
Access and participation plan 2020–21 to 2024–25         14

2. Strategic aims and objectives
(continued)

2.1 Target groups                                         Area                                                Target groups
Weareawarethat,asinthewidersociety,                                                                     POLAR4Quintile1applicants;
thereisworktodotoachievetheambition                                                                    PathwaytoBirminghamcandidates(based
ofequalityofopportunityandoutcome.                                                                        onabasketofmeasuresofdisadvantage
Theassessmentofperformanceoutlined                                                                         whichincludesstudentswholiveinareasof
abovehashighlightedthattherearedifferential                                                               lowprogressiontohighereducation,whofirst
outcomesacrossthestudentlifecyclebetween                                                                   generationentrantstohighereducation,who
somestudentgroups.Wearealsoawarethat              Access                                                 haveahouseholdincomethatisbelowthe
inordertoachievethemostsignificantimpact                                                                 nationalaverage,whohaveadisabilityand
weneedtoadoptatargetedandfocussed                                                                        areinreceiptofapersonalindependence
approachtoourinterventionsandsupport;                                                                     payment,and/orwhoareestrangedfrom
anapproachthatremainstrueto,andreflective                                                                parentsorguardians).9
of,ourcivicvalues,ourinstitutionalcontext
andidentity,aswellasthevaluesandpriorities                                                              StudentsofBlackandAsianethnicity;
ofourwholestudentbody.                                                                                       Studentswithareporteddisability;
                                                         Attainment                                             StudentsfromPOLAR4Quintile1.
Wehavetakenadata-ledandrealisticyet
challengingapproachtoidentifyingthetarget                                                                  Blackstudents;
groupsandprioritiesoutlinedwithinthisPlan,                                                                Locally-domiciledstudentswhojoined
informedby                                             Highly skilled employability                           theUniversityviaourPathwayto
(i) theOfficeforStudents’Key                                                                               Birminghamprogrammes.
      PerformanceMeasures,
(ii) assessmentofourcurrent
 performanceand
(iii) ourbroaderinstitutionalstrategicpriorities.
 Wehaveidentifiedthefollowingtarget               Wedo,however,recognisetheshiftinnational      ambitions.OurspecificAccess-related
 groupsforeachstageofthestudent                 focustoincreasingP4Q1accessbutweare           objectives,whichareunderpinnedby
 lifecycle:                                              concernedthattheOfStargettoreducethe          formalAPPtargets,are:
                                                          gapinP4Q1intakeathightariffinstitutions
2.2 Aims and objectives                                   from5:1to3:1isunachievablewithout              1a) toincreasetheproportionofourintake
                                                          admittingstudentswhowouldnotbeequipped              ofstudentswithmultiplemeasuresof
Aim1:Tocontinuetoexpand,developand                tosucceedatBirmingham,(especiallyinSTEM             disadvantageto10%by2025,
broadenthereachofourprovenoutreach                 subjectwhereattainmentinmathsisakey                asmeasuredbythepercentageofour
initiativestowidenaccesstohighereducation.          requirement)and/oranuncomfortable                      entrantsthatareadmittedthroughour
Ourobjectivesbuildonourexperiencewhich             engineeringofintakewhichwouldbe                      PathwaystoBirminghamscheme.This
showsthatamulti-dimensionalmeasureof                prejudicialtosuitablyqualifiedstudentsfrom           representsachallenging77%growthon
disadvantage–whichrecognisesthemultiple             quintiles2to5.In2017–18UCASdata                    thetargetwehavepreviouslysetourselves
andcomplexbackgroundsfromwhichour                   showedthattherewereonlyc.2700students,              (6.2%ofourentrants)andwillnecessitate
studentscome–ispreferabletoasingular              nationally,fromP4Q1postcodeswhoachieved              amoreflexibleapproachinvolvingwidening
focusonP4Q1cohorts.Asoutlinedearlier,              gradesofAABorbetter,comparedtoc.                   accesstoourpathwayprogrammes.
evidenceshowsthatasingularemphasis                 22,000forP4Q5.Indeed,P4Q1students
onthePOLARmethodology,withitsknown                 accountforonly6.6%(5755)ofthetotal            1b)toreducethegapbetweenthenumberof
limitations(suchasbeingone-dimensional,              nationalBBB+applicantpopulation,soeven              studentsweadmitfromthemost(P4Q5)
lackinglinkstoeconomicdisadvantageetc.),            theimpactofourcontextualofferscheme                andleast(P4Q1)representedgroupstoa
risksinterventionsbeingtargetedaway                 (discountinguptotwogradesagainstour                ratioof5:1(from7.4:1)by2025.Inthe
fromthosestudentswiththemostcomplex                standardoffer)islimitedinthecontextof            longer-term,ascollaborativeinitiativesto
disadvantageandgreatestneed(asevidenced             suchasmallnationalpool.                               addresschallengesinpriorattainment
bytheresearch10showingthatonly13%of                                                                         begintotakeroot,wewillseektogrow
studentsonfreeschoolmealsliveinP4Q1               Ourobjectives,therefore,seektobalanceour           andmaintainourshareofP4Q1students
postcodeareas).Wearealsokeentoensure              commitmenttobuildingonourpreviousand               inlinewiththenationalgrowthinthepool
thatstudentsfromP4Q2arenotfurther                  provensuccessesinsupportingaccessacross             ofappropriatelyqualifiedstudents.Our
disadvantagedbytheemphasisonP4Q1                    multiplemeasuresofdisadvantagealongsidea            currentP4Q1ratiois7.4:1.Ourmodelling
students.Wewillthereforecontinueto                 realisticrealignmentwithnationalambition.We         ofintakesuggeststhattoachievearatioof
targetstudentswithmultiplemeasuresof                believethatourcombinationofobjectivesto            5:1willrequireustoreduceourintaketariff
disadvantagethroughour Pathways to                      2025areambitiousyetrealisticandprovidea           toatleasttoBCC,andpotentiallytoCCC
Birminghamprogrammeofaccesssupport.                   strongfoundationforourlonger-term
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