UKPRN 10007759:
Aston University Provider impact report
2019-20 access and participation plan monitoring Provider impact report
Aston has a long standing commitment to its Access and Participation work as evidenced by its diverse student demographic, retention figures and graduate outcomes. Our published impact report outlines our progress against our Office for Students Access and Participation targets during the year 2019-20 and the support provided to applicants and students during the height of the pandemic.
There are some highlights where we have exceeded our commitments to students, this has included increasing the number of care leavers accessing undergraduate programmes at Aston, as well increasing numbers from specific national target groups such white males. Aston is also proud of its continued commitment to students who declare disabilities and recognised the particular challenges during the pandemic faced by our students from this group. The support mechanisms put in place which provided the most impact to our students, will be continued moving forward.
The impact report has also highlighted where Aston will increase efforts to reduce attainment gaps between key groups at success and progression into graduate level employment.
1. Ambition and strategy
Aston University’s ambition and strategy as detailed in the 2019-20 access and participation plan:
Aston University’s ambition and strategy for its 2019-20 Access and Participation Plan (APP) was “to increase and improve access more widely to under-represented groups, with particular emphasis on those coming to Aston from its local community in order to create employable graduates that will support Birmingham and the wider region to thrive.” (p.7)
Using OfS data to identify Aston’s most significant gaps at Access, in our APP the University outlined its ambition to increase students from its target groups (females, students who identify themselves as being from Black heritage, students who declare a disability, and mature students), by continuing its extensive outreach portfolio and by ensuring all interventions followed prescribed “theory of change” models to demonstrate impact linked to attainment. Despite the national challenges (identified by internal and HESA benchmarking data) around increasing the number of mature students and those students who are in receipt of disability allowance, Aston has continued to demonstrate its support to these under-represented groups by committing to increase their numbers accessing the institution and continuing to put in interventions to enable this.
Aston’s ambitions at Success were “to continue to narrow the continuation gap between all of its benchmarked groups, as well as continuing with its strategy to have 100% of its eligible undergraduate student cohort taking part in a work placement or study experience in order to raise employment prospects for its graduates.” (p.9) Although Aston is above HESA benchmarks for all markers related to continuation and retention, the University is committed to continuing and improving its strong track record. These ambitions are underlined by the increased financial support available to students, especially during the placement year to encourage students’ aspirations to undertake work placements either in the UK or overseas.
At Progression Aston’s ambition in its 2019-20 APP was “to ensure that all continuing students progress either to further study or graduate level employment” (p.10) through its package of additional support which includes mentoring, careers advice and internships.
2. Self-assessment of targets
The tables that follow provide a self-assessment by Aston University of progress against the targets approved in its 2019-20 access and participation plan.
Please note the tables contain only a summary of target milestones approved in 2019-20 access and participation plans. Full information can be found in Table 8a – statistical targets and milestones and Table 8b – Other milestones and targets of Aston University’s 2019-20 access and participation plan.
Any optional commentary provided against the targets is given in Annex B.
Statistical targets and milestones
| Reference Number (lifecycle stage) | Description | Baseline year | Baseline data | 2018-19 milestone | 2019-20 milestone | Units of target | Comparison year | Actual performance in comparison year | Target self-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T16a_01 (Student success) | To meet or outperform HESA benchmark for non-continuation rates of students | 2014-15 | 3.2% | 3% | 3% | Percentage | 2019-20 | 4.1 | No progress |
| T16a_02 (Progression) | To meet or out perform HESA benchmark for % of full-time graduates in employment (including further study) | 2013-14 | 91.7% | 95% | 95% | N/A (see description / commentary) | 2018-19 | No progress | |
| T16a_03 (Other/Multiple stages) | To increase percentage of eligible students who undertake a uk/overseas work placement or study period abroad | 2012-13 | 60.4% | 85% | 90% | Percentage | 2019-20 | 74 | Limited progress |
| T16a_04 (Access) | To increase % of intake of students in POLAR3 Quintile 1 | 2014-15 | 10.3% | 11.3% | 11.6% | Percentage | 2019-20 | 10.7 | Limited progress |
| T16a_05 (Access) | To increase the number of black students on undergraduate degree programmes | 2014-15 | 10.75% | 12% | 13% | Percentage | 2019-20 | 14 | Expected progress |
| T16a_06 (Access) | To meet or outperform target for number of care-leavers enrolling on programmes at Aston | 2015-16 | 9 | 12 | 13 | Headcount | 2019-20 | 23 | Expected progress |
| T16a_07 (Student success) | To meet or outperform the HESA benchmark for mature progression | 2014-15 | 10.4% | 9.1% | 8.8% | Percentage | 2019-20 | 11.4 | No progress |
| T16a_08 (Student success) | To narrow further the gap between BME and white degree achievement | 2013-14 | 10% | 7% | 6% | Percentage | 2019-20 | 8.7 | Limited progress |
| T16a_09 (Progression) | To meet or outperform the sector using league tables | 2014-15 | 30th | 38th | N/A | Other | 2019-20 | 30 | Expected progress |
| T16a_10 (Access) | To increase the number of students from a known disability background | 2014-15 | 6.5% | 8% | 9% | Percentage | 2019-20 | 7.2 | Limited progress |
| T16a_11 (Progression) | To increase the number of mature students enrolled at Aston University | 2016-17 | 5.5% | 6% | 6% | Percentage | 2019-20 | 5.4 | No progress |
| T16a_12 (Progression) | To increase the % of students from low participation groups taking up a Masters degree at Aston | 2013-14 | 13.3% | 14% | 14.3% | N/A (see description / commentary) | 2019-20 | No progress | |
| T16a_13 (Access) | To increase % of white male students on undergraduate programmes | 2014-15 | 19.9% | 20.9% | 21.4% | Percentage | 2019-20 | 23 | Expected progress |
Other milestones and targets
| Reference Number (lifecycle stage) | Description | Baseline year | Baseline data | 2018-19 milestone | 2019-20 milestone | Units of target | Comparison year | Actual performance in comparison year | Target self-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T16b_01 (Access) | Number of students engaged in Aston Adventure Progressive Programme (Y5-6) | Other (please give details in Description column) | N/A | 480 | 640 | Headcount | 2019-20 | 540 | Limited progress |
| T16b_02 (Access) | Number of students engaged in Aspire to Aston Progressive Programme (Y7-10) | 2017-18 | 500 | 580 | 660 | Headcount | 2019-20 | 1684 | Expected progress |
| T16b_03 (Access) | Number of students engaged in Aston Pathways Programme (Y12-13) | 2015-16 | 88 | 150 | 200 | Headcount | 2019-20 | 207 | Expected progress |
| T16b_04 (Access) | IAG (Information, Advice and Guidance) in schools and colleges. Number of visits to state schools and colleges where 60% or more of students are from IMD postcodes as above. These include parents evenings, Y9 options evenings, HE Guidance sessions. This is to complement or replace lost funding and staffing in careers and connexions services. | 2012-13 | 68 | 80 | 80 | N/A (see description / commentary) | 2019-20 | No progress | |
| T16b_05 (Access) | Student Tutoring, Mentoring and e-mentoring - Aston tutors and mentors working in target schools and colleges on academic and aspiration support via the long established student tutoring and mentoring schemes at Aston. Schools and Colleges with 60% or more of learners who live in the most disadvantaged IMD postcodes will be targeted. | 2011-12 | 101 | 135 | 140 | N/A (see description / commentary) | 2019-20 | No progress | |
| T16b_06 (Access) | Number of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds engaged in intensive activity with collaborative partnership using a basket of indicators | Other (please give details in Description column) | 500 | 1000 | 1000 | Percentage | 2019-20 | 591 | Limited progress |
| T16b_07 (Access) | Proportion of engaged young people from disadvantaged backgrounds attaining 5 x GCSE A* to C inc. English and Maths (or Attainment 8 equivalent) is greater than local average for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, using a basket of indicators | Other (please give details in Description column) | 2013/14 FSM 60.2% (regional baseline 36.2%) | 25% above baseline | 25% above baseline | N/A (see description / commentary) | 2019-20 | 0 | No progress |
| T16b_08 (Access) | Proportion of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in intensive activity target group entering HE and retained for 6 months is greater than local average for YP from disadvantaged backgrounds, using a basket of indicators | Other (please give details in Description column) | 2013/14 FSM6 31.6% (regional baseline 22%). POLAR 3 Q1 40.0% (regional baseline 12.4%) | 10% above baseline | 10% above baseline | N/A (see description / commentary) | 2019-20 | 10 | Limited progress |
3. Investment commitments
3.1. Access and participation investment for the last audited year
Please note that some differences in predicted vs actual spend may be due to reporting differences between academic and financial years.
| Financial year | 2019-20 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Predicted spend (£) | Actual spend (£) | Difference (ppt) | |
| Access investment | £609,838.00 | £511,000.00 | -16% |
| Financial Support | £1,345,504.00 | £1,485,000.00 | 10% |
4. Action plan
Where progress was less than expected Aston University has made the following commitments to increase the rate of progress against their targets.
| Reference Number | Steps that will be taken in the future to make expected progress against target |
|---|---|
| T16a_01 | Although we have not made our expected progress in this area, we remain below our HESA benchmark, demonstrating our efforts and commitment in this area. We have also improved compared to last year. We therefore believe that we are providing appropriate support to students and that to a large extent our successes in broadening access contributes to our apparent lack of progress in this area. The covid pandemic will only make these targets more stretching, and in anticipation of this we have invested heavily in trying to reduce effects of digital poverty in particular. |
| T16a_02 | This target will be re-aligned using more appropriate measures in the 2020-2025 plan |
| T16a_03 | The progress that we have made towards this target is good, albeit not as fast as expected. We will continue to provide the support and strategy as already detailed. However, the pandemic and the discontinuation of Erasmus are only likely to make these targets more difficult to reach and with that in mind we would like to review this target. This would enable us to maintain student choice and support vulnerable students - we would still aim to maintain our employment targets, but using a array of different methods. |
| T16a_04 | We will resume face to face interventions as soon as possible, especially with Aston's most impactful sustained progressive programmes, the Pathways Summer Schools. We will monitor the effects of our contextualised offer scheme. |
| T16a_07 | Our Access and Participation plan 2020-25 commits to providing scholarships for mature learners which we hope will help with some of the challenges they face. Additionally, we are now using Learning Analytics to identify struggling students earlier and provide appropriate interventions. |
| T16a_08 | As part of our work towards the Race Charter Mark, work is ongoing on decolonising the curriculum. |
| T16a_10 | We will continue to review and monitor our work aimed at students who wish to declare a disability and ensure students understand the support they are able to access if they do wish to declare. |
| T16a_11 | We will continue to review and evolve our portfolio and monitor the effects of our scholarships. |
| T16a_12 | We do not believe this target is related to the 2019-20 retrun and has been dicontinued |
| T16b_01 | Ensure virtual provision and support materials are available, ensure face to face interaction can resume when safely possible |
| T16b_04 | This target is discontinued and is not part of 2019/20 APP |
| T16b_05 | This target is discontinued and is not part of 2019/20 APP |
| T16b_06 | We will resume face to face activity as soon as possible. |
| T16b_07 | We are unable to report on progress in terms of students' GCSE grades due to changes in GDPR and delays in the NPD processing this request. Our request has now been approved and the AimHigher consortia are awaiting secure access to data. |
| T16b_08 | We are able to report on HE entry rates (HESA) for the most recent cohort who entered HE in September 2018. 450 POLAR 3 (Q1) students entering HE shows that we have exceeded the target for this cohort (10.5% above benchmark against a target of 10%). Although the number of FSM eligible learners entering HE is below the 10% above benchmark target, we are within the 5% tolerance so can be said to have met this target. Actual numbers are likely to be higher than reported due to not all learners submitting consent forms. It was agreed that the partnership would not collect school census data this year. |
5. Confirmation
Aston University confirms that:
Student engagement
- Have you worked with your students to help them complete the access and participation plan monitoring student submission?
Yes
- Have you engaged with your student body in the design, evaluation, and monitoring of the plan?
Yes
Verification and sign off
- Aston University has confirmed that the information included in this impact report is accurate, that it has been compiled in line with OfS guidance, and that it is being submitted on behalf of the governing body of the provider.
Yes
Accountable officer sign off
Name: Alex Cameron
Position: Vice Chancellor
Annex A: Commentary on progress against targets
Aston University’s commentary where progress against targets was less than expected.
Target reference number: T16a_01
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
No
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
We provided increased mental health support and implemented a more flexible no detriment policy and well being check ins with all students.
Target reference number: T16a_02
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
We do not have commitments in our plan related to this target. The DLHE survey has changed to the Graduate Outcomes survey, and the census has changed from 6 months to 15 months. This means that the percentages are no longer comparable as a trend. In addition, HESA have not produced a PI percentage for the new Graduate Outcomes data so we cannot measure our performance in this way.
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
No
Target reference number: T16a_03
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
No
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
An enormous amount of effort goes into placement provision at Aston University and we remain a provider with one of the highest percentages of students who take a placement or equivalent experience. To reach our target, most of our new degree programmes have a compulsory placement year and we continue to invest in support for students from our careers and placements staff, as well as embedding these activities in all programme curricula.
Target reference number: T16a_03
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
No
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
An enormous amount of effort goes into placement provision at Aston University and we remain a provider with one of the highest percentages of students who take a placement or equivalent experience. To reach our target, most of our new degree programmes have a compulsory placement year and we continue to invest in support for students from our careers and placements staff, as well as embedding these activities in all programme curricula.
Target reference number: T16a_04
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
Although we have not met our yearly milestone, our P4Q1 entrants percentage is still above our HESA benchmark, suggesting that our performance on this measure is good.
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
Aston continued to deliver interventions highly targeted at P4Q1 students virtually and increased the number of events, the schools the University worked with and the number of students engaged. We have also introduced a contextualised offer scheme.
Target reference number: T16a_07
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
No. We have not met our yearly milestone, but we still outperform our HESA benchmarks for this measure.
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
No
Target reference number: T16a_08
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
Although we have not met our expected yearly milestone for this target, we have made some progress at Aston University towards decreasing this gap and the gap is smaller than sector average.
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
Aston University is doing a considerable amount of work currently to try to achieve the Race Charter Mark.
Target reference number: T16a_10
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
No, we have not met our expected yearly milestone, but we have made positive progress towards the 8% target.
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
We think that the changes in DSA arrangements have reduced the number of students choosing to declare a disability. Despite this, Aston continues to provide students the support that they require.
Target reference number: T16a_11
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
No
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
As already mentioned above, our Access and Participation Plan 2020-25 commits to providing scholarships for mature students. As well as supporting their success, we also hope that these will encourage more students to study with us. We are also developing Degree Apprenticeships that we hope will be attractive to mature students and further full time degree programmes with vocational elements, which may provide to be more attractive to mature students, but which (because they are part time) are not detected by these metrics.
Target reference number: T16a_12
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
We do not believe this target is related to the 2019-20 retrun and has been dicontinued Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
We do not believe this target is related to the 2019-20 retrun and has been dicontinued
Target reference number: T16b_01
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
No, delivery was signficantly impeded by Covid-19
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
Yes, all delivery was switched to virtual platforms
Target reference number: T16b_04
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
This target is discontinued and is not part of 2019/20 APP
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
This target is discontinued and is not part of 2019/20 APP
Target reference number: T16b_05
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
This target is discontinued and is not part of 2019/20 APP
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
This target is discontinued and is not part of 2019/20 APP
Target reference number: T16b_06
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
No, delivery was signficantly impeded by Covid-19 Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
Some elements of delivery were switched to digital.
Target reference number: T16b_07
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
We are unable to report on progress in terms of students' GCSE grades due to changes in GDPR and delays in the NPD processing this request. Our request has now been approved and the AimHigher consortia are awaiting secure access to data.
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
We are unable to report on progress in terms of students' GCSE grades due to changes in GDPR and delays in the NPD processing this request. Our request has now been approved and the AimHigher consortia are awaiting secure access to data.
Target reference number: T16b_08
- How have you met the commitments in your plan related to this target?
We have met some elements of this target
- Have you taken any additional steps other than that detailed in the plan to reach the selected milestone?
We are able to report on HE entry rates (HESA) for the most recent cohort who entered HE in September 2018. 450 POLAR 3 (Q1) students entering HE shows that we have exceeded the target for this cohort (10.5% above benchmark against a target of 10%). Although the number of FSM eligible learners entering HE is below the 10% above benchmark target, we are within the 5% tolerance so can be said to have met this target. Actual numbers are likely to be higher than reported due to not all learners submitting consent forms. It was agreed that the partnership would not collect school census data this year.
Annex B: Optional commentary on targets
Aston University’s commentary on any of the targets listed in Section 2.
| Reference Number | Optional commentary |
|---|---|
| T16a_01 | |
| T16a_02 | The DLHE survey has changed to the Graduate Outcomes survey, and the census has changed from 6 months to 15 months. This means that the percentages are no longer comparable as a trend. In addition, HESA have not produced a PI percentage for the new Graduate Outcomes data so we cannot measure our performance in this way. |
| T16a_03 | |
| T16a_04 | As Aston's student demographic meets multiple markers of disadvantage, the University outreach team will continue with its broad based approach to its interventions. The University asks the OfS to note once again that the P4Q1 demographic in the region is diminishing due to the number of organisations carrying out sustained outreach programmes within the last decade and thus postcode quintile is not the most accurate measure of disadvantage in Birmingham. As part of our commitment to improved evaluation, we are also pleased to be working with the Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education (HE) to evaluate our pathways programmes. |
| T16a_05 | |
| T16a_06 | |
| T16a_07 | |
| T16a_08 | |
| T16a_09 | |
| T16a_10 | |
| T16a_11 | |
| T16a_12 | |
| T16a_13 | Ahead of milestone |
| T16b_01 | The outreach team worked incredible hard to engage 540 primary students during the pandemic, so although the target was not met, progress was better than expected with the significant disruption. |
| T16b_02 | Although we have selected expected progress, this milestone has been met above and beyond our target data |
| T16b_03 | All pathway activity has been moved virtually and delivered online in order to continue to meet targets |
| T16a_04 | |
| T16a_05 | |
| T16a_06 | Our ability to meet this target has been limited due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the cancellation of the residential summer school and year 8 day. 591 learners engaged within the mentoring scheme of which 371 (92.5%) met 1 targeting criteria. The remainder were either not target (30) or did not provide data (189). |
| T16a_07 | |
| T16a_08 | We are able to report on HE entry rates (HESA) for the most recent cohort who entered HE in September 2018. 450 POLAR 3 (Q1) students entering HE shows that we have exceeded the target for this cohort (10.5% above benchmark against a target of 10%). Although the number of FSM eligible learners entering HE is below the 10% above benchmark target, we are within the 5% tolerance so can be said to have met this target. Actual numbers are likely to be higher than reported due to not all learners submitting consent forms. It was agreed that the partnership would not collect school census data this year. |