The Unite Foundation

Governance Document

Legal Status

The Unite Foundation is a charitable trust, founded in 2012 by Unite Students. The Foundation is registered with the Charities Commission, charity number: 1147344. The Foundation has also achieved Charitable Status in Scotland, charity number: SC043324. It is unincorporated and without wider membership.

The Foundation was created by a Deed of Trust dated 7 December 2011 by the ‘first trustees’ of Mark Allan, Paul Harris, Nicola Yates and Sally Quigg on an initial sum of £5,000.

This Governance document reflects the charitable aims of the initial deed, details the operation of the Foundation to meet those aims and, along with the annual report and accounts, records any periodic changes to beneficial activity, Trustees or Trustee role.

Area of interest

The Trust Deed records the charitable object as being ‘for the public benefit to promote the education (including social and physical training) of people under the age of 25 years in the United Kingdom in such ways as the charity trustees think fit - including by awarding to such persons scholarships, maintenance allowances or grants tenable at any University, college or institution of higher or further education.

It specialises in transforming the lives of young people by enabling access to higher education and supporting those young people whilst they are students. Beneficiaries are known as Unite Foundation Scholars.

Particular emphasis is placed on young people - 25 and under - for whom access to a secure home is of particular significance; priority is given to those students who have previously been in care or are estranged from both of their parents.

The Unite Foundation. A registered charity in England + Wales 1147344 Scotland SC043324 February 2021

The Unite Foundation strategy sets out three areas of impact:

• University is accessible; scholars are equally able to attend, succeed and complete their studies • Graduates are prepared for life; scholars are equally able to be happy and fulfilled, be equipped for life and access careers of their choice • Society’s prejudices are changed; Public policy will be improved, raising expectation and aspiration for care experienced and estranged students to end stigma.

Scholarship Scheme

Overview

The Unite Foundation Scholarship Scheme has had 2 iterations:

• Scheme A - from inception up to and including 2016/17 intake - provided free, year round, accommodation to an annual cohort of undergraduate students for the duration of their studies, plus an annual living allowance of £3,000 (rising to £4,000 for students in London).

• Scheme B – from 2017/18 intake onwards - consists of free, year round, accommodation for 3 years of study to an annual cohort of students. The award is now portable, enabling young people to move within the Foundation university network, and flexible to enable choice of which years of benefit they take up; existing students are also eligible to apply.

Process

Scholarship applications are completed on a standardised form by potential beneficiaries, this is then verified and submitted by their chosen university within the Foundation network. Eligibility criteria is published and applicants are required to submit evidence to support their eligibility from 3rd party institutions including local authorities and Student Finance teams.

Annual cycle

• October/November: Board of Trustees AGM and annual funding confirmation letter from Unite Group plc to Unite Foundation. Guidance and documentation for the following year cohort is

The Unite Foundation. A registered charity in England + Wales 1147344 Scotland SC043324 February 2021

published on the Unite Foundation website (www.thisisusatuni.org) and is circulated to each university in the Unite Foundation network.

• January-June: Scholarship scheme application window is open for submissions.

• June: Board of Trustees approves all eligible applicants and agrees specific beneficiaries within the year’s award cohort and reserve list. Board decisions subsequently communicated to university partners and directly to applicants. Cohort profile detailing beneficiary status, area, and location of study published.

Scholarship Scheme Priorities

• Maintaining a balance of benefit between estranged and care leaver populations • Reflecting a breadth of academic ability, course choice and protected characteristics under the Equalities Act • Maintaining a balance of communities of scholars at partner universities

Adjustment and Clearing Policy

An adjustment and clearing period runs annually throughout August to take into account exam release dates in both England & Wales, and Scotland. The overarching aim of the policy is to ensure all Trustee approved scholarship places are awarded in year.

• Scholarship students that achieve grades affecting their choice of university will be prioritised to take up their scholarship at the new HEI if within the Unite Foundation network. This is entirely subject to suitable accommodation being available.

• Scholarships made vacant for any reason will be prioritised for students in the ‘reserve’ list category from the same city. Where multiple candidates exist, the Unite Foundation will advise the university partner of replacement scholars selected in order to maintain the profile of the overall cohort.

• If no suitable candidates exist to fill vacant scholarship places in a specific location, other university partners will be contacted to increase their overall scholarship populations from their ‘reserve’ list selected in order to maintain the profile of the overall cohort.

The Unite Foundation. A registered charity in England + Wales 1147344 Scotland SC043324 February 2021

Scholarship Scheme University Partners

In its inaugural year, the Unite Foundation provided 21 Bursaries to four founding partners:

University of Bristol

King’s College London Sheffield Hallam University

The scheme has since expanded to additionally include the following university partners:

De Montfort University University College London

Portsmouth University Manchester Metropolitan University

Plymouth University* Liverpool John Moores University

Robert Gordon University Edinburgh Napier University

Bath Spa University University of Exeter

University of Reading Aston University

Bournemouth University Glasgow Caledonian University

Brunel University Queen Mary University London

University of Sheffield University of the West of England (UWE)

Huddersfield University* University of Westminster

University of Strathclyde London Metropolitan University

Leeds Beckett University University of Salford

Kingston University

The latest University partner expansion in 2017 set out areas of provision modelled on the now defunct Buttle UK Quality Mark as well as asking applications to identify how participation in the scheme would add value to their activities in this field.

*In 2018 it was announced that Unite Students were to withdraw from Huddersfield and Plymouth as the result of property sales, therefore the Foundation made the decision to no longer accept

The Unite Foundation. A registered charity in England + Wales 1147344 Scotland SC043324 February 2021

applications from students attending university in these two locations in future academic cycles. The Unite Foundation has produced a Disposals Policy to account for the process for Foundation Scholars currently living in these locations.

Article 26

Running parallel to the scholarship scheme the Unite Foundation has an arrangement with to ringfence one scholarship per year for a student assessed and agreed by De Montfort University in conjunction with Article 26 (charity number: 1074025). The conditions of the scholarship being the same as mainstream scheme participants, the main aim of Article 26 is to promote access to Higher Education for those who have fled persecution and sought asylum in the UK. Article 26 focusses specifically on asylum seekers who, because of their status, are not eligible for student finance being regarded as international students in the context of tuition fees. (Refugees, by contrast, have secure residency status and are therefore eligible for student finance as standard.)

Governance

It is important for any charity to establish good governance procedures from the outset. For the Unite Foundation, benefits include:

• Protection of reputation: Demonstrating a commitment to the highest standard of governance protects the reputation of Foundation and gives current and future stakeholders confidence, and helps us to maximise opportunities for communication and engagement. • Clarity: an efficiently and transparently run charity will enable all stakeholders to understand the decisions that are taken, preventing misunderstandings and challenges. • Compliance with charity law: certain aspects of governance are necessary in order to operate legally as well as ethically. • Efficiency: good systems and procedures ensure the Foundation can achieve more for less effort.

Trustee role and responsibilities

The key role and responsibilities are set out in the General Trustee Role Description and Trustee Code of Conduct.

The Unite Foundation. A registered charity in England + Wales 1147344 Scotland SC043324 February 2021

Current Trustees

Name Jenny Shaw Unite Students – Director Nik Miller Bridge Group - Director Shân Wareing University of Northampton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Andrea Dlaska Middlesex University, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Fiona Slaven University of the Arts London - Director

Trustee appointment and terms

The Foundation must have a minimum of three Trustees.

Trustees are appointed at Special Meetings of the Trustees which can be called with a minimum of 21 days’ notice and can be concurrent with a scheduled Trustee meeting.

In selecting individuals for appointment as Trustees, the Trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the efficient administration of the charity. Trustees must be aged 18 or over.

Trustees are appointed for a term of 3 years, with a maximum of 3 terms i.e. a total of 9 years.

Induction, development and reviews

Trustees will be inducted in accordance with the Trustee Induction Policy & Procedures.

Trustees will undertake appropriate training and other development activities.

To support continuous improvement, Trustees will participate in Board and individual reviews.

Board meetings

Meetings of the Trustees will be considered quorate if ‘at least one third of the total number of trustees at the time, or two trustees (whichever is the greater) are present throughout the meeting’. Trustees with a declared interest due to Unite Students employment or other circumstance will not be considered within the quorum count.

Regular Trustee meetings are set one year in advance and dates are fixed. Draft minutes are produced and distributed within 10 working days of the meeting, with corrections being submitted within 15 working days of receipt.

The Unite Foundation. A registered charity in England + Wales 1147344 Scotland SC043324 February 2021

Board Officers

The Chair and Treasurer (if a Treasurer is appointed) will be elected at the first regular meeting in each year and the position will be re-elected to on resignation or every 3 years.

The roles and responsibilities of the Chair and Treasurer in addition to that of a Trustee are set out in the appropriate Role Description.

Insurance

The Foundation has put in place Trustee Liability Insurance with AON, providing £2.1 million cover.

Delegation

In addition to their statutory powers, the trustees may delegate any of their powers or functions to a committee of two or more trustees. A committee must act in accordance with any directions given by the trustees. It must report its decisions and activities fully and promptly to the trustees. It must not incur expenditure on behalf of the charity except in accordance with a budget previously agreed by the Trustees.

The Director and Head of Operations are budget holders and authorised signatories subject to specified transaction limits and the operational budget approved annually by the Board. The Chair or Treasurer may delegate additional authority, or be direct signatories, for extraordinary spend subject to executive authority conferred by agreement of Trustees at a quorate Board meeting.

A Scheme of Delegation document detailing the authority delegated to the Director and operational function was agreed in January 2021.

Management

Day to day leadership of the Foundation is the responsibility of the operational team. Unite Students staff contribute significantly in terms of professional support particularly in the fields of finance and legal. The perceived and actual independence of the charity from the commercial interest of its principal donor Unite Group, is the perennial responsibility of both the Operational team and Board.

Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest

Given the board consists of Trustees whom are also employees of Unite Students and other Trustees may have conflicts, conflicts of interest and conflicts of loyalty are proactively managed in order to maintain the credibility of the Foundation as a legally constituted and independent charitable trust.

The Unite Foundation. A registered charity in England + Wales 1147344 Scotland SC043324 February 2021

The following documents support this:

• Conflict of interest policy • Conflict of interest register • Trustee code of conduct

Officer and Trustee Resignation Policy

The Unite Foundation is governed by an unspecified number of Trustees. While the number of Trustees is unspecified, an individual must occupy the position of Chair and the Board my determine to appoint a Treasurer. These individuals are known as Officers.

Resignation of a Trustee

In the event that a Trustee wishes to resign, notice of at least one meeting (2 months) should be given in writing by Trustees wishing to resign their posts. Extenuating circumstances will be considered at the discretion of the Chair.

Resignation of an Officer

• Preference is for Officers to stand down at an Annual General Meeting or first ordinary meeting of the year and for their replacement to have been previously appointed, in order to ensure a smooth handover and to prevent the Foundation being in a position where a mandatory Officer is not in post. • The resigning Officer must stay in post, in name at least, until a replacement or compliant temporary solution has been found. • A transition meeting must be undertaken between the resigning Officer and the appointed replacement.

Management of exit

• Trustees should provide a verbal or written hand over of any projects they are currently working on, on behalf of the Foundation, to be submitted to the Board of Trustees during the notice period. • Trustees will return at the end of their term as a Trustee all confidential information held in connection with their role as Trustee on

The Unite Foundation. A registered charity in England + Wales 1147344 Scotland SC043324 February 2021

• Trustees will take part in an exit interview if they or the continuing Trustees request. The interview will be with individuals appointed by the continuing Trustees.

Compliance

On an annual basis, the Foundation will:

• Prepare a set of accounts using the accruals method and have them independently examined or audited during Q1 each year. • Provide an annual report detailing the main work of the Foundation over the past year within 10 months of each financial year end. • Hold an AGM • Provide an annual return to the Charity Commission within 10 months of each financial year end. • Formally record all meetings of the Trustees and notify the Charity Commission and other relevant bodies of any changes to the Board.

Finance

The Unite Foundation financial year is aligned, from October 2017 onwards, to an academic profile October to September.

The Unite Foundation. A registered charity in England + Wales 1147344 Scotland SC043324 February 2021