Annex A - 2019-20 access and participation plan University of St Mark & St John (Plymouth Marjon University) 2019-20 access and participation plan Introduction This document covers how Plymouth Marjon University helps disadvantaged groups to access, succeed in and progress from higher education. For each of these areas, it covers an assessment of current performance, and then moves into our ambitions for these areas and the plans we will deliver in 2019-20. Forecast spend, targets and milestones for the five years up to 2022-23 are on the appended spreadsheets. Assessment of current performance Assessment in the area of Widening Access 1. Plymouth Marjon University (University of St Mark & St John) has championed equality of access to higher education throughout its 180-year history. Assessment of current performance in widening access, which draws on a range of statistical indicators and provider-level data, including the UCAS multiple equality measure (MEM), highlights the University’s on-going success in reducing gaps in participation among students from areas of low higher education progression and low socio-economic backgrounds, as well as mature and disabled students. Students from POLAR 3 neighbourhoods, low household income and/or low socio- economic status backgrounds 2. The University continues to perform well against HESA benchmark and location-adjusted benchmarks in attracting young full-time degree entrants from state schools, low participation neighbourhoods (i.e. POLAR3 quintile 1) and low socio-economic backgrounds. Taking 2011 as the baseline year of entry (i.e. the year prior to the introduction of fees at the higher rate of £9000 per annum) state sector admissions have risen by 1.0 percentage point to 97.7%. Admissions of students from low participation (POLAR3) neighbourhoods have exceeded benchmark and national measures throughout this period, although the University’s figure for full-time first degree entrants in 2017 was 1.3 percentage points lower than the baseline (18%) and 1.7 percentage points lower than the level in 2016 (18.4%) at 16.7%.1 Provider- level UCAS data for 18 year old applications by POLAR3 quintile reflects this trend. From 2011 to 2016, the offer rate among young applicants from POLAR3 quintile 1 (areas with the lowest young higher education participation) rose from 54.8% to 86.1%, an increase of 31.3 percentage points.2 In 2017, the offer rate for this learner group was 89.2%, a year on year increase of 3.1 percentage points.3 3. Index of Multiple Deprivation data, which measures relative deprivation for small areas in England by dividing neighbourhoods (lower-layer super output areas or LSOAs) into 10 equal groups (deciles) according to their deprivation rank, shows a steady rise in enrolments 1 HESA Performance Indicators 2016-17, Table T1a, https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/01-02-2018/widening-participation- tables 2 https://www.ucas.com/file/90786/download?token=oWA-Mf3p 3 https://www.ucas.com/file/145371/download?token=K-iO-JiD among students from decile 1 (the most deprived neighbourhoods in England). Between 2014 and 2017, this figure increased from 3.67% to 5.13%, a rise of 1.46 percentage points.4 Further, the MEM Group5:Group1 ratio of applicants per 10,000 population statistic, regarded by UCAS as the most useful means of assessing gaps in higher education representation, shows that when multiple dimensions of equality (in this case, sex, ethnic group and POLAR3 classification) are combined, the University achieves significantly lower ratio values for placed 18 year old applicants when compared to other lower tariff providers and all UK providers (i.e. the sector as a whole). For each of the last 5 years, students from MEM group 1, the cohort of English 18 year olds least likely to enter higher education, have been ‘more likely’ or ‘as likely’ to be placed for entry at the University than the most advantaged MEM group 5 students.5 4. While MEM trend data has proven valuable in assessing the University’s current access performance (for English 18 year olds) as a whole, Last Institution data calls attention to the recruitment impact of widening participation outreach activity undertaken at three local schools: Sir John Hunt Community Sports College6 and the University’s co-sponsored, Progression Agreement-holding schools, All Saints Academy7 and Plymouth Studio School.8 All three schools have Progress 8 scores classed as ‘well below average’, low levels of attainment among disadvantaged students at GCSE level, high levels of free school meal eligibility and are located in LSOAs classified among the lowest IMD deciles (1 or 2) in England. Admissions metrics show, that for the 2106-17 recruitment cycle, applications to the University increased in each of the three schools, markedly in the case of Sir John Hunt Community Sports College, where a fourfold increase (from 5 to 21 applications) was recorded.9 Mature students 5. National trend data highlights a steep decline in higher education participation among mature students. According to data sets published in the UCAS End of Cycle Report for 2017, for example, a proportional year on year decrease of 7.0 percentage points was recorded among students aged between 21 and 25. For applicants’ aged 26 and over, this proportional decrease was 9.8 percentage points.10 The University, however, continues to perform well against UK performance indicators for this learner group. Since 2011, the University has exceeded benchmark, location adjusted benchmark and the national average for mature students. HESA data for 2016 entry shows that the percentage of mature undergraduate entrants with no previous higher education participation and from low participation neighbourhoods increased by 3.9 percentage points from 9.9% to 13.8%, 4.2 percentage points higher than the benchmark (9.6%).11 4 Source: University Admissions data 5 UCAS data shows that in 2017, MEM Group5:Group1 ratio of placed applicants per 10,000 population for Plymouth Marjon University was 0.7, compared to 1.9 at lower tariff providers and 3.8 at all UK providers. See: 2017 MEM Analysis: P63 (UCAS). 6 https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/113533 7 https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/136142 8 https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/142116 9 Source: Provider-level Last Institution data 10 https://www.ucas.com/file/135631/download?token=jwJ7Dg4S 11 HESA Performance Indicators 2016-17, Table 2a, https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/01-02-2018/widening-participation- tables 6. Renewed emphasis on reaching adults with no prior experience of higher education, particularly those undertaking Access to Higher Education courses at the University’s Progression Agreement-holding college, City College Plymouth, is indicative of this trend. For example, admissions metrics for the 2016-17 reveal a step change of 68.2 percentage points in applications from 2015-16 to 2016-17 among students completing Access to Higher Education Diploma courses.12 Disabled students 7. The University remains successful in improving higher education participation rates among disabled learners. In fact, the number of students admitted to the University who claim Disability Students’ Allowances (DSAs) has significantly exceeded the HESA Performance Indicator benchmark for each of the last 6 years. Taking 2011 as the baseline year of entry, admissions of disabled students have risen by 5.5 percentage points (to 16.8% for 2016 entry). This figure exceeded the University’s benchmark (8.3%) by 8.5 percentage points.13 Provider level data shows that while the majority of disabled students register a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia, dyspraxia or ADHD, the proportion of students declaring a mental health condition has increased by 10.9 percentage points since 2014.14 Students of particular ethnicities 8. While UCAS data calls attention to the on-going under-representation of students belonging to the White ethnic group, application and intake measures show that the University continues to recruit almost entirely from this learner cohort.15 In spite of markedly high representation among White learners, the number of White 18 year old applicants and placed applicants, declined sharply between 2011 and 2017. Over the same period, however, the offer rate for 18 year old students of White ethnicity increased by 29.6 percentage points from 59.9% to 89.5%.16 9. High level and granular level data (i.e. where students are disaggregated into more detailed ethnic groups) highlights a significant disparity in representation among students from all other ethnicities. In fact, declines in applications were recorded across almost all ethnic categories between 2016 and 2017, with the steepest falls among students from Black Caribbean and Other Black ethnic origins. Admissions data reveals that students belonging to these ethnicities displayed the shared characteristic of age (i.e. were more likely to be classed as ‘young’ on enrolment) and were more likely to live in the lowest POLAR3 quintiles.17 UCAS data shows, however, that for four of the last six years, the offer rate for 18 year old students of Black ethnicity was 100%. For students of mixed ethnicity, the offer rate 12 Source: Provider-level Last Institution data 13 HESA Performance Indicators, 2016-17,Table T7, https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/01-02-2018/widening-participation- tables 14 Source: Provider–level Admissions data 15 In 2017, the White ethnic group had the lowest entry rate of all ethnic groups at 29.3%. See: https://www.ucas.com/file/140396/download?token=TC7eMH9W 16 https://www.ucas.com/file/90786/download?token=oWA-Mf3p 17 Source: HEP-level Admissions data has been 100% for each of the last four years. The offer rate for 18 year old students is higher, therefore, than for those students of White ethnicity.18 Care leavers 10.