Widening Participation: an institutional view from King’s College London

Ian Creagh Head of Administration & College Secretary

Forum on HE & social inclusionMelbourne, 16 July

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King’s students: ethnicity King’s UG students’ ethnicity 2003, 2007 (%) (KCL data)

2003 2007Indian 17.1 16.8Pakistani, Chinese, Bangladeshi, other

16.2 17.2

Black 6.8 7.0White 51.5 49.6Mixed ethnicity 3.1 5.0Other 3.0 3.2Unknown 2.3 1.3Total 100.0 100.0

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King’s students: regional domicile

King’s 2007 UG intake via UCAS, regional domicile (per cent) (UCAS, 2007)

Inner London 12Outer London 26South East 16Eastern 8North 7Midlands 6South West 5Rest of UK 3Rest of world 18

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Financial snapshot 2006-07INCOME £m %Teaching/studentsFunding Council "T" grants 68.1UK/EU fees and education contracts 47.1Other international 22.7Total teaching/student income 137.9 34ResearchPGR UK/EU/other international Income 6.4Funding Council "R" grants 54.7Research grants and contracts 109.9Total research income 171.0 42OtherSpecific FC grants & dfrd cap. Grants 14.9Other income 75.4Endowment income & interest received 8.9Total other income 99.1 24

Total income 408.1 100EXPENDITUREStaff costs 251.3 62Depreciation 19.1 5Other operating expenses 125.6 31Interest payable 9.9 2

Total expenditure 405.9 100

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Location•Four Thames-

side Campuses•King’s Denmark

Hill Campus, south London

•Joint Services Command Staff College, Shrivenham

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King’s local socio-economic context Index of Multiple Deprivation (1=most deprived;

354=least deprived)London Boroughs of Southwark, Lambeth and

WestminsterLocal Authority

Rank of average score

Rank of extent Rank of local concentration

Southwark 17 13 83Lambeth 23 22 82Westminster 39 57 19Extent: measures the proportion of the population living in the most deprived areasConcentration: measures severity of multiple deprivation in each Local AuthorityLondon Development Agency, 2008

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WP: background mood musicCurrent policy context and sub-text substantially created by the 1997 Dearing Review“…the post-Robbins story has to be seen as a failed thrust towards mass higher education.” (AH Halsey, 1995, in Dearing)

The expansion of HE over the previous 40 years…. ”a cultural transformation within British society.” (T Edwards, 1997, in Dearing)

The expansion of HE…. “confirmed that there was far more talent in the country than we had guessed or were willing, out of class-and-culture meanness, to recognise.” (R Hoggart, 1996 in Dearing)

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WP: early policy choreography• A “New Labour” Government – back from the political

wilderness with a “modernising” social democratic agenda

• Workforce productivity/efficiency has become an important preoccupation of WP effectiveness, but

• Political rhetoric and policy motivations rooted in attacking the corrosive effects of social class inequality

• “Education must be a force for opportunity and social justice, not for the entrenchment of privilege…” (The Future of HE White paper, 2003)

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The ebb and flow of the WP debate. The Russell Group

Russell Group accused of elitism in terms of admissions of under-represented groups

We have revealed for the first time “….the extent of the imbalance in admissions not just to Oxbridge, but to our leading universities.” (The Sutton Trust, 2002)

“Quite honestly, if I'm an admissions tutor, and I have an Etonian sitting opposite me and he's charming, he's been well-taught, I'd say I'd love to have that guy. He's not going to give me any trouble for three years. Whereas if I've got this one with an earring from a comprehensive grunting away, I’d think: oh, my God.” (Peter Lampl, The Sutton Trust, Tuesday March 27, 2007, the Guardian)

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Number of institutions (%) that were…..Significantly above benchmark

Not significantly different to benchmark

Significantly below benchmark

All institutions 23 59 18Russell Group 0 50 50Post 1992 33 61 6Pre 1992 (excl RG)

26 35 39

Small or specialist

17 80 3

Lower SES participation: by institution type

National Audit Office, 2008

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Percentage state school entrants2002/03 to 2006/07

50%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

80%

2002

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2006

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KCL Imperial UCL LSE

Actual Location adjusted benchmarkSource: HESA Performance Indicators

WP KPI’s: King’s and other London RG institutions

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WP meaning & purpose, an institutional view from King’s • “In service of society…” Living the mission• Demonstrating commitment to local communities• Not standing apart from the society that helps

sustain us, and its problems• Partnering with other education providers,

employers and community organisations• Providing leadership where appropriate, but…• Focussing on student success….and not lowering

standards

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From policy to action: the breadth and depth of King’s WP activities• Taster days and visits• Summer schools• Mentoring• Masterclasses• Student Ambassador programmes• Access Bursaries• Partnerships: Aimhigher, Aspire and City Academy

partnerships• Alternative admissions to high demand programmes• LLL local cross-sectoral partnerships

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Flagship initiatives -- Aimhigher• Aimhigher Central London Partnerships• Aimhigher: involves the 4 Central London Boroughs

of Islington, Camden, Westminster, & Kensington and Chelsea; partner universities, schools and colleges

• Funds the “Focus” programme training student ambassadors to work in CLP schools and colleges

• Runs the thematic Health partnership “Advice Clinic”….19 HEIs involved in Health education and training

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Flagship initiatives – Aspire --in South East London • SE London Aspire – 5 universities, 80 secondary

schools, 6 local authorities; very early intervention• Runs taster days, homework classes, UCAS

application workshops, parents’ evenings, study skills workshops, masterclasses

• Programmes are delivered jointly and individually by partner institutions

• Aspiration raising in the most general sense; not just about coming to King’s

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Alternative admissions – Access to Medicine Programme • Encourages students from local boroughs to study

medicine, pursue bio-medical careers• Early awareness intervention in schools, work

experience placements in NHS trusts• Alternative entry – aptitude and attitude• Offers an extended programme – 6 years rather than

5• First students graduating. Over 200 students now

enrolled in the programme• Considering extension to Access to Law through a

Foundation year/programme

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Aspire Lifelong Learning Network

• Partnership of 4 Universities and 6 Further Education Colleges

• Employers, Learning and Skills Council, Local Authorities’ representatives and community organisations

• Focussed on development of credit and progression agreements, network-wide information and guidance, accreditation with employers, some curriculum development

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City Academies – Absolute Return for Kids/King’s Alliance • ARK – an education charity founded by a Hedge Fund of

the same name• Funding City Academies in deprived Boroughs, many of

which are founded on previously failing schools • King’s is its HE partner in a handful of schools,

including primary schools• King’s engaged in several ways: from assisting with

school governance through to full panoply of WP programmes

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Institutional cultural responsesAll points on the spectrum ranging from:

• Outstanding senior academic leadership and advocacy

• To theoretical support – especially if it is someone else’s problem

• To complaints that universities cannot be expected to compensate for failing secondary schools and other factors over which they have little control

• To genuine concerns about enabling students to succeed rather than fail, and to find a way forward

• To concerns about the costs and incentives/disincentives of WP activity

• To senior management commitment in most shcools

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  YearWP

grants FC grantsTotal

income

    £000s £000s £000s

Funding commences 1999/00 180

Additional funding for students with disabilities 2000/01 284

2001/02 291 103,361 318,815

2002/03 371 105,935 327,416Additional funding for improving retention (transfer from core T funding) 2003/04 1,365 112,316 348,527

Change in definitions of 'postcode premium' 2004/05 1,039 120,233 363,972

2005/06 1,054 127,824 387,951

Students with unknown qualifications assumed to be at low risk of non-completion 2006/07 811 137,747 408,168

2007/08 822

  2008/09 730    

King’s WP funding in context

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Perverse disincentives: tensions with league table measures• King’s medical school – largest in Europe and one of

the most popular • Have won 6 MRC centres – no parallel in other UK

institutions in recent times• Access to medicine programme – large and

successful, BUT• Alternative admissions lowers average entry tariff by

20 points

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League table tensions…..• Lower tariff scores associated with WP in other

subjects compensated by the value added measure, which relates entry scores to class of degree awarded

• Not possible for Medicine and Dentistry -- degrees not classified

• Problem exacerbated by increasing the weighting for entry scores from 17% to 25%; and value added + career prospects weighting with value redistributed over the other measures

• Has cost King’s at least an estimated 4 places in the medicine league table

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Top up fees and access bursaries• Like many institutions, King’s overestimated the amount

of fee income needed to cover bursary costs• Perceived complexity of arrangements was undoubtedly

a factor• Evidence that third party channels of communication

lacked sufficient knowledge• Evidence that eligible students did not apply – highlights

problems of accurate advice and encouragement to aspire to study at King’s and other RG institutions

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In conclusion and the future…..• Looks messy, feels messy but appears to be getting

traction• Genuinely rich partnerships developing between

institutions across sectors• Disincentives won’t disappear quickly particularly

as idiosyncratic league tables become pervasive• City academies offer interesting scope for

innovation• Access to Medicine style programmes…they work…

but are extraordinarily intensive…and costly• Access Bursaries may become more effective as

programme arrangements settle down