Impact Report
Annual Report
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Professor Tim Quine, DVC Education
“Success for All is all about building a diverse and inclusive educational environment in which everyone feels welcome and is enabled to realise their potential. Launched in 20/21, it is a significant programme of work involving staff, students and partners, to make ambitious progress to improve access to higher education, create an inclusive learning culture and an environment where all students have the best chance of success. This report reflects on our progress during an incredibly challenging year in which the Covid pandemic and other world events presented profound challenges across our communities. Thank you to all those involved and who continue to make a difference.”
01
Access
02
Student success
03
Financial support
04
Progression
05
Research and evaluation
06
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Professor Tim Quine, DVC Education
“Success for All Our Students is a fundamental focus, and driving ethos, of the University’s Education Strategy (2019-25) and our 2030 Strategy which launched in October 2021. It encapsulates our commitment to a diverse and inclusive educational environment in which everyone feels welcome and all are enabled to realise their potential and ambitions.
In 2020/21 we launched a new, significant programme of work and enhanced governance arrangements to deliver this commitment. This involves staff, students and partners working together to tackle the key challenges faced by our diverse students throughout their journeys at the University of Exeter, through access, transition, inclusion, attainment and progression. The Success for All programme seeks to ensure coherence in our work and drive to collectively achieve our ambitious goals of eliminating gaps in access, experience and outcomes for our students. The programme wraps around and complements our extensive work supporting our Access and Participation Plan, student wellbeing, and equality, diversity and inclusion.
This impact report summarises and reflects on excellent progress and inspiring practice during an incredibly challenging year, during which the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and other global events have presented profound challenges to our university community, and really emphasised the importance of Success for All. The report is a celebration and an opportunity to find out more about this great work, which we will continue into next academic year with key initiatives including the Transformative Education Framework.
The Success for All programme involves a huge number of dedicated colleagues cross the institution, participating in working groups, attending seminars and workshops, undertaking analysis and – of course – continuing to support our students to succeed. Huge thanks to everyone involved, and to colleagues across this institution for all you continue to do to support Success for All Our Students.”
Performance against targets
The University’s performance on access and participation is reported externally to the Office for Students, with targets which focus on the widest gaps in outcomes between different undergraduate home student groups in access to our courses, retention and degree outcomes.
In 2020/21 we met or exceeded all our targets to improve student access and made important strides in narrowing degree awarding gaps. Students faced enormous challenges during this year due to the Covid pandemic and despite significant mitigation, we saw gaps widen in continuation rates between students from low and high participation neighbourhoods and mature and young students despite high rates of student retention in comparison with the sector.
Overall, we can see sustained progress in increasing the diversity of our student body and improving student outcomes over the last three years, along with a steady increase in the proportion of our students from the state sector.
Performance against APP access targets 2020/21 and 2021/22 :
2018/19
Target: Ratio entrants POLAR4 Quintile 1&2 v Quintile 4&5
1:4.4 (16.1% v 70.1%)
Target: Ratio entrants POLAR4 Quintile 1 v Quintile 5 South West only
1:1.6 (11.6% v 18.7%)
Target: % Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) Quintile 1&2 and State school entrants
10.8%
Target: % Black and Minority Ethnic entrants (BAME)
10.7%
Target: % Mature entrants (age 21+)
6.1%
2019/20
Target: Ratio entrants POLAR4 Quintile 1&2 v Quintile 4&5
1:4.4 (16.7% v 68.9%)
Target: Ratio entrants POLAR4 Quintile 1 v Quintile 5 South West only
1:1.7 (11.5% v 19.4%)
Target: % Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) Quintile 1&2 and State school entrants
11.4%
Target: % Black and Minority Ethnic entrants (BAME)
12.0%
Target: % Mature entrants (age 21+)
7.5%
2020/21
Target: Ratio entrants POLAR4 Quintile 1&2 v Quintile 4&5
1:3.9 (1:4.5) (17.8% v 69.29%)
Target: Ratio entrants POLAR4 Quintile 1 v Quintile 5 South West only
1:1.4 (1:1.4) (12.0% v 17.3%)
Target: % Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) Quintile 1&2 and State school entrants
12.0% (11.5%)
Target: % Black and Minority Ethnic entrants (BAME)
11.3% (11.0%)
Target: % Mature entrants (age 21+)
7.7% (6.5%)
2021/22
Target: Ratio entrants POLAR4 Quintile 1&2 v Quintile 4&5
1:3.7 (1:4.2) (18.5% v 67.9%)
Target: Ratio entrants POLAR4 Quintile 1 v Quintile 5 South West only
1:1.8 (1:1.3) (11.1% v 19.9%)
Target: % Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) Quintile 1&2 and State school entrants
13.30% (11.75%)
Target: % Black and Minority Ethnic entrants (BAME)
13.4% (11.5%)
Target: % Mature entrants (age 21+)
5.7% (6.8%)
Performance against targets
The University’s performance on access and participation is reported externally to the Office for Students, with targets which focus on the widest gaps in outcomes between different undergraduate home student groups in access to our courses, retention and degree outcomes.
In 2020/21 we met or exceeded all our targets to improve student access and made important strides in narrowing degree awarding gaps. Students faced enormous challenges during this year due to the Covid pandemic and despite significant mitigation, we saw gaps widen in continuation rates between students from low and high participation neighbourhoods and mature and young students despite high rates of student retention in comparison with the sector.
Overall, we can see sustained progress in increasing the diversity of our student body and improving student outcomes over the last three years, along with a steady increase in the proportion of our students from the state sector.
Performance against APP access targets 2020/21 and 2021/22 .
A whole institution approach
The Success for All programme involves a university-wide collaboration between academic, professional services staff and students, working together to help students from all backgrounds to realise their potential.
More than 100 members of our community are involved in the various working groups which focus on improvements right across the student journey, from supporting pupils in schools, equipping young people with the skills and knowledge they need to enter higher education, to building an inclusive education community and supporting our graduates as they seek fulfilling careers.
Much of this work is driven by engagement with our students, sector good practice and research and involves staff, alumni and partners working together towards a common goal of removing the barriers which hinder social mobility.
Title?
Groups focusing on key areas of student journey
Access: (addressing access targets).
Transition and Induction: (addressing retention and success targets).
Inclusive Education: (addressing forwarding gaps).
Progression: (addressing graduate outcomes target).
Student or issue-focused groups
Mature Students.
Under-represented students.
Financial and funding support.
Diversity in postgraduate study.
International student experience.
College Groups
College of Humanities.
University of Exeter Business School.
College of Medicine and Health.
College of Social Sciences and International Studies.
College of Life and Environmental Sciences.
College of Engineering, Maths and Physical Sciences.
A whole institution approach
The Success for All programme involves a university-wide collaboration between academic, professional services staff and students, working together to help students from all backgrounds to realise their potential.
More than 100 members of our community are involved in the various working groups which focus on improvements right across the student journey, from supporting pupils in schools, equipping young people with the skills and knowledge they need to enter higher education, to building an inclusive education community and supporting our graduates as they seek fulfilling careers.
Much of this work is driven by engagement with our students, sector good practice and research and involves staff, alumni and partners working together towards a common goal of removing the barriers which hinder social mobility.
