University of Worcester - Levelling Up Impact Report by Social Mobility Pledge

1 Levelling Up Impact Report LEVELLING UP

The ability of a university to guide its graduates into rewarding, well-paid careers is, of course, critical. But other factors, such as being able to provide higher education to families that might never have previously experienced it, are also essential for universities to fulfill their potential as levelling up drivers.

Diversity of background, culture, circumstance and community, as represented by staff and students, ensures universities are able to provide a welcoming environment in which to forge the workplace skills of the future.

FOREWORD2ForewordRtHonJustineGreening

Founder of the Social Mobility Pledge and Former Secretary of State for Education

And increasingly, levelling up markers like social mobility, diversity and inclusion are being recognised as integral to success as a university.

The Levelling Up Goals were created to provide a benchmark against which to measure an organisation’s contribution to levelling up. They cover the 14 key areas of focus needed to bring about the change we need to create a level playing field in Britain – and a country in which opportunities are spread evenly across every region.

The University of Worcester is an institution that has deep rooted links into its local communities that benefit society in a number of ways. Its outreach into local schools raises aspirations, its works with local business upskills the local economy and The Hive library ensures that the communities it serves are given access to better facilities.

The days where universities were judged only on graduate outcome, without the context of how far the graduate has progressed to achieve that outcome, are thankfully behind us.

Now, many are fusing the take-away benefits of the digital transformation which occurred during the crisis, with the irreplaceable aspects of face-to-face learning.

For some, their ability to influence purposeful change today is far greater and wider reaching than pre-pandemic, with remote learning enabling wider access to the opportunities they create.

Universities, with their reach into local communities, their ability to develop talent towards opportunities and their role in generating inward investment, are hugely significant in the levelling up agenda.

This report sets out how the University of Worcester has put purpose at the forefront of its strategies and approaches, for the benefit of staff, students, the local communities it influences and the wider levelling up effort.

Universities have largely been in a state of flux during the last two years, as the pandemic enforced fundamental changes to the way they operated.

Many years of imaginative strategy, inspired by its founding mission ‘to win the peace through education’, has seen the University successfully combine inclusion, quality and student success with environmental sustainability, community cohesion and democracy to create a culture where students have the opportunity to make the most of their own rich potential.

The University has always sought to stay true to its fundamental democratic values, and, at a time when universities nationally have come under increasing scrutiny, and when democracy itself has been challenged in the UK, has shown that there is a different approach; one which combines expertise, commitment and passion.

This has been particularly important for students with an impairment – who are all too often made ‘downwardly mobile’ by societal indifference.

FOREWORD3

Professor David Green CBE DL Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Worcester

The University of Worcester is truly a ‘university of the people’, where values and consequent policy are determined by the people and are consistently and unswervingly for the people.

This explains why, in the inaugural Times Higher education University Impact Rankings 2019, Worcester was named number one in the UK for Quality Education, a measure based on the UN Sustainability Development Goal to ‘Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’.

The Journey to the Levelling Up Goals

JOURNEY4

highlight the main issues that need to be resolved in order to create a level playing field for all in this country. The Levelling Up Goals are intended to guide how the urgent ambition to level up the UK can actually be achieved. The impact of the work carried out to do this can, and should, be measurable.

In 2017, the SDGs were made more ‘actionable’ by a UN resolution adopted by the General Assembly which identified specific targets for each goal, along with indicators used to measure progress towards each target. These 17 interlinked, global goals were designed to be ‘a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all’. They marked a shift from the previously established Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000. In contrast to the MDGS, the SDGs were nationally-owned, country-led and targeted wealthy, developed nations as well as developing countries. The SDGs emphasised the interdependent environment, social and economic aspects of development by centralising the role of sustainability. As Secretary for State, Justine recognised how useful a common set of accessible but ambitious objectives could be in galvanising action to effect change. Since then the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated many of the problems relating to social inequality in the UK. The recovery is a chance for the United Kingdom to address these issues and level up but that requires updated and specific goals in order to outline, inspire and measure progress. The Purpose Coalition, of which the University of Worcester has been a key member, aims to improve social mobility in the UK and has responded to this challenge with the launch of their own Levelling Up Goals in February 2021. These new Goals build on the foundations laid by the UN’s SDGs by outlining 14 clear goals, and draw on expertise provided by academia and businesses which has been applied to the unique challenges facing the UK in levelling up. They focus on key life stages and In 2015, as Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening MP led the UK delegation to the United Nations (UN). Along with 184 international partners, she helped to establish the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Justine and the wider Purpose Coalition believe that with a common understanding and objectives, there can be action that drives change on the ground. Distinct entities, including universities, businesses, policy-makers, communities and NGOs, can work together, with the shared Goals being a uniting and motivating foundation for progress. As the problems which cause social inequality in the UK are interlinked, it seems that the response to these problems must also be collaborative. The Purpose Coalition has encouraged businesses, universities and public sector organisations to share their own best practice with others so they are not just demonstrating their own commitment, but creating a shift towards purpose-led organisations. The Goals can encourage an extension of this co-operative exchange of information which can be used to help level up Britain.

If Britain is to achieve levelling up, I believe that we need a galvanizing set of goals that an unite Parliament, business, communities, and civil society to work in partnership for the common good of our country.

Crucially, these Goals are a shared framework.

PostdestinationsPositive16+3 schoolSuccessfulyears2infoundationsStrongEarlyYears1 Right advice and experiences4 Fair progressioncareer6recruitmentOpen5 Good health and well-being8savingsaccessWideningto& credit 7 Closing the digital divide10enterpriseExtending9 Building homes & communitiessustainable12forInfrastructureopportunity11 Achieve equality, through diversity & inclusion 14transitiontheHarnessenergy13

JOURNEY5

Sub-goals with quantifiable targets and measurements against which progress can be charted within the 14 goals are being developed by the Purpose Coalition in partnership with universities across the UK. The University of Worcester is an integral part of that work and has now committed to go even further with its own Levelling Up Impact Report. Further metrics will create a more transparent and measurable framework with which to monitor and subsequently address problems of social mobility and inequality. The Levelling Up Goals are designed to look at the outcomes of CSR strategies and measures that organisations operate. Many organisations are doing outstanding work and making important contributions to society but are still measuring this via inputs – a measure that focuses on pounds, pennies and numbers rather than real impact on human lives.

Worcester is home to Europe’s first integrated university and public library, the Hive, and the UK’s first inclusive indoor sports hall purpose-designed for wheelchair athletes. The university also has one of the best records of graduate employment in the country.

The vast majority (94.6 per cent) of Worcester graduates are in work or further study 15 months after Communitygraduating.engagement, environmental sustainability and high-quality teaching, as measured in the national teaching excellence framework, are among the focus areas which shape its success.

The University of Worcester and the role of universities in levelling up and meeting the Levelling Up Goals

It was placed in the top three in the UK for Quality Education by the Times Higher Education’s (THE) University Impact Rankings in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Its success is built on a commitment to inclusivity, which is reflected in its tailored learning, practical support and the design of its facilities.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the university faced unprecedented challenges but managed to remain a COVID-19 ‘cold spot’, with no on-campus transmission. After the first 2020 lockdown, the university was able to deliver more than 58 per cent of teaching in person in the first semester of 2020/21. In June 2021, it held the first in-person graduation ceremonies in the UK that year, bringing together close to 5,000 graduates and guests, while simultaneously ensuring no transmission of COVID-19.

In all three years it was also the number one university in England for gender equality, and, in 2016, 2019 and 2020, was shortlisted as the THE’s University of the Year. Furthermore, in 2020, it won THE’s inaugural Education Award for Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

The University of Worcester has won numerous accolades for its work to combine high quality higher education with purpose.

In the government-backed longitudinal educational outcomes survey (2017 and 2020), Worcester ranked in the top 10 for sustained employment with or without further study, one, two and three years after graduation.

LEVELLING UP ROLE

In a 2020 National student survey, 85 per cent of Worcester final year students said they were satisfied overall, above the national average of 83.2 per cent; making it one of the top scoring in the Midlands for student satisfaction.

LEVELLING UP ROLE

The university aims to raise aspirations, through quality education. It is an “open, meritocratic institution that proactively seeks out people capable of benefiting from higher education”. It seeks to minimise barriers to participation and contribute to the expansion of higher education opportunities, locally, nationally and internationally. It is in the top 10 universities across the UK in terms of best reflecting society’s social economic class make-up, according to analysis by the Higher Education Policy ItInstitute.rankseighth out of 132 UK universities for ensuring that people from all backgrounds have the chance to study at Throughoutuniversity.the21st-century, a minimum of 97 per cent of the university’s students have been state educated. Worcester students begin their higher education with lower-than-average UCAS tariff points, yet graduates are in the top 10 English higher education institutes for employment one, three and five years after graduation. This report sets out how this is achieved, through a commitment to purpose and contributing to the levelling up agenda.

Worcester’s approach to the pandemic was driven by a commitment to maximising the opportunity for personal participation in teaching, learning and university life, while using the latest technology to benefit student learning and effective organisation. It also made a sustained contribution to the community, including by transferring its clinical and specialist health equipment to the emergency additional intensive care unit created at the Royal Worcester Hospital.

It ranks eighth out of 132 UK universities for ensuring that people from all backgrounds have the chance to study at university.

The pandemic has shaped the university’s strategy going forward, including by increasing the scale of its health professional education in response to growing wider need.

A CIVIC UNIVERSITY THE HIVE LIBRARY StudiesCase CASE STUDIES

“[The impact of the festival] is monumental on the children we teach. Many children have lost interest in reading and it is not promoted within the home setting, with many families not owning their own books. In addition, many lack relatable aspirations for the future and I feel that the Beeline Festival really opens their eyes to the opportunities that are available to them”.

The opportunity to participate in events and study at The Hive, Europe’s first integrated university and public library, is a day-to-day encouragement to active citizenship and learning.

Co-developed and led by Worcestershire County Council and the University, it is a hub for numerous community activities including, for example, award-winning dementia social centres and one of the country’s largest children’s storytelling festivals.

By opening the facilities in imaginative ways for the public benefit, the university encourages cohesion and contributes to our community becoming even safer, stronger and more engaged.

Worcester has reimagined the university in a city. The university has deliberately chosen to develop the estate inclusively, creating buildings that are conducive to co-operation and success.

“Beeline has made a great contribution to the literacy and culture of the West Midlands…The West Midlands is an area of high need, often overlooked in relation to its ‘big brother’ nearby, Birmingham. It has pockets of old industrial neglect, alongside rural areas and small pockets of relative prosperity. These gaps in status have consequent effects on attainment and life outcomes. Beeline Festival is a festival for all. It’s not a special perk or treat for those who already have good provision. By reaching all children, all schools, it gives out a powerful signal that this ‘culture stuff’ is for everyone. No one needs to be ‘left behind’ (as the US policy-makers called it). When on occasions ‘culture stuff’ has been met with some resistance or indifference, the great advantage of taking children’s literature right into the grass roots, to every child, Beeline is saying loud and clear: ‘This is for you. This for all of you. This includes everyone. Take it. Enjoy it. Have it. Keep it. Cherish it. You are entitled to it.’ There is no more important message to say”. (Professor Michael Rosen, author and Children’s Laureate 2007-2009)

(Teacher, St Clements Primary School, Worcester)

In 2020 the University was a finalist for the UK University of the Year for the second year running in the annual UK Social Mobility Awards. Reaching the shortlist of just six institutions is a most positive recognition of the innovative work done throughout the whole University.

The University of Worcester is an open, meritocratic institution that proactively seeks out people capable of benefiting from higher education, minimises barriers to their participation and contributes to the expansion of higher education opportunities, locally, nationally and internationally. It has a long-held commitment to welcome, support, and engage students with a broad range of backgrounds.

OVERCOMING BARRIERS to the government-published Longitudinal Educational Outcomes survey in both 2017 and 2020.

The University of Worcester has consistently sought to develop initiatives to support potential students from areas of greater social deprivation, mature learners, those from BAME communities and students with a disability. In 2019 this included the introduction of ‘Open Day Roadshows’, delivered at Dudley, Hereford, Sandwell and Wolverhampton Colleges, all areas among some of the most deprived in the Government’s Index of Multiple Deprivation, and one of the most diverse areas in the West Midlands Region. As a result, the University saw a combined increase of 18% in applications from students attending those colleges. Applications from students at Wolverhampton College rose a remarkable 71% the year after the introduction of its first Roadshow.

CASE STUDIES

The University of Worcester is in the top 10 of universities across the UK to best reflect society in terms of socio-economic class, according to analysis by the Higher Education Policy Institute, an independent higher education think tank. The University of Worcester is eighth out of 132 UK universities for ensuring that people from all backgrounds have the chance to study at Throughoutuniversity.the21st Century, a minimum of 97% of the University’s students have been state educated. Worcester students begin their higher education with lower than national average UCAS tariff points, yet graduates are in the top 10 English HEIs for employment one, three and five years after graduation, according

The Learning Institute (TLI), a private training provider in the South West, helps mature, female students who want and/or need to study part-time in a rural, coastal and isolated area to do so, through sustainable, locally-based Foundation Degrees and associated ‘top-up’ honours degrees.

The completion, retention, achievement and student satisfaction scores of the courses are well above sector norms. In 2017-18, 260 women were registered as students on the Foundation Degree in Teaching and Learning. The retention rate was 90% and the achievement rate was 88%. Polar Data derived from the Office for Students reveals that 58% were from low HE participation households (1st and 2nd quintiles), compelling evidence that the model and the courses developed through it are making a dramatic impact on access and outreach for hard to reach students.

CASE STUDIES

The University also introduced a free rail and reduced bus fare travel scheme, recognising that the cost of attending open days can be a barrier to some. 798 potential students registered between September and December 2019, travelling to Worcester from a wide range of destinations. Participants were surveyed and 50% of respondents said the offer had made them more likely to come to the Open Day, with many indicating that they would not have been able to attend without the support. For many years the University of Worcester has consistently sought to reach out to communities and individuals who in previous generations would not have had the opportunity to benefit from higher education, working with Colleges and high quality educational organisations to provide programmes in many parts of the UK in such vital but neglected areas as Child and Adolescent Mental Health; Learning Support, Early Years and Parent Worcester’sEducation.workwith

Much of the University’s work with those colleges has been around its Health and Social Care courses and the opportunity to train as a nurse, midwife, paramedic or other health professional – all areas which are great agents of social mobility. In addition to the college roadshows, the University held six mini-roadshows at local shopping centres, targeted at mature learners who might otherwise find it difficult to attend an Open Day due to work or family commitments.

The courses overcome traditional barriers to HE by flexible timetabling of classes, basing teaching in accessible locations, such as community centres, and extensive tutorial and student support.

In 2004, Worcester was one of the first universities to appoint specialist Mental Health Advisors, who now work alongside the University’s BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy)-accredited Counselling Service. It is now one of only a small number of universities with an identified suicide prevention strategy, bringing together the perspectives and expertise of staff from across the University, as well as external partners including Worcestershire County Council, Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, Samaritans and Community First. The University is working with other universities and national charities to support similar developments at other universities.

In January 2019, the Universities Minister, Chris Skidmore, called for more institutions to follow the lead of Worcester in supporting students with disabilities.

Writing in The Guardian, he said: “Universities like Brunel and Worcester have long been leading the way in improving the disabled student experience, by enhancing support services available to them and designing facilities with accessibility in mind. I want institutions like these to no longer be the exception, but the norm.”

The University of Worcester has also been pioneering multi-agency approaches to student mental health and suicide prevention for several years and in 2018 was shortlisted for the Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding Support for Students in recognition of its work in this area.

Benjamin Borastero, University of Worcester student 2016-2019

The University of Worcester has been attracting increasing numbers of students with a disability in recent years. The University typically educates around 40% more students with a disability than the national average, with 10% of full time undergraduates in 2017/18 in receipt of Disabled Students’ Allowance (Higher Education Statistics Agency). The University has invested heavily in facilities and support for students with a disability. In 2017/18 the University’s Disability and Dyslexia Service introduced a number of new initiatives aimed at ensuring every student with a disability joining the University has the maximum opportunity to get all the information, advice and support they need to ensure a smooth and successful transition into university life. These included online programmes, more face-to-face appointments and specific summer schools for those with additional needs to prepare them for life at “Worcesteruniversity.know they are going to have disabled students and that people are going to have needs so everything is prepared before the student even gets to the University. Other universities tend to do it as the student shows up, then they work on their needs.”

CASE STUDIES

ACCESSIBILITY AT ITS CORE

Assessment of the University of Worcester in the context of the Levelling Up Goals

ASSESSMENT

Many organisations have strong commitments to traditional Corporate Social Responsibility and the ESG agenda. This section of this report will map several of the University of Worcester’s specific initiatives against the Levelling Up Goals, to track where progress is being made and where efforts could be redirected or better targeted.

Through kinship carer projects, in partnership with Kinship Carers UK, it works with carers and children to understand their needs. As a result of this work, a briefing report on research involving kinship families was produced for the Cross-party Parliamentary Taskforce on Kinship Care. University representatives and children in kinship care attended the Houses of Parliament to present their findings. The university continues to work with Kinship Carers UK via activity sessions aimed at raising aspirations among the children.

It is important to note that it would be difficult for any one organisation to work effectively toward every single one of the Levelling Up Goals. As more organisations adopt the goals, it could be more efficient for individual organisations to focus on particular areas where they can make a real impact, rather than making a superficial impact across many goals.

The university also co-runs the Smethwick Language Enrichment Project, in collaboration with nurseries in Smethwick. The project helps parents to support their children’s language development, with research suggesting that even by the age of two, children in low income families may already be six months behind their peers in language development.

The university’s early childhood BA Honours course has been endorsed by the Social Pedagogy Professional Association (SPPA). The SPPA works to improve the support of children, young people and adults who live in disadvantaged circumstances or are vulnerable. The ‘early childhood in society’ course empowers students to support children and families within this aim through the achievement of the SPPA standards.

The university evaluated these services and, in each case, produced a report of recommendations which were implemented in full. Ongoing work in this area includes a ‘longitudinal valuation’ focusing on how well the implemented changes to disability services are working.

The university also supports children in kinship care – those raised by a relative other than their parents.

ASSESSMENT

Has the organisation helped to close the early years development gap by delivering the best possible start for every child? schoolSuccessfulyears2 Goal 1: Strong Foundations in Early Years infoundationsStrongEarlyYears1

The University of Worcester works extensively to support children in getting the best possible start in life. A dominant theme within this area of focus is Itscollaboration.earlyyears networking hubs bring together local early years leaders and practitioners throughout Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, providing a platform for knowledge exchange and discussion of key priorities within early years. Through the hubs, the university has involved practitioners in research projects, sharing summaries of research in relevant areas. The hubs are also used to provide training to individuals who mentor students in placements and promote the university’s continuing professional development (CPD) offer.

It is a statutory service which exists to support and challenge all those involved in the education of children in care. It works primarily with school-age children and uses personal educational plans as a vehicle for raising standards and improving educational outcomes. It also supports post-16 learning and early years and has a network of staff supporting colleagues and agencies in these areas. It works closely with professionals in both education and social care settings.

A university representative also sits on the governing body of Worcestershire Children First’s virtual school, which aims to promote high aspirations for children in care, or those previously looked after; ensuring all pupils are given the opportunity to succeed and develop to their full potential. The virtual school is not a teaching tool or online learning environment and does not replace school or educational provision for looked after children.

Other early years work led by the university includes consultancy projects, including with Blaenau Gwent County Council in evaluating its supporting change service aimed at preventing children from entering care; and its ‘safe reduction of looked after children’ strategy and disability service for children and young people.

The School of Education also runs summer schools, enabling children to learn new skills and develop their knowledge. Recent examples include its STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) summer school, which aimed to raise the aspirations of young people in those subjects.

The university’s work in driving successful school years spans partnerships, sponsorships, outreach work and extracurricular activities. 2 Goal 2: Successful school years

The Office for Students’ Uni Connect programme (UCP) works with Aim Higher West Midlands and other partner universities and colleges within the West Midlands to deliver support for disadvantaged young people. Via an intensive mentoring programme, UCP students support the development of soft skills, including confidence, goal setting and transitioning to education.

A busy programme of online events also takes place via the initiative. These include Student Fest and careers fairs, giving pupils an opportunity to access support to help them transition to college or university and to better understand how education can impact their career choices.

Via funding for MyTutor sessions, UCP students also support English and maths development among disadvantaged young people.

GO GREEN WEEK PGCE geography trainees contribute to the university’s Go Green Week by designing and delivering UN sustainable development goals-based activities for visiting primary pupils. Up to 200 primary pupils attend workshops featuring practical activities to build nature connectedness and sustainability knowledge, and to support wellbeing.

schoolSuccessfulyears

The Next Steps programme, run by UCP, is aimed at year 11 students who are transitioning into further education. It focuses on raising awareness in several key areas including exploring options after GCSEs, understanding further education levels, the application process, skills for the future and the experiences of other further education learners.

The UCP also supports the funding of travel for taster days and campus visits, UCAS fares and other higher education-related events.

The University of Worcester also plays a significant role in influencing successful school years via its School of Education. Its primary partnership works with approximately 500 institutions across early years, foundation stage and key stages one and two. Its secondary and further education partnership works with 50 to 60 partner schools and colleges, including academies, high schools, teaching alliances, further education colleges, independent schools, special schools and pupil referral units University staff also have roles such as governors or trustees, which also enable the organisation to strategically work with school leaders.

The university also has successful relationships with school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) providers. These include a multi-academy trust and the Somerset SCITT, which delivers the university’s primary PGCE course.

Other UCP activities include social media and online videos promoting successful school years and transition to further and higher education, workshops and assemblies for target schools and the Uni Fest summer school, which gives young people further opportunities to develop their skills and support their progress in education.

ASSESSMENT

4.2.1 Office for Students programme 4.2.2 School of Education 4.2.3 Other activities which support successful school years

Has the organisation helped to allow every child to successfully achieve their potential in attainment and development?

Within Herefordshire and Worcestershire, it works with a range of local volunteer organisations that use STEM Ambassadors to enhance their impact. They include: Innovate Malvern Social Enterprise Three Counties Agricultural Society Charity Canal and River Trust Charity Severn Rivers Trust Severn Valley Railway Forge Mill Museum, Redditch

ASSESSMENT

STEM AMBASSADOR HUB

COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS

In addition, it works with the regional local enterprise partnerships, libraries and museums, local government agencies and other organisations wishing to enhance and strengthen their offer to schools.

EDUCATORS CLIMATE ASSEMBLY

TEACHER IN DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION

The School of Education manages the West Midlands STEM Ambassador Hub contract on behalf of STEM Learning; the largest provider of STEM education and careers support to schools, colleges and other groups working with young people across the UK. The overriding aim is to support the development of a world-leading STEM education for all young people in the UK. It does this by mobilising the talent and passion of diverse STEM Ambassador volunteers. They inspire the next generation by promoting an interest and curiosity in STEM and showcasing the incredible range of STEM careers that exist.

It also works with a range of voluntary professional organisations which promote STEM in education. They include Engineering UK, Learn by Design, the Academy of Engineering, RSC, Science Association, Raspberry Pi, Primary Science Teaching Trust, Millennium Point Charity, Brightside, One Million Mentors and the British Interplanetary Society.

The university partners with Beacons Development Education Centre to run an annual community conference. It also works with the organisation to promote and share global learning and development education materials and resources with placement schools. These include ‘cultural education boxes’ and ‘story sacks’ which were loaned out to schools during the pandemic.

FLOOD EDUCATION INITIATIVE

The university’s Ubuntu project, culminating in the creation of The Elephant Times publication, enabled staff, students and alumni to work collaboratively to explore their post-COVID visions for education and to develop their writing and provide an opportunity to publish with the support and development of expert researchers.

This Green Impact award winning project (NUS Gold Award and Innovative Engagement) aims to engage educators in climate emergency dialogue and knowledge exchange with local experts from different sectors impacted by climate change. Attending teachers have been impacted by their participation and are taking steps to embed sustainability in their own schools.

SPICE PROJECT Through the Summer Programme for Immersion in Communicative English (SPICE), the university trains interns in Hong Kong to work with disadvantaged primary school children in the city to support their English language and communication.

MOVE THE WORLD GREEN IMPACT PROJECT

This award-winning project (NUS Platinum Award) aims to increase fitness, reduce obesity and build knowledge about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. It has been shared with trainee teachers across Europe, via the KPZ Teacher in Europe Conference, and will be trialled by their attendees in future.

This enables the development and delivery of flood safety activities for primary pupils. To date, workshops have been delivered to eight schools.

Schools can register for free and then request STEM Ambassador face to face visits or virtual encounters. The hub can also provide free advice, guidance, and resources for all teachers in all phases of Theeducation.hubworks in 10 local authority areas which collectively have 1,241 primary schools, 274 secondary schools and 32 further education institutions and 10 higher education universities and colleges.

PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ADVANCED MATHEMATICS SUPPORT PROGRAMME (AMSP)

AMSP is a government-funded organisation aiming to increase participation in STEM careers and qualifications. It provides free resources for teachers and students for key stages 4 and 5, and online tuition for further mathematics A level, where centres are not able to deliver this in-house.

This is a charity aimed at promoting the teaching and learning of physics. Its mission is to increase the uptake of post-16 physics by supporting physics education and engagement for all young people from primary age to undergraduate studies and particularly those in underrepresented groups.

THE OGDEN TRUST

SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS AND LEADERSHIP COACHING

The university works with local authorities to ensure that case studies from the National Award for SEN Co-ordination (NASENCo) are shared with trainee teachers to illustrate how systemic approaches to inclusion can be realised. Case studies are shared by university graduates across the whole local authority area through SENCO networks. They feature insights from early years as well as primary and secondary settings.

There is also a wide range of professional development, from single sessions to extended online packages and subject knowledge and pedagogy courses spanning a year. Student sessions with embedded careers education include activities that fit within a lesson, up to one-day extension or revision events, and sessions to develop higher level skills.

Enhance teachers’ confidence in the planning, delivery and assessment of primary science. Support teachers of physics, particularly for those without a subject specialism and those teaching in state schools in remote rural areas, or areas of social deprivation.Consider the wider learning environment, including support for technicians and teaching assistants, and investment in physics learning spaces and resources. Enrich the curriculum through family engagement, and networking with local employers to provide a range of broader physics experiences for pupils.

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (SEN) FOCUS

The University of Worcester’s ‘school effectiveness’ team provides a range of programmes aimed at securing strong, sustainable educational leadership in schools, colleges and across multi-academy trusts. The team’s expertise is centred around five key areas of leadership: Collaborative leadership between groups of schools focusing on improving pupil outcomes. Peer-to-peer improvement between schools and multi-academy trusts. Team leadership coaching between senior leaders. Individual leadership coaching including 360-degree reviews and appraisals of education leaders/CEOs of multi-academy trusts. Assessment and moderation of National Professional Qualifications for education leaders. Most of the work undertaken focuses on developing systems leadership through the growth of effective collaborations and collegial problem solving in areas where pupil outcomes are below expectations.

GLOW MATHS HUBS

The university works with the trust to develop and support its school partnerships programme in Herefordshire and Worcestershire. It liaises with lead teachers within the partnership schools to: Increase the number of students taking physics at GSCE, A-level and at university, particularly for underprivileged and under-represented students. Raise the profile of science in the primary curriculum, with the emphasis on physical processes.

The University of Worcester holds the AMSP West Midlands Area contract for Herefordshire and Worcestershire, making support available to develop mathematics provision in local schools. Local professional development for teachers, and events for local school students, are among its activities.

Members of the university’s primary department maths team collaborate with other mathematics specialists to offer regional training, education, and support in mathematics to schools. These hubs serve to raise standards in mathematics education and to bring innovation and excellence in the teaching of mathematics.

ASSESSMENT

This enables school improvement that builds capacity within school-to-school networks in a climate of mutual challenge and support to champion the best practice and secure excellent achievement for all pupils.

The School of Education provides continuing professional development (CPD) support to schools, including via subject leader forums and network meetings in English, Maths and SEND.

CPD AND KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE

THE HIVE This public and university library is an epicentre of community engagement, including schools. Highlight achievements include: Strong partnerships forged with several local schools. In 2019, the last year the university was able to offer school visits to the Hive, it welcomed 4,935 children purely through library visits. Outreach to schools – in 2019 it impacted 8,969 children in this way. Its ‘Study Happy’ initiative, which has enabled the promotion of health and wellbeing to school pupils as well as students.In2019,it engaged 140 students in extracurricular activities around health and wellbeing.

ASSESSMENT

Through the deployment of university employees who are highly skilled in facilitation and coaching, schools follow a programme informed by the latest academic research, aimed at creating self-sufficiency between networks of schools.

Does the organisation support young people and adults to have the choice of a high-quality route in education, employment, or training?

This includes outreach work aimed at widening access and encouraging applications from individuals of all backgrounds and circumstances. Within this, the university employs virtual taster sessions, open days and talks targeted at schools and colleges.

PostdestinationsPositive16+3

The University of Worcester is also creating positive post16+ futures via its apprenticeship programmes, including its nursing associate course. In 2019/20, 39 apprentices completed the course.

The scheme helps individuals from backgrounds that are generally less likely to attend university, to access higher education. It operates across all relevant courses and is carefully evaluated on an ongoing basis. Contextualised admissions

ASSESSMENT

Feedback from nursing associates and teachers, cited by the university, suggests the course is enabling individuals to overcome economic and social barriers to secure entry into the nursing profession. The university also has a further education partner network which enables it to work closely with further education providers such as Walsall College; which runs a chartered management degree apprenticeship. The university also works with Dudley College of Technology, helping to develop the higher education offer in the Dudley area, liaising also with Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and community groups. While this relationship is in its early stages, it is expected that opportunities in health and social care and around allied health degree apprenticeships will develop from it.

Goal 3: Positive destinations post 16+

4.3.1 4.3.2ApprenticesFurthereducation partnerships 4.3.3

The University of Worcester’s contribution towards goal three is evident across a broad spectrum of activities and approaches.

Also influential in post 16+ opportunities, is the university’s contextual offer scheme. This enables the organisation to ensure that it is selecting students who are capable of succeeding on their chosen course, without overlooking the disproportionate barriers some may have faced in achieving their grades.

4.4.1 Employability

Goal 4: Right advice and experiences

There are various policies and practices supporting open recruitment at the University of Worcester.

Are careers and professions open to people of all backgrounds through transparent, accessible, and open recruitment practices?

Students can also take advantage of careers appointments, workshops and events delivered face-to-face and online, with evening sessions available for those with work and other commitments.

The university uses anonymised application forms for shortlisting Applicationsvacancies.aremonitored closely and when someone with a protected characteristic is shortlisted this is flagged with the recruitment manager.

Right advice and experiences4

Does the organisation provide access to the right advice and experiences at the right time to unlock opportunity through a person’s life?

The Worcester Award is an extracurricular employability award designed to encourage students to take part in a range of activities, reflect on them and present themselves professionally to employers.

The progress and impact of the university’s advice and experiences work is measured through career registration data and graduate outcomes.

Staff involved in the recruitment process are given the correct training to ensure that they are aware of best practice in terms of inclusivity, as well as legal Therequirements.University of Worcester recruits apprentices from a wide section of the community and uses its Apprenticeship Levy to upskill current members of staff.

The university also runs a careers and employability service. My Career includes career planning and key resources such as a CV builder and interactive tools to help with confidence building and application skills.

All vacancies are advertised online, ensuring that they are visible to all sections of the community. All job descriptions include a specific commitment around equality and diversity.

Bright Networks is a partnership organisation of the university which has enabled it to open up virtual insight opportunities with companies in locations such as London, which are not readily accessible to many students.

Goal 5: Open recruitment recruitmentOpen5

Measures and activities supporting goal four include peer mentoring, careers advice talks and workshops, student services support and personal academic tutoring.

ASSESSMENT

Goal 7: Widening access to savings and credit savingsaccessWideningto&

Signposting is provided to student bank accounts with no interest on pre-arranged overdrafts, while promotions on debt avoidance and managing money are also delivered. Students with significant debt are also guided to free debt management organisations which can help in prioritising debts and arranging affordable payment plans with creditors.

4.7.1 Financial support for students

ASSESSMENT

credit 7

The university’s hardship fund, administered by the Money Advice Service, offers non-refundable financial support to students struggling to make ends meet; helping to create a financial level playing field. It can cover unexpected financial expenses, for example a car repair for a nursing student needing o travel to a placement. It also helps students with ongoing extra expenses, such as higher-than-average mileage to reach university or costs associated with being a single parent. It enables the university to remove barriers to career and educational progress for vulnerable groups such as people from low-income families, care leavers and students with limited access to paid work because of Thedisability.servicealso boosts financial literacy via advice on accessing student finance, budgeting, managing debt, welfare benefits and expanding income.

Does the organisation offer opportunities for career advancement for all based on ability and potential, not connections?

The university trains mentors to support people new to the organisation, as well as those returning from periods of absence. Many mentors develop further in their careers as a result of their involvement in mentoring activities.

Does the organisation help widen access to responsible credit and close the savings gap?

Furthermore, a programme of staff development activities is open to all employees, including via virtual sessions during the pandemic. This has enabled staff who are carers, and/or those with health conditions, to continue to access this provision while working from home. Topics covered in staff development workshops include those relevant for existing and aspiring managers and leaders.

Goal 6: Fair career progression Fair progressioncareer6

The University of Worcester recognises that finances can be a serious barrier to some in pursuing higher education.

The university also works to encourage employees to support others within the organisation, including through a project with mental health charity Charlie Waller Trust, which helps to develop advice and training for staff in supporting others in distress.

Does the organisation improve mental and physical health at all ages to boost overall well-being to allow people to fulfil their potential?

Via its occupational health services partner People Asset Management (PAM), the university provides an employee assistance programme called PAM Assist. This is a free and confidential support service available 24/7 to all members of staff. It provides advice and support on any of life’s challenges, including in areas such as money management, personal and work life problems and retirement issues.

It has also collaborated with suicide prevention charity Papyrus, as part of a multi-agency project to consider how to be a suicide safer campus. Staff development sessions on suicide awareness have also been provided. Having met the criteria for a regional wellbeing charter, the university is now working towards a higher level of accreditation. Other health and wellbeing measures include subsidised gym memberships for internal facilities, the promotion of walking routes around the campus and participation in regional strategy groups for autism and safeguarding.

Partnerships and collaborative working are integral to the university’s health and wellbeing approach.

ASSESSMENT

Telephone advice and counselling, and up to six sessions of face-to-face counselling, are provided.

Goal 8: Good health and wellbeing Good health and well-being8

Trained mental health advisers among the university’s team form part of an active staff mental health network which provides peer support and campaigning for mental Furthermore,health.its staff development programme includes a wellbeing strand with staff given training on various themes.

Internally, the university’s staff development policy enables staff to study for degree level qualifications internally at no cost, and at reduced fee levels for other types of qualifications internally and externally. It also offers financial and legal advice clinics for carers as part of the staff development programme. It has also provided pensions advice clinics for several years.

4.7.2 Support for staff

Annually, it also delivers 12 work experience placements, working with Heart of Worcestershire (HoW) College to provide traineeships to its students. The facility is also home to a university IT team made up of students of the university, employed to deliver support to the entire wide-ranging customer base.

A business start-up fair open to all students and the wider community, delivered in partnership with WCC.

Support for grant applications is also provided Provision of four modules to support entrepreneurship. Students are encouraged to work with entrepreneurs and involve them in events such as Global Entrepreneurship Week.

A partnership with Worcester City Council (WCC) to provide a business and intellectual property centre at the Hive (Worcester’s public and university library), giving students and members of the community access to start-up support and grants in the county.

ASSESSMENT

The university provides ERDF and university-funded courses to current and alumni students featuring 12 hours of support on starting a business. Courses are also promoted externally to local schools and further education colleges. Since the scheme started in 2016, it has supported 150+ individuals.

Worcester Business School is recognised as a centre of excellence by the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs (IOEE). Goal 9: Extending Enterprise enterpriseExtending9

An annual pitching competition held annually in partnership with WCC, for students and the wider community. Sponsored prizes are provided for the best business idea and best start-up.

4.9.1 Support to start a business 4.9.2 The Hive

Does the organisation work to extend private enterprise and entrepreneurship to all people and communities?

A weekly drop-in ‘business ideas clinic’ for students to discuss new business ideas, online or in person at the university’s careers centre.

Opportunity for business school students to undertake a structured 12-month enterprise placement, rather than an industrial placement, to work on a business plan.

The Hive also provides free and impartial business advice to people who want to start their own business. It hosts jobs fairs and engages with the governmentbacked Kickstart scheme which subsidises paid opportunities for young people out of work.

Closing the digital divide

It also offers remote access to computers on site so students can access software that they may not have on their own machines. Students can also book a PC on site so they can be sure they can access one when they need to.

It also has robust policies around the use of technology, Through the Hive, the university contributes to closing the digital divide beyond its own campuses.

Its ‘Connecting Bubbles’ initiative was launched during the pandemic to enable residents to meet safely online with like-minded people and have fun, initially during lockdowns. Shared topics of interest include board games, poetry, art, photography and children’s books.

ASSESSMENT

4.10.1 Closing the digital divide for students 4.10.2 Closing the digital divide in the community including on file sharing and video calls, to ensure cyber security and safe use of data.

10 Is the organisation working to close the digital divide in technology access, skills, opportunities, and infrastructure?

The university is also working to address digital poverty by engaging with charities to enable PCs and laptops which are no longer required, to be reused by members of the local community.

The university has formally adopted the Jisc Digital Capabilities Framework to inform work on digital skills.

Ensuring access to adequate IT equipment is critical in closing the digital divide. The University of Worcester does this through schemes enabling staff and students to borrow laptops and other equipment from its IT services department. Goal 10: Closing the digital divide

The university’s ‘Learning and Teaching Strategy’, supported by a teaching excellence programme (TEL), aims to develop the digital capability of both staff and students and ensure they are embedded within the curriculum. ‘Digital citizenship’ – or ‘having high degrees of digital capability’ – is also named among five key target graduate attributes.

The university is focused on digital accessibility, in line with Public Sector Web Accessibility Regulations. It works to continually improve the ease at which staff and students can access and best utilise the technology they need. It uses Eduroam (educational roaming), which enables students, researchers, and staff from participating institutions to obtain internet connectivity across campus and when visiting other participating institutions.

The TEL unit provides support and guidance on the use of learning technologies, delivering a range of staff development sessions and student self-help resources on the use of digital learning and teaching technologies.

The university’s library and TEL unit also recently conducted a ‘study skills self-audit’ which included focus on digital skills.

Jisc is a not-for-profit organisation which provides network, IT and digital access in higher education.

It also supports the Digital Lifeline initiative, an “emergency response project getting devices, data and digital skills support to digitally excluded people with learning disabilities in England”.

The IT services team also works to improve digital literacy, including through the provision of guidance and internal courses on Microsoft 365 and information and cyber security. All staff have access to LinkedIn Learning, a comprehensive resource for digital skills. Staff are required to complete online training on GDPR and information security to ensure awareness of the cyber risks and data security legislation.

The university also worked on the Devicesdotnow project (now known as Everyone Connected). Via lottery funding it was able to identify people with no internet or device, including those with low income and/or living with disabilities. They were provided with a device with preloaded internet, and offered digital, one-to-one advice to show them how to use the device.

Goal 12: Building homes and sustainable communities

Is the organisation developing the physical infrastructure that connects people and places to opportunity? The university provides a free rail and reduced bus fare travel scheme for open days.

Building homes & communitiessustainable12

Sustainability approaches at the University of Worcester are both staff and student led.

ASSESSMENT

Through the Hive, the university contributes to closing the digital divide beyond its own campuses.

Details of any taxi driver who behaves in a manner that gives cause for concern are given to the licensing authority.

Energize Worcester is a project to help students save money by reducing their household energy bills, while simultaneously protecting the environment. As well as providing advice and guidance to students, it also engages with student landlords to help them better support sustainability.

The Hive also provides daily bookable appointments with ‘digital champions’ who can assist customers who need additional help; including in accessing local authority services such as blue badges and bus passes. It also supports the Digital Lifeline initiative, an “emergency response project getting devices, data and digital skills support to digitally excluded people with learning disabilities in England”. The university also worked on the Devicesdotnow project (now known as Everyone Connected). Via lottery funding it was able to identify people with no internet or device, including those with low income and/or living with disabilities. They were provided with a device with pre-loaded internet, and offered digital, one-to-one advice to show them how to use the device.

4.12.1 Sustainable travel 4.12.2 Ensuring safety

At the university’s Severn Campus, plans are underway to install 100 electric vehicle charging points and develop a “wellbeing route” for cyclists and walkers which takes in a sensory garden and landscaped areas. In terms of ensuring safety on its sites, measures include: Safety education workshops for students. Improvement of existing streetlights to aid natural surveillance along paths. CCTV cameras installed to areas that are more vulnerable to crime. Taxi marshalls with a responsibility to understand local taxi tariffs, to provide advice to the general public and ensure that lone females, vulnerable persons or persons accompanied by children are adequately supervised.

Goal 11: Infrastructure for opportunity forInfrastructureopportunity11

Is the organisation helping people live in quality, affordable homes so people can live in safe and sustainable communities?

The Woo Bikes initiative, meanwhile, is an electric bike share scheme that enables students to get to and from campus more sustainably. Bus transport, which is more sustainable than car usage, is also encouraged, including via a pilot night bus scheme that reduces the need for taxi journeys.

4.10.2 Closing the digital divide in the community

An absolute energy consumption reduction of 901 MWh per year (5.9% per year) from 2019 to 2030, reducing consumption from 15,157 MWh in 2018-2019 to 4,348 in 2030-2031.

The university is Involved in a ‘technoeconomic’, city-wide study into heat networks, backed by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and focused on university campuses.

The university is implementing renewable energy systems and low or zero carbon technologies on development projects, including that at Berrow’s House, a former newspaper office building in Worcester which is being transformed by the university.

4.13.1 Energy consumption targets

Is the organisation ensuring that the energy transition is fair and creates opportunities across the UK?

A target of a 5% per year reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in energy against a 2018/19 baseline from 2020 to 2030.

Where possible, the University of Worcester supports the use of clean and renewable energy and the move away from fossil fuels. The University of Worcester sets out how it will promote sustainable communities through its teaching, research and knowledge exchange activities in a detailed sustainability policy that is reviewed annually. Its Annual Sustainability Report has been a Green Gown finalist for the last four years.

Goal 13: Harness the energy transition transitiontheHarnessenergy13

4.13.2 Other initiatives

ASSESSMENT

Charging points for electric vehicles have been installed on the Severn Campus.

It is understood that it will take a full staff effort to achieve net zero, therefore carbon literacy training is delivered for staff.

The university takes part in various awarenessraising activities, including producing a short film to correspond with COP26

Societies indicative of Worcester’s inclusive approach include the Neurodivergent Students’ Society, to support students with neurological disabilities, and the mental health-focused Student Minds Society.

The university strives to ensure that disability is not a barrier to progress and success on campus.

A pre-entry event is held in summer for students on the autistic spectrum, to familiarise them with the campus and local area.

Is the organisation working to create a level playing field on opportunity for all, to fully unleash Britain’s potential for the first time?

There is a disability adviser present at all open days to provide expert advice and guidance to applicants with disabilities.

The DDS supports students with dyslexia to get assessed prior to joining the university. It aso provides subsidised dyslexia assessments for current students (£50) to enable them to get a diagnosis and seek further support from disabled students’ allowances.

All applicants who have disclosed a disability and been offered a place are contacted to encourage them to register with the Disability Determination Service (DDS) before they start and to apply for further support from disabled students’ allowances.

The university is the UK’s best performing higher education institution for fair gender pay, and has been since the statistics were first nationally published.

4.14.1 Supporting those with disabilities

4.14.2 Diversity networks

Within the university’s equality, diversity and inclusion strategy is a commitment to “opening up learning opportunities to all sections of the community”. It states that it recognises that: Goal 14: Achieve equality through diversity and inclusion Achieve equality, through diversity & inclusion 14

“The provision of equality of opportunity must also encompass learning and teaching, curriculum issues and the manner in which staff and students are treated inside the institution. Where appropriate, provision will be made for those who have experienced unequal opportunity in education, in order to widen access and facilitate progression for under-represented groups (including women, members of minority ethnic groups, people with disabilities and those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds).”

ASSESSMENT

The University of Worcester has a diverse student population with around 70% female and 18% with a known disability.

The university holds taster events for visually impaired students. The Students’ Union plays a significant role in contributing to Goal 14. Its sports clubs and societies are encouraged to increase representation of minority groups, including those from BAME and LGBTQ+ communities and people with disabilities, mature learners and carers. This work is aided by inclusivity reps, who work proactively to make their club or society more inclusive, to create a welcoming environment for everyone. This role is mandatory for all committees overseen by the union. The union also runs an awards scheme which recognises inclusive practices by clubs and societies.

The university recognises that its health and wellbeing is closely linked to the physical, social and economic wellbeing of the region. That is one of the reasons why it has chosen to develop facilities that are open to all and are conducive to collaboration and success.

Throughout the 21st-century, a minimum of 97 per cent of the university’s students have been state educated.

While students at the university begin their higher education with lower-than-average UCAS tariff points, graduates are in the top 10 English higher education institutes for employment one, three and five years after graduation. This shows that not only is the university doing a great job in getting students from under-represented backgrounds into higher education but it is also providing them with the correct support so they are able to flourish.

The university offers ongoing support for those who are wanting to start a business - both students and other young people in the region. Encouraging entrepreneurship is key to a prosperous economy with job creation in the locality benefitting society as a Underpinningwhole. all of this work is the university’s approach to diversity and inclusion. Ensuring that no matter what a person’s background is, they are able to succeed within higher education. It has a particularly strong focus on helping those with a disability not only have the opportunity to study but also the chance to succeed. What is clear from this report is that the university’s impact is felt far beyond its student community. It can, and does, have a much wider impact on society.

Through other initiatives, such as the STEM Ambassador Hub and its school effectiveness team, the university is helping to improve attainment at school levelsomething that is increasingly an area of focus for the Office for Students. Its new, innovative contextualised admissions policy ensures that a person’s background is not a barrier to higher education and that potential is also considered.

The University of Worcester is an institution built on social mobility and spreading opportunity to those that need it most in society.

Analysis

The University of Worcester’s strengths can be found across the levelling up agenda. Its Uni Connect programme helps to raise aspirations of those thinking about whether higher education is the right path for them.

The University of Worcester is an institution that is rooted in its community and this is of huge benefit for both sides.

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