Operational Plan for Widening Participation
(2006-2009; revised draft Sept 2006.)
Strategic aims addressed
Rose Bruford College will:
• promote excellence in learning and teaching that responds positively to diversity in applicants, students, staff and disciplines (Aim 1)
always in the way imagined. The extent of the national aims for participation is leading the College, along with the rest of HE, into uncharted areas of practice, which is likely to be a challenge in many assumptions and practices. This plan takes the college up to the year 2010, when the national aim is to have 50% of young people engaged in HE.
The plan needs to take into account other policies, including disability and equal opportunities, but also to be aware of opportunities within research, specialism and vocationality, learning and teaching, marketing, production planning, and matters arising from the portfolio review. Primary among other policies is the Access agreement with OFFA, agreed in the setting of student fees, which has provided some guaranteed funding for this area of work.
Target Groups
The College has been relatively successful in attracting full-time undergraduate students from:
• low income backgrounds
• state schools and colleges, including those with a low rate of HE graduates
• students with dyslexia
and would wish to continue with this work. The main targets for this cycle in addition are:
• Students with disabilities
• Students from black/minority ethnic background
• Students with dependants and mature students
• Students whose parents have no background of Higher Education
The College will, however, be looking for evidence of particular commitment to working in the cultural industries sector, but perhaps in more unorthodox ways than in the past.
Distinctive characteristics
The distinctive characteristics if the College’s work in this area are:
• Building of partnerships with other institutions and organisations, in FE, HE and the voluntary sector (as represented by the industry)
• Using students and recent graduates wherever possible as the active agents of delivery
• Combining agendas to achieve contextualised actions, so that disability awareness is delivered through learning and teaching initiatives which include outreach contacts with specialist groups.
• Attempting to build sustained relationships with potential students.
• An open approach to knowledge, such as engaging in cross-cultural dialogues, so that the material of performance is seen to be informed by the client group
• Being intensely student-centred in delivery, and supportive to the individual.
Objectives
During the period 2006-2010 the College will fulfil the commitments made as part of the access agreement. It will:
• develop its bursary scheme for WP students Director of Community Outreach; Registrar; Finance Director
• increase the level of activity in promoting HE with local schools, colleges, and provision of promotional material. This work will be done through increased partnerships with specialist voluntary agencies such as Young People’s Theatre companies, and in consort with groupings such as Arts Aim Higher in London and the Conference of Drama Schools. Director of Community Outreach; Marketing Manager
• introduce a code of good practice for promotion and publicity material, which will be reviewed yearly, to make sure that the College’s image is consistently promoting inclusion. Marketing Manager
• develop a network of partner FE colleges in major conurbations, and apply the resources to interview and audition in regional centres. The College will undertake a major review of Interview and Audition practices, looking at interview criteria and charging policy Director of Community Outreach; Marketing Manager;Academic Board
• audit both course design and content to make sure that it is promoting a diverse cultural exchange. Director of Community Outreach; Director of Learning and Teaching
• enhance its student support services, particularly in regard to dyslexia diagnosis and support; and provision and promotion of other disability groups. It intends to strengthen links with specialist theatre companies such as Graeae, in order to develop both knowledge and provision for disabled theatre workers. Vice-Principal (Academic); Director of Learning and Teaching
• develop its work through such activities as its Theatre Futures project; work bureau, and through its ongoing Symposium on Intercultural Performance, to continue to build its links with the theatre and performance aspects of the cultural and creative industries, both regionally, nationally and within the European and international community to provide employment prospects for all students. The College has already formed valuable links with culture specific theatre companies, and will seek to enhance these. Director of Professional Development; Director of Research
• Expand its portfolio of professional support courses to develop opportunities for those in lower-grade theatre work to develop their skills and qualifications. Often these workers have been from marginal groups and from educational under-performers. The College will continue to look at making as much of its portfolio to be flexible in its delivery as possible, building on the experience of distance learning, electronic provision, and Foundation degrees. Director of Professional Development
• Open its performance work to community groups Director of Productions; Marketing manager
In addition, the College will:
• Develop a robust range of WP statistical performance indicators regarding background Registrar
• Continue to review curriculum content in the light of changing student profile, taking action such as increasing the level of devised or commissioned work to allow for a more diverse student profile, and continuing to explore other performance traditions than the mainstream canon of work Academic Board
• Develop strategies for enhancing retention of students Equal Opportunities Committee
• Develop policies to promote greater diversity in full-time and visiting teaching staff, and admin and support staff, to ensure positive role models for BME students Academic Board
• Continue to develop awareness training with academic and support staff Vice-Principal (Academic)
• Seize opportunities as they present themselves to involve target groups Director of Community Outreach
Indicators of success
By 2009 the College will have established as a minimum:
• Increased its British minority ethnic student population to at least 15% (5% above national average)
• Maintained level of full-fee students above 35%
• Developed partnerships with 12 Tertiary colleges on a London and nationwide basis
• Maintained links with 6 community-based companies, 6 culturally-specific companies, and two disability companies
• Developed five graduate companies active in this field
• Developed a footfall of 1200 attendances by young people of which 300 should be repeat visits from target groups
• WP contact rate of 5000 young people, of which 600 should be repeat events
Key risks
The key risks in achieving these objectives:
1. Lack of continuity of funding, and a change to the purchaser/provider model
2. Lack of financial and resource incentive to develop activity intrinsic to programmes
3. Lack of organisational capacity and commitment to take advantage of opportunities
4. WP being seen as a lower priority than other agendas
5. Incidents which impinge on trust relationships within and outside college e.g. child protection; theft during or following WP events
6. Lack of invention in embedding and sustaining projects
Mitigating actions
The College will
1. Deploy adequate funds from increased fees, and from other sources (Finance Director)
2. Gain commitment from programmes to national recruitment (Academic Board / programme directors)
3. Ensure increasing admin support to outreach activity (Human Resources)
4. Monitor the plan on an annual basis, and continue to develop curriculum initiatives with programme directors (Director of Community Outreach; Equal Opportunities Committee)
5. Develop ambassador training and CRB checking procedures, and monitor implementation of code of practice for working with young people (Director of Community Outreach)
6. Promote its WP programme to staff, and events to target schools and colleges (Director of Community Outreach; Marketing Manager)