1. Using admissions to bridge the gap for care leavers
NNECL Conference, 29 November 2016
Jeni Clack, Admissions Support and Development Advisor

2. What is SPA?
Set up in 2006 following the Schwartz Report Fair Admissions to Higher Education: Recommendations for Good Practice, 2004:
“The Group recommends the creation of a central source of expertise and advice on admissions issues. Its purpose would be to act as a resource for institutions who wish to maintain and enhance excellence in admissions. Such a centre could lead the continuing development of fair admissions, evaluating and commissioning research, and spreading best practice.”

3. What does SPA do?
SPA promotes fair admissions and access to higher education in the UK by developing and leading on good practice in the recruitment and selection of students.
Good practice
Events: think tanks, conferences, seminars, communities of practice, visits to HEPs
Advice and guidance on admissions queries
SPA’s website has a huge range of free resources
Regular communications to admissions staff
Online good practice toolkit

4. Admissions update
Fair, in principle
17 October 2012
be transparent
enable institutions to select students who are able to complete the course as judged by their achievements and their potential
strive to use assessment methods that are reliable and valid
seek to minimise barriers to applicants
be professional in every respect and underpinned by appropriate institutional structures and processes
“Equal opportunity for all individuals, regardless of background, to gain admission to a course suited to their ability and aspirations.”
The principles of fair admissions, outline in the Schwartz Report

5. Fair, in practice
Which affects not only the quality of their student experience, but whether or not they seek to be your students at all
A joined-up approach to fair access and fair admissions as part of the student experience influences students’:
preparation
engagement
attitudes
and shapes the ‘psychological contract’ early on for motivating retention and success

6. The applicant experience
Pre-applicant
Applicant
Student
Graduate
Aspiration-raising, outreach and marketing
Student experience and success
Admissions
Admissions can be an active agent in supporting care leavers, to bridge the gap between outreach and student experience.
The applicant experience encompasses all the opportunities or points of interaction between higher education and a potential student.
Split into four key stages: pre-application, application, post-application, transition
From: What can I do? > I think I want to go to HE > I’ve applied > I’ve got an offer > I can do this
Both applicant and institution benefit from a positive applicant experience where ability and aspirations are accurately matched with an appropriate place. This is particularly pertinent to care leavers where consistent and effective engagement at each point in the admissions process and throughout the applicant experience as a whole is key.
Managing the interactions throughout the applicant experience requires an integrated approach across the institution. Collaboration, co-ordination and sharing between teams across all stages is crucial. How does outreach and recruitment work contribute to and support a positive transition stage? Do Virtual Heads know who to discuss an applicant’s portfolio preparation with?
Admissions is the key link in the applicant experience, and therefore should not become isolated from your care leaver support strategy.
pre-application
post-application
application
transition

7. Embedding care leaver consideration into SPA’s work
SPA signed up to Buttle UK’s Statement of Commitment to looked after children and care leavers in education
Care leaver considerations to be embedded in all areas of SPA’s good practice
Call for evidence launched in November 2014:
Good practice examples to identify where admissions can be an active agent in supporting care leavers

8. Using admissions to bridge the gap for care leavers
To give HE providers examples of what could be done (big & small)
Identify where the gap can be bridged and what more is needed
Share experiences and develop recommendations
To improve co-ordination and co-operation
SPA's guide was published in April 2015 and updated earlier this year. The call for evidence remains open and we would be happy to keep the guide up-to-date with new examples of good practice in this area. If you would like to add your examples of good practice within admissions, please submit them using the call for evidence response form on the webpage shown above.

9. Findings: definitions
Definitions of in care/care leaver vary between and within different HE providers
Varying definitions for different purposes:
Bursary eligibility
Scholarship eligibility
Accommodation provision
Summer school provision
Reasons for a lack of single agreed definition are predominantly due to varying definitions being used for different purposes.
Examples of different definitions (and their purposes) are included in the Bridging the gap guide.

10. Findings: definitions
Advantages of single definition
Easy to understand
Consistent
Easy to compare
Easier to do shared work
Transparent
Advantages of multiple definitions
More flexible around differing support needs
Can tailor to institution priorities
Can account for legal differences across borders
Easy to adapt
Some providers use a single definition, whilst others use multiple definitions for different purposes, both of which bring potential benefits.
This isn’t referring to within just an HEP but across the whole sector. More detail and examples of definitions are included in the guide.

11. Findings: Kingston University
pre-application
Kingston University
Kingston have close liaison with Local Authorities (both London and nationwide), to deliver a programme of aspiration-raising activities for Looked After Children who have the ability to progress onto University. They currently run several programmes for Years 7-11, and years 12 - young adult. The former focusses on hands-on tasters at the University, and close working with our Care Leaver student ambassadors. The Student Support Manager often visits Local Authorities to deliver IAG sessions to Year 12/13 pupils in care.

12. Findings: Sunderland University
application
Sunderland University
On receipt of application, applicants who identify as ‘Care Experienced’ on their UCAS form automatically receive an from the Support team at Sunderland when their application is received outlining the support available. The Care Experienced Student Support team receive weekly data reports of applicants who have identified as ‘Care Experienced’. These students are sent a letter and a copy of their Guide for Care Experienced Students; from application to graduation. The progress of applications is monitored and the team work closely with admissions to resolve any problems.

13. Findings: University of Brighton
Post-application
University of Brighton
Students who declare themselves as care leavers whose initial application is rejected are flagged with the Widening Participation Outreach Manger who will give the application further consideration and liaise with admissions tutors if it is considered appropriate to discuss the student’s circumstances and in light of this an offer may then be made. This allows for contextualised admissions which may benefit the young person and is overseen by Widening Participation who have an appreciation of the difficulties that can face young care leavers and are able to intervene.  

14. Findings: Huddersfield University
transition
Huddersfield University
Huddersfield University has recently set up a mentoring scheme for care leavers, the idea for which came from one of their care leaver students who had access to this type of support due to a disability. They stated that they had found it so empowering and so useful that she felt all care leavers should have access to this type of support.
In addition, the University was the first University to establish a PhD scholarship for care leavers.

15. Findings: overarching
UCLAN
UCLAN convened a Care Leavers Support Panel initially tasked to develop systems, processes and a package of support for Care leavers to meet the requirements for Buttle UK accreditation. The panel continues to meet on a monthly basis to consider the existing package of support, future developments, issues arising at application and post enrolment stages, staff development and other outreach and development activities/opportunities. The group consists of internal and external representatives from Admissions, Student Financial Support, Accommodation, Marketing and Outreach, Foster Carers, Social Work, Academics, Youth Services, Student Wellbeing, Mentoring and the Student Union.

16. Recommendations Have clear definitions Promote support through policy
Implement a communication plan
Ensure an integrated applicant experience
Include ‘care leaver’ within a contextualised admissions approach
1.Have clear definitions
Each HE provider should identify what definitions, formal or informal, are used across its range of services and support. It should then consult with all relevant internal and partner areas to assess the impact of those definitions on the range of current and potential future support. Such assessment should be used to inform a strategic decision on determining what definition, or definitions, best support the aims of that HE provider in encouraging the participation of care leavers in HE.
2.Promote support through policy
Supporting care leavers should be driven and promoted by clear policy that empowers and directs staff across all aspects of admissions and related areas. SPA aims to include consideration of care leavers into all of our good practice updates, to help HE providers consider ways to embed it within their own policies and procedures.
3.Implement a communication plan
There will be a wide range of information available to care leavers and their advisors from across the sector and it should never be difficult to find. This may be especially important where an HE provider has distinctive approaches. Information on supporting care leavers should be easily accessible, easy to understand and consistently conveyed by all staff in the institution. There should always be a communication plan in place to ensure all support eligibility criteria, including definitions, are clear and that applicants know who to contact.
4.Ensure an integrated applicant experience
SPA advocates strong collaboration and co-ordination across the applicant experience to assure admissions is not isolated from the institution’s care leaver support strategy. Consider how any initiative connects across the applicant experience to ensure that support is maintained and enhanced. It may be helpful to have a member of the senior management team, or governor, champion care leaver support within your institution, and where this is the case that champion should be kept aware of the opportunities for such support within admissions. Admissions staff should maintain communication with the provider’s named contact for care leavers, not only to ensure awareness of the status of relevant applications, but also to liaise on minimising barriers and providing clear advice on admissions procedures.
5.Include ‘care leaver’ within a contextualised admissions approach
The use of contextualised admissions is defined as contextual information and contextual data used by HE providers to assess an applicant’s prior attainment and potential to succeed in higher education in the context of the circumstances in which their attainment has been obtained. Contextualised admissions can be applied for a number of purposes that are particularly relevant to those coming from a background in care, including: targeting aspiration-raising; informing admissions decision-making; identifying additional learner support or advice; financial support; or for monitoring and reporting purposes.

17. ? What are the benefits of supporting care leavers through admissions
Open discussion on the benefits of supporting care leavers through admissions. (This will inform a short list of benefits that SPA will circulate to admissions staff across the UK.)

18. Over to you…. Which interactions are you involved in? pre-application
post-application
application
transition
series of interactions
When introducing yourselves, think about your role in relation to the applicant experience - which interactions are you involved in?
Which interactions are you involved in?

19. Group discussion
Experiences of successful support in outreach, transition, retention and other areas
What intelligence/data/expertise already exists and what’s missing?
What could be done in admissions to support and join-up long-term success?
 Develop a ‘request list’ to admissions, noting how care expertise from other areas can support admissions activity and vice-versa.
After the conference, SPA will compile the lists from each group and circulate.

20. Thank you More information from enquiries@spa. ac
Thank you More information from or @SPA_Admissions