University of Sheffield
Student Equality Report
May 2013
University of Sheffield
Student Equality Report
Contents
1
Introduction
2
Widening Access
3
Inclusive Learning and Teaching
4
Student Mental Health Support
5
Supporting Disabled Students
6
LGBT Engagement and Support
7
Religion and Belief
8
Student Pregnancy, Maternity and Parents
9
Black and Minority Ethnic Students
10
Engagement
11
Work of Equality Action Group in Student Services
12
Policy Framework
13
Student Equality Statistics
2
1
Introduction
The University of Sheffield is strongly committed to the principle of student equality and we
have taken many actions and put in place many developments to ensure that our values on
equality are fully exemplified in institutional life.
This report provides an overview of these actions and developments, which are to be found
in all dimensions of the student experience. We hope that the sheer breadth of these
activities demonstrates a commitment to equality and diversity and to exploring innovative
ways of ensuring and celebrating this.
2
Widening Access
The University of Sheffield has a long-standing commitment to widening participation and
fair access, not only to its own programmes of study, but also to higher education in
general.
This strongly reflects the University’s Mission, Vision and Identity and the foundation on
which the University was built:
The University of Sheffield has roots going back to 1828 and was founded formally in 1905
via penny donations from the local citizens. The aim was to bring higher education within
reach of the children of the people working in the great industries of Sheffield, to give
support to those industries and to serve as a centre for the study of diseases. The
University is proud of its origins and continues to value the role it has come to play in its city
and region.1
The University continues to play a key role within the city and the region and has a strong
sense of civic responsibility. This is demonstrated, amongst other things, through the broad
ranging initiatives we deliver collaboratively with schools, colleges and other local HE
providers in order to widen participation to higher education.
Our record of achievement in access and retention
The University of Sheffield has a strong track record of not only attracting but also retaining
students from under-represented groups in higher education. Some of our key
achievements are highlighted below:

An excellent record of recruiting students from low participation neighbourhoods,
achieving an intake of 7.2% of young full-time first degree students in 2011/12, placing
us 3rd in the Russell Group.

Excellent performance in attracting mature students with no previous HE background
and from low participation neighbourhoods into full-time undergraduate study (17.5%).
1
See full Mission, Vision and Identity at: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/strategicplan/mvi
3

An excellent record of recruiting students from state schools: 83.7% of registered
students in 2011/12 (ranking equal 4th in the Russell Group).

A non-continuation rate of 3.2% for young, full-time, first degree entrants.

A steady growth in the proportion of full-time first degree students who are in receipt of
the DSA (5% intake).

A strong regional reputation for working collaboratively with schools and colleges,
delivering a broad range of short and long term interventions, targeting primary school
pupils through to students about to enter university. We typically work with around
20000 participants each year on such programmes, engaging with over 100 schools and
colleges.

A national reputation for delivering flagship programmes linked to social mobility in some
of the most difficult to enter professions, including SOAMS (Medicine)2, PPP3 (Law,
Accountancy, Architecture) and ADOPT4 (Dentistry).

Dedicated programmes for mature learners within the University’s Institute for Lifelong
Learning, leading to progression onto full and part-time degrees.

Provision of targeted student support post-admission, to give them the best opportunity
to progress through their programme of study and achieve a class of degree
commensurate with their abilities. Recognition of this support can be seen in the
University of Sheffield’s student support being ranked top in the most recent Times
Higher Education Student Experience survey and the admissions teams being
shortlisted for “Outstanding Student Admissions Team” in the 2013 Times Higher
Education Leadership and Management Awards, for their work in “special
circumstances” cases.

Significant contributions to local and regional schools and colleges through our
involvement in governing bodies, with over 70 members of University staff actively
engaged as governors.

Significant progress in our work targeting looked after children / care leavers. We have
been re-awarded the Buttle UK Quality Mark for our work with care leavers, said to be
“exemplary” within the sector.

An excellent track record of working collaboratively with schools, colleges and other HE
providers to the benefit of young people and prospective mature students in the region
and further afield including Sheffield Hallam University and other Russell Group HEIs.
The Widening Participation Research and Evaluation Unit (WPREU)
2
Sheffield’s Outreach and Access to Medicine Scheme
Professions Progression Partnership
4 Access to Dental Occupations – Practice and Tutoring
3
4
Formed in May 2013, WPREU is responsible for delivering and supporting the evaluation of
and research into the impact and effectiveness of the University’s
a) outreach and widening participation activities
b) student retention and success activities directed at ‘widening participation’ students
The priority focus of research and evaluation is on, but not limited to, students from groups
under-represented in HE;
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mature students
students with a disability
students from
areas of deprivation or low participation in Higher Education
schools with lower than average academic attainment or progression to HE
lower socio-economic groups
black or minority ethnic groups currently under-represented in HE
The unit works closely with WP / outreach and student support and guidance staff across
the university. Its research and evaluation activities support the development of evidencedbased policy and practice in this area and the sharing of good practice across the institution
and the sector.
With Outreach colleagues, WPREU is currently responding to guidance from the Office For
Fair Access (OFFA) that we should ensure that the University’s Access commitments are
more closely aligned with its equality and diversity strategy. This is an area that we would
hope to develop/strengthen through participation in this project.
Our main focus for widening participation in the coming years will be on increasing our
recruitment of students from the lowest socio-economic groups, which is the area where we
have previously underperformed against benchmarks. We will also seek to continue to grow
the number of students with disabilities entering the University, while maintaining our strong
performance in recruitment of students from low participation neighbourhoods, mature
students and students from black and other ethnic minority groups. Our plans for widening
participation and fair access also include plans for further investment in disabled student
support and outreach activities, student mental health support, care leaver support5 and
support for employment. We will also be using recent research to inform a review of our use
of contextual data in the admissions process, with a view to moving towards a more
consistent, coherent approach to the use of contextual data across the University.
A full version of the University’s 2012/13 Access Agreement can be found at:
http://www.shef.ac.uk/lets/projects/strategy/wpaccess
3
5
Inclusive Learning and Teaching
For more information on our approach to care leaver support, see http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid/welfare/care
5
Learning from the Inclusive Learning and Teaching project
(completed in 2010) is now incorporated in the University’s
Learning and Teaching Strategy (2011-16). This provides a
shared direction for learning and teaching in the institution. It
reflects the University’s overall strategic objectives, one of which
is “to nurture a community in which equality and diversity
contribute positively to student and staff experiences”. The
strategy is also shaped by our learning and teaching philosophy
and values, amongst which is “the importance of diversity amongst our students and staff”.
The University is therefore strongly committed to an inclusive approach to learning and
teaching and each Faculty is required to reflect this commitment in its plans for learning and
teaching and in its equality action plans. (The Learning and Teaching Strategy can be found
at: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.91035!/file/TUOSLTS.pdf)
4
Student Mental Health Support
The University has had a formal Student Mental Health Strategy since 2006 (see diagram
below) based upon the recommendations of the 2003 report on Student Mental Health in
HE from the Royal College of Psychiatrists. The strategy is pursued on a collaborative
basis, linking together the efforts of student support services such as the University Health
Service, University Counselling Service, Disability and Dyslexia Support, Student Support
and Guidance, (these four now working together under the umbrella title of Student Support
and Wellbeing) Accommodation Services, Sport Sheffield and Library Services, as well as
the efforts of members of academic staff who provide direct support to students in the
course of their studies. This collaborative approach has paid dividends in the form of a more
‘seamless’ service to students and a number of innovations in professional practice. The
University’s approach was commended in a more recent update of the Royal College of
Psychiatrists’ report in 2011 and certain aspects of our work noted as nationally significant.
Promoting mental
health and well
being
Building awareness
Good links with
external agencies
A clear process
for dealing with
crisis and risk.
Supporting students with
a mental health disability
Well resourced
and integrated
services
STUDENT MENTAL
HEALTH STRATEGY
Training for
key front-line
staff
Data on need
and resources
Developing a
mental health
network
6
In 2012, a new head of the University Counselling and Psychological Wellbeing Service
was appointed. The addition of Psychological Wellbeing to the title of the service indicates
the increased emphasis on proactive work and a move to include support additional to the
traditional one-to-one counselling sessions.
Demand for mental health support in HE has increased dramatically in recent years, in the
number of students declaring a mental health disability when joining the University, in the
numbers of students using services and in the levels of severity of psychological distress
that some students experience. The University has both invested in staff and developed
different ways of working in order to accommodate these changes and continues to do so.
In particular, we are seeking to improve on early and on brief interventions and to work
across teams to be as proactive and appropriate as possible.
The diagram below shows some of the cross-referral and signposting routes and cooperation employed.
7
Further examples of current developments in student mental health support are given
below:
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6
Mental Health Support Planning. Following on from our 2010 report on the needs of
students with complex mental health difficulties, we have established a mental health
support planning process. For students with severe and complex difficulties, who have
great difficulty with engagement in university life, this offers the prospect of an integrated
multi-service support plan. This is intended to increase the chances of full engagement
and reduce the likelihood of crises which often impact upon staff and other students. In
2012 a support package co-ordinator was appointed who provides the co-ordination of
support and is also able to liaise closely with internal and external services.
The ‘Well-Connected’ project. In early 2011 we won £60k from JISC6 to fund a project
on digital communication and student mental health, now known for short as ‘Well
Connected’. The project centres upon the creation of a student mental health website,
containing a set of self-help resources on the most prevalent psychological difficulties
faced by students and an online ‘self-check’ process. Students were engaged in the cocreation of material for the site and continue to be involved in ongoing review and
development of resources.
Things Not Going Right Things Not Going Right is the title of web-based resources
and sign-posting which includes material and services for mental health and
psychological wellbeing.
The Big White Wall. We are piloting the use of subscribing to the Big White Wall, a
24/7/365 online resource which offers (under the aegis of the Tavistock and Portman
NHS Trust) a range of resources including self-help materials, online forums, art therapy
and contact with trained counsellors. As well as “prescribing” this resource upon
students who may need more support than services are normally able to provide,
students can now self-access by logging in with their @sheffield.ac.uk email address.
While research shows that supported self-access is more successful than unsupported,
indications are that this service is being increasingly used by our students and feedback
is very positive. It is particularly useful for students who are away from the university,
between appointments (or while waiting for one) and for those who may need time to
think about accessing support services. The costs are potentially very significant but
hopefully sustainable.
Supporting the Supporters Training programmes continue to run aimed at staff in
academic departments. Some of these are about supporting students with mental
health difficulties and specific conditions such as Asperger’s syndrome.
Healthy Campus Wellbeing Prescriptions In 2013 “prescriptions” for referrals/
signposting to other wellbeing services (as outlined in the diagram above) will be
introduced. The aim of these is to add some formality to recommendations and make
engaging with the service easier and more comfortable.
Joint Information Systems Committee
8
More information on our student mental health strategy and the main student support
services can be found at: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssd/wellbeing
5
Supporting Disabled Students
Support for disabled students in the University centres upon the Disability and Dyslexia
Support Service (DDSS), which has grown in both size and importance, as the University
has recruited steadily increasing numbers of students declaring a disability and as the
excellence of the service has encouraged greater numbers of students to register for
support.
A well-developed but constantly evolving system of provision exists for disabled students
(for details see www.sheffield.ac.uk/disability). The DDSS promotes a student centred
approach to the provision of support and achieves this through close liaison with other
support services, academic departments and external agencies. Currently the University
has around 2300 students who have declared a disability, with some 1600 actively
supported by DDSS.
Numbers of students supported by the Disability and Dyslexia Support Service
Disability type
Number of
Students
Autistic Spectrum Disorder
42
Blind/partially sighted
30
Deaf/hearing impairment
23
Wheelchair mobility
59
In process of acquiring medical evidence
124
Unseen disability
96
Disability not listed
125
2 or more disabilities
104
Mental health difficulty
243
Specific Learning Disability
839
The DDSS has worked hard to meet the rising expectations of students and in this year’s iBarometer student satisfaction survey it achieved an excellent 95% rating – the best in the
9
UK. It has also established good relationships with the Students’ Union and its Disabled
Students’ Committee and Councillor.
Recent Achievements and Areas for Development:
A steady stream of service developments has meant that the University can provide a highlevel of service to disabled students and the staff supporting them. Significant recent
developments have included:
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The development of a strong Support Worker Service within DDSS, now providing
support to some 468 students.
A review of the way data is collected and used to maximise resources.
The creation of a network of Disability Liaison Officers in academic and professional
services departments, as a means of developing effective working relationships with
staff supporting students.
The introduction, in a collaboration between our Student Services Department, our
Library Services and Corporate Information and Computing Services, of a range of
assistive software packages for students. We intend to continue to invest in this area.
The development of a very effective provision for the fast-growing numbers of students
declaring a mental health disability and strong collaboration with other services in the
creation and implementation of a student mental health strategy.
The introduction of a Disability Transition Officer post, to develop a range of transition
activities aimed particularly at improving the transition between school/college and
university. This builds on a successful Aim Higher project to develop disability outreach
and is a feature of the University’s 2012/13 Access Agreement.
The introduction of Disability Champions: disabled University students who attend
outreach, transition and information events both at the University and at local schools
and colleges. They act as positive role models to help raise aspirations in potential
disabled applicants by talking about their experiences of being a supported University of
Sheffield student.
Key strategic priorities for the development of disability support in the near future will
include:


Reviewing our approach to the management of demand for disability support services, in
the context of increasing numbers of students using services.
Working closely with Faculties to develop their strategies for disabled student support.
Careers Service Support to Disabled Students and Graduates
The Careers Service plays an active role in endeavouring to enhance the employability of
all students, including those with a disability. Close liaison is maintained with DDSS and the
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Student Counselling Service, so as to ensure effective referrals are made as and when
appropriate. In addition strong links exist with Careers Liaison Officers (CLOs) and
Disability Liaison Officers (DLOs) in academic departments.
In order to ensure a smooth transition from university the Careers Service offers support to
students for up to 3 years after graduation. Obviously the assistance offered is tailored to
needs of the individual but typically this might include:
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Offering vocational guidance, including discussion as to what impact, if any, the
disability may present and discussion with regards to ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the
workplace.
Assistance in making links with local and national employers in order to gain relevant
and appropriately supported work experience, including specialist placements
schemes for disabled students.
Advice on issues such as if, how and when to disclose a disability in applications for
employment and further study.
Assistance in the construction of CVs and applications which promote the strengths
of the disabled student / graduate.
Advice on preparation for interviews and assessment centres, including appropriate
adjustments which they may wish to request.
Although all Careers Adviser are equipped to support disabled students, there is also a
designated Careers Adviser who takes a lead in this matter, including an annual disability
audit of the service and maintaining links with disability related organisations locally and
nationally.
6
LGBT Engagement and Support
"Higher Education provides an important space where LGBT students are able to 'be
themselves' and establish an independent adult identity away from the childhood contexts
of school and family life". (Equality Challenge Unit Report 2009: "The experience of lesbian,
gay, bisexual and trans staff and students in higher education")
With this understanding in mind, the University has worked closely with the Students’ Union
and its LGBT group to develop responsive support services and sources of information
which will enable LGBT students to negotiate this important transition. A new set of web
pages (see: www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/student/lgbt) detail the numerous sources of support open
to students, on financial issues, health, psychological well-being, gender change, freedom
from harassment and so on.
The University scores 9/10 on the Stonewall “Gay by Degree” standard. Introducing
compulsory training for staff would make us eligible for the final mark.
Recent developments include:
11
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7
Training on LGBT issues was given to residential mentors and Student Support and
Guidance staff for the first time in 2012
Filming of this very successful training is planned so that the resource can be
available online.
The availability of a therapy group for LGBT students
Student inclusion in the 2013 film Storying LGBT@TUOS
http://www.shef.ac.uk/hr/equality/involved/lgbtnetwork/storyinglgbt-tuos, representing
LGBT students in a high profile way.
Plans for collecting data on sexual orientation in the same way as for religion and
belief (i.e. not attached to student records but raising the profile of the community by
demonstrating its size).
Religion and Belief
The University has a strong and energetic Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Service, which provides
support to students for whom faith is an important aspect of their university experience (see:
www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/chaplaincy). The Students’ Union has a Faiths Forum, providing an
arena in which many faiths can engage together. A monthly inter-faith café brings together
students from many faiths with Multi-Faith Chaplaincy representatives and those who are
interested in faith and religion but may not hold religious views themselves (e.g.
representatives of the Atheist Society).
In 2010 we began to collect data on student religious identity (on a voluntary and
confidential basis). Students are invited to record how and to what degree they identify with
one of a range of religious groups, with the option to express affiliation to atheism,
agnosticism and humanism. In our most recent 2012 survey, over 80% of students
completed the survey, making the data extremely robust. Over 11,000 students (c. 57%)
expressed a faith affiliation. Of those students who expressed a faith affiliation,
approximately 5,000 (c. 41%) declared that it was either important or very important to them
in their lives.
This data reinforces the need for an active Multifaith Chaplaincy Service and other multifaith
activities. It also adds to our understanding of the roots of student sense of belonging and
community. Finally, the data has already helped us plan for future developments.
Prominent amongst these has been our project to appoint a Muslim Chaplain. We have
around 1300 Muslim students in the University, according to this data, and a high proportion
feel that their faith occupies an important place in their lives. A Muslim chaplain has been
appointed and will start work with the university in May 2013, within the Multi-Faith
Chaplaincy team. Finally, the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy has successfully facilitated, as part of a
national project supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) a
number of Religious Literacy events for staff, which aim to promote understanding of faith
issues in the institution as a whole. These events have been very well received.
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8
Student Pregnancy, Maternity and Parents
Under the Equality Act 2010 HEIs must make provision on pregnancy and maternity.
Policy guidelines in this area, providing information to both staff and students are at :
www.shef.ac.uk/ssid/student/pregnant. In 2013 there will be a light-touch benchmarking
exercise to raise awareness and encourage engagement within academic departments.
9
Black and Minority Ethnic Students
While the University’s commitment to equal access, support and engagement with BME
students is implicit in all its policies, procedures and guidelines, this is an area where more
proactive and explicit work would be beneficial. Web pages and materials make little
reference to BME students. The University is currently taking part in a project with ECU
and AMOSSHE on the theme of attracting and retaining more BME students. It is hoped
that this project will identify some areas of work that the University and Union need to do; it
has already identified some issues of concern.
10
Engagement
In all equality matters we try to work collaboratively with student representative groups and
numerous examples of such collaborations have been given in this report. An important
strand of this is our relationship with the Students’ Union, whose officers sit on many
university committees, including those covering Learning and Teaching, Student Support
Forum and Equality and Diversity Board. More informally, many developments in matters
affecting student life feature collaboration with students, though groups such as the LGBT
Committee, the Disabled Students Committee and Mental Health Matters. In 2012 more
strategic engagement with the Students’ Union “Liberation Committees” (LGBT, BME,
Disabled Students, Women’s and Mature) was introduced with meetings with a
representative of EDB and Student Services Equality Action Group to inform university
staff’s work in those fora.
11
The work of the Equality Action Group in Student Services
The Student Services Department is responsible for activities which cover a very wide
range of the student experience – Recruitment and Admissions, Learning and Teaching,
Student Support and Well-Being, Enterprise and Careers and Employability. It is therefore
of the greatest importance that the department has a sound process for managing its
responsibilities for equality and diversity.
This process centres on the Equality Action Group (EAG), established in 2006. The EAG is
made up of senior managers and specialists from across the department plus a Students’
Union officer and has played a number of critical roles in our approach to student equality
and diversity. It has enabled us to respond in a coherent and proactive way to the changing
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legal framework on equality; provided a vehicle through which we have been able to
contribute to the development of the University’s strategy ‘Excellence through Inclusion’; led
the implementation of successive waves of impact assessments and service development
initiatives, designed to improve our processes and procedures and aided the integration of
equality into the departmental planning process. The EAG was recently reviewed and our
commitment to the group and to its leadership role on equality was reaffirmed. As stated
above, there is now increased consultation with student representatives as part of the
group’s work.
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University Policy Framework on Equality
The University’s policy and strategy framework is set out in Section 2 of the Staff Equality
Report and on the University’s web pages on equality. (See:
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/equality )
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Statistics
The statistics given below cover student gender, ethnicity and disability status. Apart from
religion and belief (referred to above) we do not yet collect data from students on the
remaining protected characteristics. This may change in due course as it is the subject
currently of consultation by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)
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Student Equality Statistics

Figures refer to the student populations for academic year 2011/12 (FT and PT) and
taken from the published data submitted to HESA (Student HESA Return 2012 –
students have been active for all or part of the academic session).

All figures are based on disclosed information, including:
o Ethnicity, which is known for 92.2% of students
o Disability status, which is known for 100% of students
o Gender, which is known for 100% of students
Summary
2011/12
Headcount
Percentage
2010/11
Headcount
Percentage
31,423
19,569
8,214
3,640
62.28%
26.14%
11.58%
28,359
18,515
6,453
3,391
65.29%
22.75%
11.96%
9,536
10,033
3,536
4,678
2,038
1,602
15,110
16,313
48.73%
51.27%
43.05%
56.95%
55.99%
44.01%
48.09%
51.91%
8,928
9,587
3,033
3,420
1,926
1,465
13,887
14,472
48.22%
51.03%
47.00%
53.00%
56.80%
43.20%
48.97%
51.03%
Declaring a Disability
UG
PGT
PGR
TOTAL
1,543
418
234
2,195
7.88%
5.09%
6.43%
6.99%
1,400
336
213
1,949
7.56%
5.21%
6.28%
6.87%
UK Domicile Students - BME
UG (15,876)
PGT (3,759)
PGR (2,054)
TOTAL (21,689)
2,083
624
345
3,052
13.12%
16.60%
16.80%
14.07%
1,948
489
323
2,760
12.86%
16.60%
17.83%
13.87%
34.36%
78.90%
70.68%
60.66%
702
2,809
1,071
4,582
21.93%
75.71%
69.64%
54.23%
Total in students in 2011/12
Undergraduate Students
Postgraduate Taught
Postgraduate Research
Gender
UG
Male
Female
PGT Male
Female
PGR Male
Female
Total Male
Total Female
International Domicile Students – BME
UG (3,693)
1,269
PGT (4,455)
3,515
PGR (1,586)
1,121
TOTAL (9,734)
5,905
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Disability

6.99% (2,195) of the university students have declared a disability. 1,543 of
students are undergraduates, 418 are on taught postgraduate programmes and 234
are engaged in postgraduate research.
Ethnicity
 14.07% (3,052) of the UK domiciled students (FT and PT) are of minority ethnic
origin. 2,083 are on undergraduate programmes, 624 on taught postgraduate
programmes and 345 are engaged in postgraduate research.
 There has been an increase of 0.2% in BME from UK domiciled student between
intakes 2010/11 and 2011/12.
Gender (Female/Male)
 51.91% (16,313) of the university’s students are female and 48.09% (15,110) male.
On undergraduate programmes the split is 51.27%/48.73% (10,033/9,536), on taught
postgraduate programmes 56.95%/43.05% (4,678/3,536) and in postgraduate
research 44.01%/55.99% (1,602/2,038).
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