Supporting College HE Admissions
20 June 2014
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Welcome and Introduction
Dan Shaffer, Head of Professionalism in Admissions
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.”
What is Fair Admissions?
1. be transparent
2. enable opportunity
institutions to select
“Equal
forstudents
all who are able to complete
the course as judged by their achievements and their potential
individuals, regardless of
3. strive to use assessment
background,
to gainmethods that are reliable and valid
admission
to abarriers
course
4. seek to minimise
to applicants
suited
to their ability and
5. be professional in every respect and underpinned by
appropriate institutional structures and processes
aspirations.”
SPA's good practice framework
SPA’s framework supports
you as you build to bridge
the gaps:
established  new practice
current  new developments
new  experienced staff
you  external peers
www.spa.ac.uk/support
OVERARCHING GOOD
PRACTICE
STRATEGY
Admissions
Policies
Principles
of Fair
Admissions
Applicant
Experience
Strategy
Planning
and
Managing
Admissions
Effective
Admissions
Operation
SPECIFIC GOOD PRACTICE
Complaints and
Appeals
Feedback
Criminal
Convictions
Timing of disability
considerations
Age
Refugees and
Asylum Seekers
Contextualised
admissions
Student Number
Controls
Competence
Standards
Vocational
Qualifications
Native language
Qualifications
Interviews
Admissions
Tests
Paperless
Processing
Centralising
Admissions
Equality Impact
Assessments
Art and Design
Admissions
Part-time
Admissions
College HE
Admissions
SPA’s work with FE Colleges offering HE
SPA’s College HE Objective
To support Colleges to further develop professionalism in fair
admissions and good practice in HE admissions
In support of this objective SPA have
Established a project group to build a community of good practice
in College HE admissions, in collaboration with AoC
appointed a part time SPA Project Liaison Officer for College HE,
on secondment from a college HE admissions role
Introduction
Today’s set-up:


Sharing ideas, issues, intelligence
Openness and confidentiality
Today’s planned outcomes:

Improved networking:



sharing good practice; promoting new contacts and new ideas
Develop communal plans to deal with key issues
Your input into ensuring a supportive College HE
Admissions community
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What are the issues for College HE
admissions?
Nick Davy, HE Policy Manager, AoC
College HE Admissions 2014
AoC Policy Team
Nick Davy, HE Policy Manager
HEFCE Higher education in England 2014: Summary of
enrolment trends and characteristics
 Continued increase in FT HE enrolments in 2013 after dip in 2012
 UCAS applications up 8% for 2014 entry
 Continuing decrease in part time enrolments – down 50% in HEI;
less steep in FEC – circa 25%
 Decrease in other undergraduate numbers – foundation degrees,
HNs, short courses
 Since 2011-12 more full-time entrants to other undergraduate
courses other than first degrees have been studying in FEC than in
HEI
HEFCE Enrolments Trends – FPE:08/09 -12/13
Relevant Policy issues
 30,000 extra students allocated for 2014
 Student Number Control to be lifted from 2015
 Higher Technical Education – possible changes from 2016?
 Colleges
 Position
more autonomy over awards/validation?
of Pearson Non-licensed awards?

National Student Survey schedule published

Colleges to pay for Destinations of leavers Survey – July 2014 leavers

QAA Higher Education Review – includes admissions

Maintaining dialogue with HEFCE on the NSS/KIS threshold rules
2014 Admissions Conference
Any Questions?
Nick Davy - nick_davy@aoc.co.uk
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College HE admissions: how we do it
Liz Wyman, Newcastle-under-Lyme College
Newcastle-under-Lyme College
HE Admissions
How we do it
Liz Wyman
Head of Resources and Guidance
About Newcastle under Lyme College
• Large tertiary college in the West Midlands
• 3,600 full time students, 800 part time adults
• 1,400 work based students, 1,250 apprentices
• Small HE offer – around 300 students
HE Offer
• Lengthy partnership with one university
– formerly the SURF partnership
• Just signed agreement with another university
• Full time courses – FDs, HNC, HND, Fdn Year
• Part time courses – FDs and Teacher Training
• Across a range of subjects. Creative subject specialism.
• Full time recruit through UCAS, via the university. New partner
• doesn’t use UCAS with colleges
• Part time apply either to the university or to college
System nuts and bolts
• Applications dealt with by college faculties (except Fdn Year)
• All applicants interviewed – some by telephone
• Some initially assessed for maths and English
• In some subjects applicants exclusively from our level 3
• Part time applications almost exclusively work based
Issues
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Neither central nor fully devolved
Small staff teams
Course leaders stretched across provision
Different calendars
Small applicant numbers
Internal applicants
Feedback
Issues (cont)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Changes to university systems
Communication with university
Duplication of paperwork
Working with employers
Part time applications lack of structure
Communication between departments
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College HE admissions: how we do it
Sally Dodsley, Vision West Nottinghamshire College
Vision West Notts Admissions
Sally Dodsley
HE & International Study Skills Coach
HE at West Notts
•
•
•
•
•
22 HE programmes, 24 wef from September
BA Hons in 6 areas
Range of HNs and FdAs
Approx 600 students
Collaborative partnerships – UoD, BCU
Admissions
• Direct, online applications to the college – outside
of UCAS
• Central admissions team, one admin managing HE
applications – initial checks (personal statements,
appropriate qualifications
Applicant Event
•
•
•
•
Presentation by the central HE team
Provide an Applicant Guide
Interview by curriculum team
Offer (or not) made and details sent to Admissions
Admin for posting
Keep Warm Activities
• Summer School programme
• LRC events
• Taster days
Issues
• Insufficient details on application forms – perception
that college doesn’t need the same level of
information as universities
• Clarity and consistency re: entry criteria (L2/GCSE
English and Maths expectations)
• Consistency of interview paperwork (clarity of
conditions, renegade staff)
• Occasional hold ups at the partner institutions
• Students don’t like the decisions and admin trying to
deal with this
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College HE admissions: how we do it
Paul Sisterson, Newcastle College Group
Considerations from a Mixed Economy College (& the
new UCAS College HE Advisory Group) …
Paul Sisterson
UCAS Admissions Manager
Newcastle College
Chair, UCAS College HE Advisory Group
Newcastle College in context…
•
Foundation Degree (awarded by Newcastle College Group, 2012 on)
•
Top-up Degree (in partnership with Teesside University)
•
Taught-degree awarding powers (TDAP) - application in progress through QAA
•
FTE @ 1 May 2014:
•
Applications through UCAS @ 16 June 2014: 2,514
•
Centralized Admissions (Recruitment & Marketing) since 2002
3295 (including West Lancashire College)
Reflections from a Mixed Economy College
one year on…
1)
explored facets of current practice characterizing HE admissions at Newcastle College…
2)
shared good practice established by the SPA Code of Practice Group (CoP):
http://www.spa.ac.uk/support/goodpractice/heinfe
3)
discussed the manner in which HE Admissions @ Newcastle College tailors SPA good practice:
http://www.spa.ac.uk/support/goodpractice/
4)
Promoted the professionalism of College HE admissions staff… the merits for Personal and Professional
Development (PPD) as a significant contribution towards the sustainability of the HE Offer…
So why conditions now warrant a comprehensive review of centralized admissions?
Considerations…
‘…all the points of interaction between HE (in FE) and a potential student . As a precursor to the Student
Experience - the merits of which will, ultimately improve retention and improvement:’
http://www.spa.ac.uk/support/applicantexperience/ - accessed 9 June 2014.
1)
Influencing Recruitment: using UCAS ‘Course Collect’ platform to your advantage…
2)
Centralized Admissions: reasoning for comprehensive review of current practices…
3)
Merits of Centralized & Devolved Decision-making in the context of internal & external progression (with
special reference to Business & Enterprise, Health & Social Care, Creative Industries)…
4)
Type[s] of Quality infrastructure to oversee centralized admissions (in the context of QAA UK Quality
Code Chapter B2: recruitment, selection & admission…)
UCAS College HE Advisory Group…

Inaugural meeting, Cheltenham, 20 March 2014

Second meeting, Cheltenham, 16 June 2014

Provides UCAS with the representative voice of Colleges delivering HE; …acting as a conduit for
communication & consultation…

Outcomes will feed into UCAS Change Steering Group and will inform future developments to the shared
admissions service

Excellent response from the sector, will continue to ensure the Group is representative of colleges using
UCAS’ HE admissions service

For further information contact Paul Sisterson paul.sisterson@ncl-coll.ac.uk & Caroline Cowburn
c.cowburn@ucas.com
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Confirmation and Clearing 2014 issues
Dan Shaffer, Head of Professionalism in Admissions
Planning and managing admissions
overview
keep
up to
date
review
collaboration
enact
predict
be
ready
Issues at Confirmation and Clearing
 Staffing
 System and data issues
 Managing student number controls
 Conflict between getting numbers and fair
admissions
 Progression of own internal students against
external recruitment
 Conflict between Partner HEP control and own
college autonomy
To avoid issues at Confirmation and Clearing
Improving the applicant experience into HE
•
SPA’s Applicant Experience Strategy built under four broad stages
preapplication

application
postapplication
transition
Adopted a behavioural view of ‘experience’
Interactive participation and engagement,
not a passive journey

Linked and underpinned through effective
information,
ing
advice
sing and
guidance
ing
www.spa.ac.uk/applicant-experience
Most common reasons for early drop-out
According to National Audit Office reports 2002 and 2007:
Personal reasons
Lack of integration
Dissatisfaction with course/institution
Lack of preparedness
Wrong choice of course
Financial reasons
To take up a more attractive opportunity
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Thank you
enquiries@spa.ac.uk 01242 544891
www.spa.ac.uk