Access Performance and Regional Context Clause Samples

Access Performance and Regional Context. The University of Manchester is already positioned favourably against a range of publicly available indicators of fair access. Among our research-intensive ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Group peers we perform at the very top end in relation to the number of students progressing from state schools and colleges, lower socio-economic groups and low participation neighbourhoods and have consistently met “benchmark” figures laid down by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. Since data on performance in relation to these access indicators have been published it is possible to see an overall improvement in our performance (figure 1) and the University intends to maintain this progress over time. Our priorities for ensuring fair access to our degree programmes are also drawn up in the context of the high levels of deprivation and depressed levels of educational performance within our locality and the unambiguous commitment to serving to address this within our strategic plan. Our 2015 Agenda sets out our vision of being at once an international and Manchester institution – dedicated to serving the people of Manchester and England’s North West by working with the local community and its leaders to enrich the social, economic, cultural and intellectual life within the region we serve. The Greater Manchester Sub-Region contains two major cities, Manchester and Salford, and eight metropolitan authorities, each containing large towns with their own character. Across Greater Manchester 32% of the population live in income support dependent families, increasing to 54% in the most deprived wards. In England’s 100 most deprived Super Output Areas (SOAS), Greater Manchester features 32 times including significant parts of Manchester, Rochdale, Oldham and Salford5. Currently only 26%6 of young people from Greater Manchester enter higher education each year and in the cities of Manchester and Salford progression drops to 18% and 17%7 respectively. In addition, average achievement in Greater Manchester at GCE/VCE level is some 238 points compared to the English average of 259.8 The University therefore takes seriously its role raising aspirations to, and awareness of, higher education learning opportunities 1 Towards Manchester 2015: The Strategic Plan of The University of Manchester 2 In 2006/07 the tuition fee level was set at £3,000 and will rise thereafter at an inflationary rate as set out by the SLC and DIUS.