Closing the Gap Sample Clauses
The "Closing the gap" clause is designed to address and resolve any discrepancies or shortfalls that may arise between the parties' expectations and the actual outcomes under an agreement. In practice, this clause typically outlines procedures for identifying gaps—such as unmet deliverables, performance shortfalls, or financial differences—and specifies how these should be remedied, which may include additional work, compensation, or renegotiation. Its core function is to ensure that both parties are protected from unforeseen differences and that the agreement remains fair and balanced by providing a clear mechanism for addressing and correcting any such issues.
Closing the Gap work with Schools
Closing the Gap. Response and initial findings at City
6.3.1 To further enable decision-making based on evidence, City has used OFFA’s statistical tool to model the impact of our financial support in previous years. We analysed the impact of bursaries awarded to 2009 and 2012 first-year cohorts (2009: Maintenance Grant, 2012: National Scholarship Scheme). The main findings have informed the decisions below.
6.3.2 The rationale for changes to our financial support comes from analysing the differential outcomes of two year groups, in line with OFFA’s toolkit. For each year analysed, financial support yields some positive results for recipient groups. We therefore consider it appropriate to continue providing financial support at the current level while we conduct further analysis across subsequent years.
6.3.3 For the 2009 cohort, students who were prioritised as grant recipients (care leavers) were more likely to continue in their studies. In statistical terms, holding all other variables constant in the model, the estimated odds of completing a degree for priority-bursary holders (care leavers) were more than 11 times the odds of the comparator group (students from similar financial backgrounds but without the support of a financial bursary).
6.3.4 Receipt of the highest value award in 2012 correlated with a higher probability of success for students from low-income backgrounds (supported by anecdotal data from bursary recipients). Holding all other variables constant in the model, the odds of completing the first year were 161% higher for low-income students in receipt of a bursary than the odds of completion for the comparator group of low-income students without a bursary. We can therefore infer that there is a statistically significant association between being a low-income bursary holder and increased odds of completing the first year of studies in comparison to the comparator group.
6.3.5 From this we might infer that bursaries are more effective in overcoming disadvantage if they are of higher value, while retaining an element of prioritisation. As there is an early indication of a positive impact, we consider it premature to reduce the amount directed to financial support at this time. We will therefore restructure our financial support, combining the means-tested aspect, priority criteria and higher-value. We will guarantee awards based on more specific criteria.
6.3.6 We will monitor and evaluate our new scheme to check whether our changes have led to the assumed...