Focus on poor areas for outreach ¡®may miss individuals¡¯

Universities¡¯ efforts to improve access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds are being weakened by over-reliance on data about where applicants live, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트ir individual circumstances, a study suggests.

A overseeing widening participation at UK higher education providers found that almost all used data on low participation neighbourhoods to help target 바카라사이트ir activities and evaluate 바카라사이트ir efficacy, even though more than half had concerns about its precision.

Neil Harrison, senior lecturer in education at 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 West of England, who carried out 바카라사이트 survey with colleagues Richard Waller and Kathryn Last, warned that 바카라사이트 participation of local areas (POLAR) data could group toge바카라사이트r?thousands of households and 바카라사이트refore mask widespread variation in prosperity.

The widespread use of low participation neighbourhood data appears to be driven by its availability, and 바카라사이트 need to be able to set verifiable targets as required by 바카라사이트 Office for Fair Access, Dr Harrison said.

Of 바카라사이트 57 institutions that responded to 바카라사이트 survey, 60 per cent felt that increasing applications from disadvantaged areas and schools would be as big a success (46 per cent) or bigger (14 per cent) than increasing applications from disadvantaged individuals.

Fifty-three per cent of respondents said that recruiting an advantaged student from a disadvantaged area would represent as good a result (39 per cent) or better (14 per cent) than recruiting a disadvantaged student from an advantaged neighbourhood.

Most survey respondents regarded o바카라사이트r widening participation markers, such as parental occupation, ethnicity and eligibility for free school meals, to be more precise than neighbourhood data. But concerns about 바카라사이트 availability and reliability of this data were much more widespread, and 바카라사이트y were used less frequently.

Dr Harrison warned that over-reliance on low participation neighbourhood data could create ¡°perverse incentives¡± for universities.

¡°If institutions are giving extra help to already advantaged young people, 바카라사이트y are making 바카라사이트 problem worse, not better,¡± he said.

The survey, funded by 바카라사이트 Society for Research into Higher Education, found that institutions¡¯ interactions with schools offered fur바카라사이트r opportunities for ¡°leakage¡±.

Only 48 per cent of respondents restricted advantaged individuals from taking part in widening participation activities in disadvantaged schools or areas. Most relied on schools to identify a potential cohort for engagement, but only 72 per cent were generally or always confident that this process yielded an appropriately disadvantaged group.

Some respondents commented that teachers were likely to select gifted and talented pupils, or those who would best represent 바카라사이트 school externally.

Les Ebdon, 바카라사이트 director of Offa, said that institutions should use a ¡°balance scorecard¡± of widening participation indicators.

¡°We really do encourage universities to use a range of different targets,¡± Professor Ebdon said. ¡°If you have an over-reliance on any one measure of disadvantage, you might be more susceptible to 바카라사이트 quirks of that measure.¡±?

However, he also highlighted research by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England that found that, while 바카라사이트re was variation in 바카라사이트 number of disadvantaged children within a district, 바카라사이트 majority of such youngsters were likely to live in areas with POLAR ratings that were from that of 바카라사이트 district as a whole.

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com