Finance is a barrier for vulnerable and low-income students and as a part of good practice should be disseminated as obligatory, as it impacts the student experience. Almost 50 per cent of BAME students come from low-income families (Palmer 2012). This initiative ensures that staff who deliver university talks in schools always include student finance – at least the basics. It also maintains that all recruitment and WP staff receive refreshers from the SLC Funding Information Team to ensure they provide accurate information at all events. Finally, it ensures the OfS as part of their APP include student finance as statutory part of delivery to schools & at events.
Resources required:
- Integrate advice from SLC.
Available evidence of impact:
- Can affect retention and recruitment number for students.
Links to available resources:
Implementation and potential challenges:
- Embed support for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
How to Use:
Consider embedding into to support and advice for students from economically disadvantaged circumstances. Follow these good practices:
- Funding Information Account Managers should contribute to the Access and Participation Plans as follows: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/about/key-performance-measures/
- ‘All students, from all backgrounds, with the ability and desire to undertake higher education, are supported to access, succeed in, and progress from higher education.’
We will continue to explore this issue in dialogue with providers and partnerships. This could include providers:
- Working longer-term and collaboratively to achieve their targets, for example through local partnerships, including with schools and colleges.
- Create an evidence-based strategy to address the issues.
- Create an evaluation strategy to ensure best use of limited resource.
- All WP and Recruitment Teams receiving a training session or refresher update one a year – contact your Regional Funding Information Manager.
Using SLC (SFE/SFW) slides within presentations for school talks and introduce student finance into their delivery, which should include information on Disability student Allowance as these students are unaware of their entitlement. SLC Funding Information Team provide a set of slides for HELOA. Their members can download these form the HELOA website. HELOA can request more in depth slides if required.
