Leadership

Higher Education Student Statistics: UK, 2016/17

More than one in four UK students graduated from university with a first-class degree last year, according to this Statistical First Release by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. Leadership Briefing 12.05 (137)

In 2012-13, the first year higher fees were charged, 18% got a first. Overall, 26% of graduates who completed their first undergraduate degree in the 2016-17 academic year achieved a first.

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      string(393) "The government has announced plans to crack down on grade inflation in universities amid fears that the growing number of first-class degrees being awarded to students is undermining their value. More than a quarter of graduates (26%) were awarded a first-class degree last year, up from 18% in 2012-13, according to data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency."
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      string(4349) "In order to curb the trend, experts who assess higher education providers for the government’s university ratings system will be asked to look at the percentage of firsts and 2:1s awarded by each institution. If judged excessive, the university could be downgraded. Universities will be discouraged from inflating students’ results with ‘grade inflation’ one of the key criteria institutions will be measured against in the government’s national rating system. The Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) rates universities with gold, silver or bronze scores based on a number of criteria including their overall provision, student experience, teaching quality and whether courses are sufficiently stretching enough – the government is also piloting a subject specific version of it. There will be no set targets but assessors will be asked to review the number of firsts and 2:1s each university has awarded over recent years and decide whether there has been unacceptable grade inflation. The measure will be trialled in a series of pilots in 50 institutions this year, before being formally included and used to inform university ratings in the summer of 2020. Key Findings: The data shows that last year 26 per cent of students gained a first class degree, a rise of two per cent from the previous year, and up from 18 per cent in 2012-13. Currently, universities and colleges use a range of marks achieved by students to determine the final grade of degree. Due to the autonomous nature of UK universities, these can vary between providers and subjects. British universities have been handing out higher-class degrees at an unprecedented rate over the past decade, with at least one university issuing five times as many first-class degrees last year as it did a decade before. In the 2006-7 academic year at the University of Wolverhampton 175 students (5% of the total) were awarded first-class degrees. In 2016-17, 973 students (28% of the total) were awarded firsts. In contrast, at Warwick University the proportion of first-class degrees rose from 22% in 2006-7 to 27% a decade later and the proportion of 2:1s remained the same at 54%. Surrey University awarded firsts to 41% of its graduates last year, Oxford 33% and Cambridge 32%. Further data from the publication, ‘A degree of uncertainty’ from Reform: In the mid-1990s there was no detectable ‘grade inflation’ at all, with 7 per cent of students awarded a First-class honours (‘First’), yet the upward trend in Firsts being awarded to students over the last two decades has been unrelenting. From 1997 to 2009 the proportion of Firsts almost doubled from 7 to 13 per cent, and in just seven years since 2010 the proportion of Firsts has doubled again from 13 to 26 per cent (climbing from 22 to 26 per cent in the last year alone). The percentage of students being awarded a 2:1 has also risen from 40 to 49 per cent since 1995, meaning that the proportion of students awarded either a First or 2:1 has increased from 47 to 75 per cent over this period. Of those institutions with more than 1,000 students completing their degree last year, Imperial College London tops the list at 45 per cent of their students being awarded a First, closely followed by the University of Surrey on 44 per cent. There are now 40 institutions (a quarter of all HE providers) that award Firsts to at least 30 per cent of their students. 54 institutions have seen their proportion of Firsts double or triple since 2010 (Southampton Solent University and the University of the West of Scotland even saw their proportion more than quadruple). Seven institutions have seen their proportion of Firsts rise by over 20 percentage points since 2010. Some large institutions still award a relatively small proportion of Firsts. Bath Spa University and the University of Chichester jointly award the lowest proportion at 15 per cent. WEB LINK Higher Education Student Statistics: UK, 2016/17Keywords Grade inflation, universities, first-class degrees, students, undermining value, university ratings system, national rating system "
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Leadership

Higher Education Student Statistics: UK, 2016/17

31 Oct 2018

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      string(5778) "From our Knowledge Bank Black Teachers MatterOver the past decades, race in and equality in education in the UK have been merged into broader debates on ‘diversity’. Although the merger of race equality debates points to an environment in which various issues  affecting minoritised groups and individuals are to be identified, the merging of race and ethnicity issues under a broad diversity banner has led to an invisibility of the everyday  experiences of minority ethnic staff and students  in educational institutions. Despite regulations and policy initiatives, the experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) teachers has not significantly improved as institutional practices appear to lag behind policy positions and official intents, thus creating a gap between intent and outcomes. An area of concern regards that the implementation of current regulations on racial equality in schools is not being adequately and appropriately monitored by government (Miller, 2016), which undermines any intent to change, through the creation of an environment in which schools and other educational institutions are let off the hook for not fulfilling or where they can renege on their racial equality duty.  Despite the fact the numbers of BAME students in schools is trending upwards, there is also evidence that the participation of BAME teachers remains disproportionate.  This is the same for schools serving majority white and/or majority BAME students. 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Of the 1,795,910 whose ethnicity is known, there are approximately 21% or 377,225 students from BAME backgrounds (HESA, 2016). Despite the relative numbers of BAME students enrolled in UK educational institutions, it should be noted that numbers for BAME staff and leaders do not always reflect the ethnic makeup of the student body as a whole. BAME teachers In November 2016, there were 457,300 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in England – of which 86.5% of these were White-British. The percentage of head teachers recorded as White-British was 93.1% in 2016, and 90.4% of assistant and deputy head teachers were recorded as White-British. White-British account for 86.5% (395,564). Teachers from ‘Other White Background’ (3.8% (17,377)), White-Irish (1.7% (7774), Indian (1.8% (8231)), Pakistani (1.0% (4573)) and Black Caribbean (1.0% (4573)) backgrounds are the next largest groups of teachers (DfE, 2017b).  Of the approximately 20,000 qualified BAME teachers, approximately 1,200  are in leadership roles, of which 6.9%, or just over 230, are headteachers. Although there is some increase in the numbers of BAME teachers and headteachers in post, they show only marginal improvements compared with data from previous years, up to a decade.  The progression of BAME teachers The progression of teachers and academics is a fraught, complex and contentious affair, and the progression of BAME teachers and academics is arguably more fraught, complex and contentious. There has been a sustained body of research on the progression of BAME teachers and academics, which has focused primarily on the barriers faced by BAME teacher and academics in gaining a promotion/ progression. 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Executive Leadership

Institutional Racism in Schools: What Can School Leaders And Governors Do?

8 Jun 2020

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Leadership Briefing 12.05 (137)"
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Leadership Briefing 12.05 (137)"
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      string(5049) "London alone gains £4.6bn – with Sheffield the biggest beneficiary in proportion to its economy. There are about 230,000 students arriving each year for university courses in the UK – most of them postgraduates, with China the most common country of origin. Main Findings: The top 10 constituencies with biggest economic impact from international students are: Sheffield Central Newcastle upon Tyne Nottingham South Oxford East Manchester Central Holborn and St Pancras (London) Liverpool, Riverside Cambridge East Ham (London) Birmingham, LadywoodThe number of international students coming to the United Kingdom has increased from approximately 109,000students in 2000/01 to approximately 231,065in 2015/16. China is the dominant contributor, with 62,105first-year Chinese students entering UK higher education in 2015/16. In other words, approximately one in every four international students in the 2015/16 cohort originated from China. The United States and India were the next most prolific, with 10,545 and 9,095 first year students in 2015/16, respectively. The country providing the greatest number of EU-domiciled first-year students in 2015/16 was Germany, with 7,250 students coming to the United Kingdom, closely followed by France and Italy, with 6,995 and 6,055 new students in the cohort, respectively Of the 231,065 first-year international students in 2015/16, approximately 47% (108,650)  were undertaking taught higher degrees (i.e. Masters degrees), with a further 14,885students undertaking higher research degrees (6%), and 7,195 (3%) studying for other postgraduate qualifications. Around 100,335 international students (43%) were engaged in undergraduate study (at any level), of which 84,750 (37%) were studying for an undergraduate degree and 15,585 (7%) were studying for ‘other’(non-degree level) undergraduate qualifications There were approximately 55,455 first-year students enrolled in higher education institutions based in London, with a further 26,775 attending institutions located in the South East. The next most popular region in England was the West Midlands, which hosted approximately 21,470 students. Demonstrating the spread of international students across England, there were 19,310 international students undertaking their studies in the North West, 17,240 in Yorkshire and the Humber, 13,270 in the East Midlands, and 10,735 in the North East. In relation to the other UK home nations, there were approximately 25,380 students attending higher education institutions in Scotland, with a further 11,860 in Wales and 2,445 in Northern Ireland. The total benefit to the UK economy associated with a typical EU-domiciled student was approximately £87,000, with the comparable estimate for non-EU-domiciled students standing at approximately £102,000. The difference between the two estimates is primarily driven by the relatively higher tuition fees charged to non-EU-domiciled students compared to students from (other) EU countries studying at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). Aggregating across the entire 2015/2016 cohort of first-year students, the total economic benefit of international students to the UK economy was estimated to be £22.6bn over the entire duration of their studies, of which £5.1bn is generated by EU students, and £17.5bn is generated by nonEU students. Combining information on the costs associated with the teaching grants paid to UK higher education institutions, student support, as well as the costs of providing ‘other’ public services to students and their dependants, the estimated cost to the Exchequer associated with a typical EUdomiciled student was £19,000, while the comparable figure for non-EU students was estimated to be £7,000. Aggregating across the 2015/2016 cohort of first-year students, the total costs of international students to the UK economy was estimated to be £2.3bn, split roughly equally between EUdomiciled students (£1.1bn) and non-EU-domiciled students (£1.2bn). The net economic impact was estimated to be £68,000 for each typical EU-domiciled student in the 2015/16 cohort, and £95,000 generated by each typical non-EU-domiciled student.  Across the total cohort of first-year international students enrolled with UK HEIs in the 2015/16 academic year, the total net impact of international students on the UK economy was estimated to be £20.3bn, with £4.0bn of this net impact generated by EU-domiciled students, and £16.3bn of net impact generated by non-EU-domiciled students in the cohort. WEB LINK The Costs And Benefits Of International Students By Parliamentary Constituency Keywords Costs, benefits, international students, parliamentary constituency, Higher Education, tuition fees, local economies"
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Leadership

The Costs And Benefits Of International Students By Parliamentary Constituency

16 Jan 2018

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      string(4124) "The figures show 95 recorded university student suicides for the 12 months to July 2017 in England and Wales. This is lower than for the general population of similar ages, but does not include suicides among students at further education colleges. The report provides estimates of suicides among higher education students by sex, age and ethnicity. Analysis is based on mortality records linked to Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student records. Main Points: The rate of suicide in the 12 months ending July 2017 for higher education students in England and Wales was 4.7 deaths per 100,000 students, which equates to 95 suicides; this is higher than in most of the earlier years studied, although the small numbers per year make it difficult to identify statistically significant differences. Between the 12 months ending July 2013 and the 12 months ending July 2016, higher education students in England and Wales had a significantly lower suicide rate compared with the general population of similar ages. Male higher education students had a significantly higher rate of suicide compared with female students. The number of suicides in the analysis is lower than previous Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates of student suicides; this is likely to be because this analysis focuses on higher education students only, while the ONS previous estimates will cover other students, for example, those in further education. The report identified 1,330 students who died by suicide between the 12 months ending July 2001 and the 12 months ending July 2017 through linkage with the HESA data. Of these, 878 (66%) were males and 452 (34%) were females. Over the period, the median age at death has been 26 years, with some variation over time. Undergraduates accounted for 83% of the HE student suicides (1,109 deaths) and postgraduates accounted for 17% (221 deaths). The rate for suicide in female students is significantly lower than the rate in males. This is observed when looking at overall student suicides as well as looking at the difference in studying part- or full-time, an undergraduate or postgraduate degree and the undergraduate year of study. The rate for males was 6.7 deaths per 100,000 students. Looking between categories, for example, between those studying full-time and part-time, there were no significant differences for males. The highest rate was seen in those studying an undergraduate degree, with 7.1 deaths per 100,000 students. For females, the rate of suicide was 2.8 deaths per 100,000 students, less than half that of males. Similar to males, there were no significant differences between categories. For those aged 21 to 24 years and 25 to 29 years the rate of death by suicide in those studying an undergraduate degree was significantly higher than that of postgraduates. In those not in their first year of study, students aged under 20 years had a significantly lower rate than the other age groups. The number of suicides in individuals of Black ethnicity studying postgraduate degrees was too small to create a rate. Number of deaths and populations in ethnic minorities are too small to detect any significant differences. Overall, there was a significant difference in suicide rates between students recorded as White and students recorded as Black. Those of White ethnicity had a rate of 5.1 deaths per 100,000 compared with 2.7 deaths per 100,000 for those of Black ethnicity. The rate for Asian ethnicity was 5.4 deaths per 100,000 and the rate in those classified as Other was 5.9 deaths per 100,000.. WEB LINK Estimating Suicide Among Higher Education Students, England And Wales: Experimental StatisticsKeywords Suicide rates, deaths, higher education students, sex, age, ethnicity, males, females "
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Leadership

Estimating Suicide Among Higher Education Students, England And Wales

26 Jun 2018