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Academic Board
22 March 2017
Agenda item 17.32: STUDENT DIVERSITY
Summary
The report shows gaps and trends for student enrolments providing HE sector
comparisons where available and highlights some of the key patterns from the data.
Purpose of paper
The report fulfils our statutory duty to monitor student activity against the four protected
characteristics: gender, age, ethnicity and disability, set out in the Equality Act 2010.
Action required
Consideration and action if appropriate.
Responsibility for progress
Director of Academic Services
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STUDENT DIVERSITY REPORT 2015/16
1. INTRODUCTION
This report fulfils our statutory duty to monitor student activity against the four protected
characteristics: gender, age, ethnicity and disability, set out in the Equality Act 2010. The
report does not include sexual orientation, religion and belief or gender identity as this
information is not currently collected at institutional or indeed at national level.
It shows gaps and trends for student enrolments providing HE sector comparisons where
available and highlights some of the key patterns from the data.
The report relates to the 2015/16 academic year, based on our latest submitted HESA
Student Return (31 October 2016), Annual Course Monitoring and the FE Self Assessment
Report.
2. GENDER
Across HE & FE, 1304 (46%) female students and 1308 (55%) male students enrolled.
Last year, 52% were male and 48% were female and in 2013/14, only 45% were female
and 55% were male.
The gender picture at institutional level continues to mask significant differences across
levels and courses.
A. Total Enrolments 2015/16 by Level: Gender
n
Male
Female
FE
UG
PG
66%
45%
50%
420
2110
82
34%
55%
50%
Further Education
66% of enrolments at FE level in 2015/16 were female (276) and 34% were male (144).
Last year, 68% of students were female (237) and 32% male (102). This reflects national
patterns for provision of the type, level and subject area. Female students continue to
make up the majority of students. More detail is available within the statistical annex of
Ravensbourne’s FE Self Assessment Report.
Higher Education
47% of enrolments at HE level in 2015/16 were female (1028) and 53% were male (1164).
This is more balanced than 2014/15 when 56% were male and 44% were female and
much more balanced than 2013/14 when nearly 60% of enrolments were male and only
40% were female.
B. HE Enrolments 2015/16 by Gender
PG
UG
Total
Male
41
1123
1164
50%
53%
53%
Female
41
987
1028
50%
47%
47%
Total
82
2110
2192
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The improvement is accounted for by continuing growth in female applications and
enrolments at UG level. 54% of applications to undergraduate courses came from female
applicants in 2015/16 compared to 48% in the previous year.
As noted in previous reports Ravensbourne’s pattern of enrolment has been distinctive so
this increasing balance is to be welcomed. Over the last ten years, there were consistently
more female students than male students in higher education nationally (Equality inHigher-Education-Statistical-Report-2016, ECU). The 2015/16 national data shows that
over 56% of all HE students were female and 44% were male.
3. AGE
It is appropriate to consider age in relation to the sector norms for FE and HE and to
monitor relative to these, given the obvious differences in age profile between these
sectors.
Further Education
Unsurprisingly, most (308 or approximately 80%) students are aged 16-18, only 20% are
19+. These are the same proportions as last year.
Higher Education
Ravensbourne’s UG HE student profile is not significantly different to the pattern seen
nationally in the HE population where over 69% of students are aged under 21 according
to the last published ECU figures. The small difference (around 2%) is probably accounted
for by the numbers of students entering from foundation, progression activity and a
proactive attitude to the recruitment of more mature students generally.
C. HE Enrolments by Age (HESA 2016)
Under 18
Total
5
UG
5
PG
0
2015/16
0
2014/15
0%
2013/14
0%
18 to 20
1415
1415
0
65%
66%
67%
21 to 24
597
576
21
27%
25%
25%
25 to 29
95
66
29
4%
5%
4%
30 to 39
54
34
20
4%
4%
3%
40 +
16
6
10
0%
0%
0%
65 % of students were aged 18-20 66% of students. 27% were aged 21-24 compared to
compared to 25% last year.
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4. DISABILITY
Across HE and FE, 437 students were recorded as a disability in 2015/16 or nearly 18% of
the student population. This is up from 352 declarations in the previous or 15%. This is the
same proportion as 2013/14 when 331 were recorded.
18% of FE students declared a disability which was the same as the previous year. 7% of
all FE students declared a learning disability.
Over 16% of HE students declared a disability compared to 14% in the previous year.
Learning disabilities (e.g. dyslexia) continue to comprise the largest single category of
disability with nearly 10% of all HE students did the same.
2015/16 HE Disability Declarations by
Category
Multiple disability
2%
Long standing
illness
11%
Other
7%
Autistic spectrum
6%
Specific
Learning
Difficulty
58%
mental health
12%
Physical or
mobility
1%
Blind/Sight
impaired
1%
Deaf
2%
The proportion of students recorded as Disabled at Ravensbourne is higher than the
national average. According to the last published data from the Equality Challenge Unit
(Equality in higher education: statistical report 2016), nationally 10.6% of students enrolled
in HE are disabled.
5. ETHNICITY
969 students declared an ethnicity other than white. This represents 37% of the total
student population up from 36% in the previous year. This continues to be significantly
above the national average for HE in England (24%) according to the last published data
from the Equality Challenge Unit (Equality in higher education: statistical report 2016). It is
also higher than the population profile for Ravensbourne's locality (just over 30% of the
population of the Royal Borough of Greenwich are from a BME background (according to
2011 Census Data).
Further Education
The proportion of students from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background in 2015/16
was 39% which is the same proportion as the previous year.
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17% of students declared themselves as Black, African, Carribean or Black British, up 1
percentage point on the previous year. The proportion of students declaring themselves as
from a mixed ethnicity increased 2 percentage point on the previous year to 11%. The
pattern in FE has remained fairly stable over the last three years with minor in year
variations.
Higher Education
742 students identified with an ethnicity other than white representing 41 % of all students
or nearly 37% of all declarations. Last year, 34% of all students identified with an ethnicity
other than white representing 36% of all declarations.
HE Enrolments by Ethnicity
2015/16
Mixed Not known
5%
10%
Asian, Asian
British &
Other Asian
10%
Black, Black
British,
Carribean,
African &
Other
12%
Refuused
2%
Chinese
2%
White
59%
6. RETENTION AND ACHIEVEMENT BY POPULATION GROUP
Ravensbourne monitors differences in patterns of retention and achievement are
monitored annually through the FE Self Assessment Report and in Annual Course
Monitoring in HE. This section serves only as a summary as further detail is available in
those reports. Further, some research is being carried out in the detail of some of the
differences already to gain insight into differences in outcome noted in these earlier
processes and in the Retention and Achievement Report competed earlier in the year.
Gender
12% of male undergraduate students withdrew in 2015/16 in their first year compared to
10% of female undergraduate students. Male students were also more likely to repeat
units (nearly 8% as compared to 6% of female students). Female students (79%) were
five percentage points more likely more likely to progress without repeating part of their
level than male students (5%).
Female students outperformed their male counterparts in terms of achieving a first class
degree. 15% of female graduated with a first compared to 11% of males.
This institutional picture is an aggregation and is not replicated across all of the UG
courses. In fact, the reverse is true on 8 out of 18 or our UG programmes.
Similarly, female UG students outperformed males in terms of the achievement of firsts
and upper seconds (68% to 63%). In 2013/14, 63% of both males and females achieved
firsts or upper seconds.
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Degree Classification by Gender
50
45
40
35
30
25
Female
20
Male
15
10
5
0
%
%
%
%
%
%
1st
2.1
2.2
3rd
DipHE
Retake
Ethnic Group
Differences in the pattern of success and achievement across groups were subject to
deeper analysis in 2015/16. In particular, the Planning Unit conducted an analysis of
Retention and Completion and this concluded that 22% of Black of Black British students
and 24% of Mixed students did not complete the current year of programme of study in
comparison to White students where 11% did not complete their current year programme
of study.
Completion rate by Ethnic Group
White
Other
Not known/Refused
Mixed
Chinese
Black or Black British
Asian or Asian British
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Year of programme of study not yet completed, but has not failed to complete
Did not complete the current year of programme of study
Completed the current year of programme of study
Differences in the pattern of achievement across ethnicities were also seen in 2015/15.
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HE Achievement by Ethnicity
60
50
40
30
White
BME
20
10
0
%
%
%
%
%
%
1st
2.1
2.2
3rd
DipHE
Retake
8% of BME students achieved a first compared to 14% of white students. This is less of a
gap than was seen last year when 20% of whites achieved a first and only 9% of BME
students. 37% of BME students achieved an upper second compared to 50% of white
students.
Taken firsts and upper seconds together, the achievement gap is 19 percentage points.
Nationally, the gap between BME and white students in terms of the achievement of firsts
and upper seconds was 15% according to the ECU.
Disability
The proportion of students with disabilities achieving a first or upper second was higher at
Ravensbourne than for non-disabled students. 57% of students with a disability compared
to 53% of students with no declared disability. This is different to the pattern nationally
where disabled students tend to fare less well than non-disabled students.
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