Equal Opportunities and Diversity

Equal Opportunities and Diversity

Annual Report 2007

Equal Opportunities and Diversity

Annual Report 2007

Contents

Section / Page
1. Introduction / 3
2. Summary
Equal Opportunities group activities
2006-2007 / 3
3. Monitoring data / 4
3.1 Enrolments
3.2 Admissions
3.3 Retention
3.4 Achievement
3.5 Success rates
3.6 Value added
3.7 Student voice analysis
3.8 Racist incidents
3.9 Staffing
3.10Additional Learning Support
4. Review of 2006-2007 / 11
Targets for 2006-2007
Progress against action plan
5. The year ahead 2007-2008 / 12
Targets for 2007-2008
Action plan for 2007-2008

Introduction

In January 2007 Ofsted reported on the College.

“There is wide promotion of equality of opportunity. The college has a self critical culture which enables it to identify and address issuesand develop good provision further…”

“The college has increased its recruitment of Black and minority ethnic students steadily over the last five years, to a level much higher than that in the area…”

“The college is effectively promoting equality ofopportunity, including race equality, and has made particularly good progress on itsdisability action plan. It assesses learners’ achievements by ethnic group, andcelebrates the cultural diversity of the students.”

Ofsted 2007

The promotion of equal opportunities lies at the heart of the work of the College. This annual report is a review of the progress of this work in 2006-2007.

2. Summary of Equal Opportunities group’s activities 2006 - 2007

The College Disability Equality Scheme and Action Plan were published on our website in November 2006.

The College Gender Equality Scheme and Action Plan were published on our website March 2007.

Student ‘Diversity’ posters were displayed in corridors and in classrooms (students: languages spoken and countries of origin. Parents: countries of origin).

A wide variety of student cultural events took place including Black History Month celebrations, Chinese New Year, African & Caribbean Leukaemia Trust talk, anti-bullying week plus tutorials on Refugees: exploring the myths, and on Harassment.

The tutorial on Harassment was updated to include Homophobia.
Staff training sessions on Homophobia were held in November 2006.
The Equal Opportunities group had in-house training on DED (what now constitutes a disability).

The Student Support Team evaluations were analysed by both ethnicity and gender (July 2007).

Admissions data was also analysed and discussed by Equal Opportunities group.
The results of the L6 Student Survey suggested that some black students did not feel safe in the College: these findings were explored through focus groups.

The group suggested changes to sign-in procedures so that students receiving EMA were not ‘doubly disadvantaged’ if they were later than 5 minutes to lessons.

ESL learners were followed up through case conferences, through referrals to Additional Learning Support and through their GCSE courses.

In addition to the above the major new building project is fully DDA compliant.

3. Monitoring data

The College monitors its work in a variety of ways to make sure any practices which could have discriminatory outcomes are identified and addressed. Where possible methods of promoting equality of opportunity further will be sought.

What follows is a summary of the data on which this monitoring is based.

3.1 Enrolments

The table below shows enrolment data by ethnicity for the last five years.

Cohort / 2002-03 / 2003-04 / 2004-05 / 2005-06 / 2006-07
White / White British / 33% / 33% / 32% / 31% / 35%
White Other / 8% / 8% / 10% / 11% / 9%
White Irish / 2% / 1% / 1% / 1% / 1%
Total / 42% / 42% / 43% / 42% / 45%
Asian / Indian / 18% / 20% / 18% / 16% / 13%
Other Asian / 4% / 6% / 7% / 6% / 5%
Chinese / 3% / 3% / 3% / 3% / 3%
Bangladeshi / 3% / 2% / 2% / 2% / 3%
Pakistani / 2% / 2% / 2% / 1% / 3%
Total / 31% / 33% / 32% / 32% / 27%
Black / Black African / 5% / 7% / 7% / 6% / 7%
Black Caribbean / 3% / 3% / 3% / 3% / 4%
Other Black / 1% / 1% / 1% / 1% / 1%
Total / 8% / 11% / 11% / 10% / 11%
Mixed / Other Mixed / 4% / 4% / 4% / 4% / 5%
White/Asian / 2% / 2% / 2% / 2% / 2%
White/Black Caribbean / 1% / 1% / 1% / 1% / 1%
White/Black African / 0% / 0% / 1% / 1% / 1%
Mixed Total / 7% / 7% / 7% / 8% / 9%
Other / Other Total / 5% / 5% / 5% / 6% / 6%

The proportion of White students enrolled in 2006-07 was 3% higher than in the previous year and there was a drop in the proportion of Asian students. There was no significant change for the other groups. More specifically, the growth is particularly with white British students whereas students from Indian backgrounds make up a decreasing fraction.

However, it should be borne in mind that in the London North area 30% of the population are from minority ethnic groups yet these groups continue to constitute 55% of enrolments.

The female:male ratio narrowed very slightly leaving a gap of 10 percentage points. (See below – admissions)

3.2 Admissions

The chart below compares the application and enrolment rates for each aggregated ethnic group. This shows a continuation of the pattern from the previous year with black students being the least successful in their applications and white students being the most successful. This is not necessarily due to discrimination in College admissions procedures but is more likely to reflect the relative academic strength of applications and of distance from the College.

The table below shows the percentage of applications and enrolments by gender. The ten percent gender gap in enrolments referred to above, may be explained in part because there were more female applicants and this may have been amplified because they were relatively more successful at GCSE.

Female / Male
Applications / 53 / 47
Enrolments / 55 / 45

3.3 Retention

The following tables show retention by ethnic group and by gender over the last five years.

Cohort / 2002-03 / 2003-04 / 2004-05 / 2005-06 / 2006-07
White / White British / 98% / 97% / 97% / 99% / 98%
White Other / 99% / 98% / 96% / 98% / 100%
White Irish / 100% / 100% / 100% / 100% / 100%
Total / 98% / 97% / 97% / 99% / 98%
Asian / Indian / 99% / 98% / 99% / 100% / 99%
Other Asian / 100% / 100% / 100% / 98% / 98%
Chinese / 97% / 100% / 96% / 100% / 97%
Bangladeshi / 100% / 100% / 90% / 95% / 100%
Pakistani / 100% / 100% / 93% / 100% / 97%
Total / 99% / 99% / 98% / 99% / 98%
Black / Black African / 100% / 100% / 100% / 100% / 100%
Black Caribbean / 96% / 100% / 100% / 97% / 94%
Other Black / 100% / 83% / 100% / 100% / 100%
Total / 99% / 99% / 100% / 98% / 98%
Mixed / Other Mixed / 89% / 97% / 97% / 95% / 96%
White/Asian / 100% / 100% / 100% / 100% / 95%
White/Black Caribbean / 92% / 90% / 100% / 100% / 100%
White/Black African / 100% / 100% / 88% / 100% / 100%
Mixed Total / 93% / 97% / 97% / 100% / 97%
Other / Other Total / 98% / 94% / 98% / 98% / 100%
2002 / 2003 / 2004 / 2005 / 2006
Female / 99% / 98% / 98% / 99% / 99%
Male / 97% / 98% / 98% / 98% / 97%

Retention remains very high across all groups of students.

3.4Achievement

The following tables show achievement by ethnic group and by gender over the last five years.

Cohort / 2002-03 / 2003-04 / 2004-05 / 2005-06 / 2006-07
White / White British / 97% / 94% / 96% / 97% / 96%
White Other / 93% / 91% / 95% / 98% / 96%
White Irish / 90% / 95% / 96% / 100% / 96%
Total / 96% / 94% / 96% / 97% / 96%
Asian / Indian / 92% / 95% / 97% / 95% / 95%
Other Asian / 96% / 93% / 95% / 97% / 95%
Chinese / 93% / 92% / 97% / 95% / 97%
Bangladeshi / 91% / 93% / 94% / 91% / 96%
Pakistani / 97% / 97% / 96% / 96% / 96%
Total / 93% / 94% / 96% / 95% / 96%
Black / Black African / 89% / 95% / 98% / 98% / 96%
Black Caribbean / 96% / 94% / 95% / 92% / 96%
Other Black / 94% / 100% / 95% / 95% / 97%
Total / 92% / 95% / 97% / 96% / 96%
Mixed / Other Mixed / 91% / 89% / 92% / 96% / 94%
White/Asian / 94% / 93% / 91% / 99% / 99%
White/Black Caribbean / 86% / 100% / 97% / 94% / 100%
White/Black African / 100% / 100% / 100% / 92% / 93%
Mixed Total / 92% / 93% / 93% / 96% / 96%
Other / Other Total / 91% / 88% / 95% / 94% / 95%
2002-03 / 2003-04 / 2004-05 / 2005-06 / 2006-07
Female / 95% / 95% / 97% / 96% / 97%
Male / 92% / 92% / 95% / 95% / 95%

Similarly, all achievement rates are good though with a little more variation than retention rates. Male students are slightly more likely not to achieve their qualifications. All of the major ethnic categories have 95-96% achievement rates.

3.5 Success rates

Success rates combine retention figures with achievement data and are shown on the graph below. For the major ethnic categories the rates range from 90-93%. When looked at in smaller ethnic groups there is more variation and some of the mixed parentage groups have either very high or very low success rates. This may be the result of small groups being disproportionately influenced by the outcomes of one or two individuals but it may be worth monitoring.The same applies to Black Caribbean and Other Asian which are larger groups with below 90% success rates.

When analysed by gender, success rates at subject level show a contrast between 89% for male students and 93% for female students.

2002-03 / 2003-04 / 2004-05 / 2005-06 / 2006-07
Female / 94% / 92% / 94% / 94% / 93%
Male / 89% / 89% / 92% / 91% / 89%
Total / 92% / 90% / 93% / 93% / 92%

3.6 Value added

Value added analysis compares students’ A Level results with their qualifications when they joined the College, the standardised residual being a measure of the distance travelled.

Female / Male
A2 / Average GCSE score / 6.7 / 6.6
Students / Average A2 standardised residual (ALIS) / 0.4 / 0.1

The table above shows that female students completing their second year were slightly better qualified when they joined the College as measured by their average GCSE scores. When viewed in relation to their prior attainment they also achieved slightly more highly.

3.7Student voice

At the end of the academic year an online survey was conducted which contained the same questions as the previous year. This was done as a way of exploring whether there had been any change in how students reported their experiences.

‘I feel safe in the college.’

Gender / Agree / Disagree
Male / 98% / 2%
Female / 97% / 3%
Ethnicity
Asian / 98% / 2%
Black / 100% / 0%
Mixed / 100% / 0%
Other / 96% / 4%
White / 95% / 5%

Almost all students feel safe in the College. In nearly all groups the percentage reporting that they agreed with the statement had risen from the previous year and this is the statement with the highest level of agreement overall. Black students had reported feeling the least safe last year yet this year all reported feeling safe in the College.

‘I would recommend the College to a friend.’

Gender / Agree / Disagree
Male / 90% / 10%
Female / 81% / 19%
Ethnicity
Asian / 87% / 13%
Black / 87% / 13%
Mixed / 82% / 18%
Other / 88% / 12%
White / 86% / 14%

Conversely, students reported being less likely than in the previous year to recommend the College. There also appeared to be a potential gender effect which would be interesting to look at in more detail. Mixed parentage students formed the ethnic groupleast likely to recommend the College.

‘The College gives us all an equal chance to succeed.’

Gender / Agree / Disagree
Male / 94% / 6%
Female / 86% / 14%
Ethnicity
Asian / 91% / 9%
Black / 100% / 0%
Mixed / 82% / 18%
Other / 88% / 12%
White / 91% / 9%

Overall, students were more in agreement with this than last year. Again there would appear to be a difference in the perception of male and female students. Mixed parentage students were less likely to perceive the college as giving students an equal chance to succeed.

‘There is a good range of sporting and recreational opportunities.’

Gender / Agree / Disagree
Male / 78 / 22
Female / 79 / 21
Ethnicity
Asian / 76 / 24
Black / 67 / 33
Mixed / 55 / 45
Other / 80 / 20
White / 91 / 9

There were slightly lower levels of satisfaction this year with the enrichment and sporting opportunities offered. However, this was a year when there was no on site gymnasium and students taking part in some activities had the inconvenience of going to the facilities of another school. Again, mixed parentage students were the least positive in their responses.

3.8Racist Incidents

There were no recorded racist incidents this year. The procedure for logging this will be built in to the Action Plan for 2007/8.

3.9Staffing

The college employs 64 teaching staff and 24 support staff – some of whom are part time. In both categories most staff are female.

All staff / Teaching staff and SMT / Support staff
Nos. / Percentage / Nos. / Percentage / Nos. / Percentage
Female / 56 / 64% / 40 / 62% / 16 / 67%
Male / 32 / 36% / 24 / 38% / 8 / 33%

In terms of ethnicity the majority of staff (76%) declare themselves to be ‘White British’. The second largest group is ‘Other white’ (9%). This gives a total of 85% of staff recorded as white compared with 90% for the previous year. There was a corresponding increase in the percentage of staff who are Asian. However, the ethnic composition is not nearly as diverse as the student body, nor even of the local area (LB Barnet population recorded as 74% white in 2001).

Staff ethnicity / 2007 / 2006
Black / 3 / 3
Asian / 10 / 7
White / 85 / 90
Other / mixed / 1 / 0
Staff ethnicity / All staff / Teaching staff and SMT / Support staff
Nos. / Nos. / Nos.
Black African / 2 / 2 / 0
Black Caribbean / 1 / 1 / 0
Bangladeshi / 1 / 1 / 0
Chinese / 2 / 1 / 1
Indian / 2 / 0 / 2
Other Asian / 2 / 2 / 0
Pakistani / 2 / 2 / 0
Mixed parentage / 1 / 1 / 0
Other White / 8 / 7 / 1
White British / 67 / 47 / 20

3.10 Additional Learning Support

The College has a thorough system for screening, diagnosing and providing opportunities for students to disclose any additional learning needs. 154 students (15%) received some form of support during the year though this varied quite considerably both in type and quantity. Some students received an hour or two of study skills support whereas others may have had weekly sessions to help with specific difficulties, psychological tests and special examination conditions.

Value added analysis suggests this support is effective. A2 students in receipt of substantial ALS and having special examination provision had positive VA outcomes of 0.33 compared with 0.11 for the cohort generally. Students with just one of these forms of support also had higher average VA scores.

4. Review of 2006-2007

Targets for 2006-07

Target / Outcome
Success rates for all ethnicity and gender groupings of at least 90% / Not achieved – ‘Other’ students had a success rate of 87%.
Achieved for all gender and major ethnic categories apart from this.
Sustained trends of non-negative added value for all ethnicity and gender groups in allcurriculum areas / Positive VA measures when aggregated by gender.
Increase proportion of teaching and support staff from minority ethnic groups. / Not achieved.

Action plan for 06-07

Action planned / Progress
Draw up and implement new timetable for policy impact reviews / Formal timetable NOT completed
Review Equal Opportunities Policy, incorporating Race Equality Scheme / Disability and Gender Equality duties responded to. College published Disability and Gender Equality schemes and Action Plan
Increase awareness activities amongst staff and students on issues around homophobia / Harassment tutorial extended to cover Homophobia. All staff attended INSET on Homophobia in Nov 06
Investigate reasons underlying ethnic discrepancies in student survey results / Discrepancies unpacked through focus groups (e.g. black students feeling ‘unsafe’ in College)
Discuss College systems for recording racist incidents and amend as necessary / Systems discussed. Formal procedures in place for Autumn Term 07
Training in child protection, equality & discrimination, DDA compliance / Full staff INSET update on Child Protection Procedures (Dec 06). Equal Opps group updates on Equality duties and new descriptions of ‘disability’

5. The year ahead

5.1 Targets for 2007-2008

Success rates for all ethnicity and gender groupings of at least 90%
Sustained trends of non-negative added value for all ethnicity and gender groups in all curriculum areas
Increase proportion of teaching and support staff from minority and ethnic groups

5.2 Action Plan for 2007-2008

Finalize the Single Equality Scheme and Action Plan, merging our Race Equality Policy with the Disability and Gender Equality Duties.

Review Complaint’s Procedures, train HODs in how to log incidents, and ensure that students know how to access the procedures.

Ensure that the results of student evaluations are available to students and staff on the VLE.

Continue to carry out impact measures and draw up review timetable (e.g. progression data for HE).

Departmental lesson observations to include comments on Equal Opps and make specific reference to gender, ethnicity and disability where relevant.

Departmental SARs to make explicit reference to gender/ethnicity and disability.

Ensure that the timetable for action on the Equality duties is being adhered to.

Investigate gender and ethnicity issues with relation to student feedback to statements ‘I would recommend the college to a friend’ and ‘The College gives us all an equal chance to succeed’.

Analyse UCAS data by ethnicity, gender and disability, and investigate the question of whether males achieve more highly and if so are they more successful at getting into university.

Explore further the lower success rate of 87% for the ethnicity category ‘Other Students’.

Monitor staff and students in relation to the College’s Disability Equality Scheme.

- 1 -