Aimhigher Integration in the West

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Aimhigher Integration in the West

• Mike Farmer (Western Partnership for Widening
  Participation)
• Nigel Tong (Bristol Excellence in Cities)

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Western Partnership Area

• Gloucester and Cheltenham
• Bristol and Bath
• Weston-S-Mare and Bridgwater
• Swindon, Trowbridge and North Wiltshire
• North Somerset

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(No Transcript)
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Western Partnership Area

• 6 partnerships (1 P4P, 5 EC)
• 4 LSCs
• 8 LEAs
• 140 Schools
• 6 HEIs
• 18 FECs
• Variable HE participation rates
• Variable economic wealth
• 3 areas of minority ethnic populations

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Western Partnership Area (2)

• LSCs
• Gloucestershire
• West of England
• Swindon Wilts (part)
• Somerset (part)

• LEAs
• Gloucestershire
• South Gloucestershire
• Bristol
• Bath NE Somerset
• N Somerset
• Swindon
• Wiltshire (part)
• Somerset (part)

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Young participation in HE

• LSC
• Gloshire 34
• Swdn Wilts 31
• Somset 31
• West of E 28
• Source HEFCE POLAR

• LEA
• Wilts 35
• Glos 34
• BNES 34
• N Som 33
• Som 31
• S Glos 29
• Bristol 23
• Swindon 23

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Western Partnership Area (4)

• Population 2m
• 360,000 young
• 2 ethnic minority overall
• Gloucester 5.7,
• Bristol 5.1,
• Swindon 3.1
• Source SWRDA State of the Region 2002

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Western Partnership Area

• GDP per head (UK 100)
• Swindon 144
• Bristol 123
• Gloshire 105
• N Somset 105
• Bath NE Som 93
• S Glos 93
• Wilts 93
• Somerset 87 Source Regional Trends 2001

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Western Partnership Area (3)

• Six Partnerships
• WP4WP (P4P)
• Bristol EiC
• Gloucester EAZ
• Bridgwater EAZ
• Weston-S-Mare EAZ (now N Somerset Aimhigher
  Partnership)
• Swindon EC (from Jan 2004)

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Baseline Finance (2003/4)

• Total 2m approx
• WP4WP 40
• Bristol 40
• W-S-M 10
• Gloucester 3.3
• Bridgwater 3.3
• Swindon 3.3

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Partnership work in progress

• Informal joint EC/P4P meetings (from May 2003)
• Build trust
• Share information
• Plans
• Finance
• Funding regimes
• Processes and structures

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Partnership work in progress (2)

• Partnership of partnerships
• Transitional structures
• Planning group (about 10)
• Planner Chair (ECP4P)
• Area Steering Group (about 30)
• Unifying developments (vision, entitlement,
  targeting, tracking)

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EC contribution

• Strong steering group
• Partnership working
• Research projects
• Curriculum and professional development

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EC concerns

• Being told what to do
• Dilution of existing programmes
• Threat to embedded work
• Over-complicated evaluation
• Serving double masters

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Opportunities

• Broader range of opportunities from HEIs
• Developing curriculum materials
• Demystifying routes to HE
• Professional development for schools and
  Connexions staff

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Issues

• Targeting
• Supply side v demand side
• Thematic v geographical organisation
• Boundaries (internal and external)
• Achieving legitimacy
• Time!
• Legal

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Uncertainties

• Funding formula and distribution
• Funding for planning
• Phasing of funding guarantees
• Other programmes (eg NMPP)

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Phases

• Ground clearing Now January 2004
• Planning January July 2004
• Integration August 2004 July 2006
• Full operation Aug 2006 onwards