1. BME student attainment Claire Herbert Equality Challenge Unit16 February 2012

2. Our work • Established in 2001 to promote equality for staff in higher education in the UK • Remit extended in 2006 to include students • Funded by the 4 UK higher education funding Councils, Universities UK and GuildHE • 18 staff, covering 9 protected characteristics • From August 2011 working with colleges in Scotland

3. Source: ECU publication ‘Equality in higher education: Statistical report 2010.’

4. Complexity

5. Summit programme • 15 institutions in 2008-09 • Purpose was to explore the approaches taken by institutions to tackle attainment differentials • Number of BME students did not seem to impact on attainment rates • Need to shift away from a legislative approach (Singh) • Work is at an early stage (Action on Access) • The most popular type of intervention seems to be mentoring and creation of a role model

6. Policy focus Organisational • Inclusive learning and teaching • Internationalisation of the curriculum • Individual • Raising BME student aspirations • Supporting BME students to succeed

7. Moving the work forward • Symposium and research with HE Academy • Systemic change project • Unconscious bias

8. What is culture change? • I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time. • I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented. (and positively represented) • When I am told about our national heritage or about "civilization," I am shown that people of my colour made it what it is.

9. What is culture change? • I can be pretty sure of having my voice heard in a group in which I am the only member of my race. • I can be pretty sure that my children's teachers and employers will tolerate them if they fit school and workplace norms; my chief worries about them do not concern others' attitudes toward their race. • I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their race.

10. What is culture change? • I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race. • I can easily buy posters, post-cards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys and children's magazines featuring people of my race. • I can worry about racism without being seen as self-interested or self-seeking. • If my day, week or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative episode or situation whether it had racial overtones.

11. History of higher education Who was the monarch when King’s College, Cambridge was founded? 50:50 B: Henry VI A: Edward II (1422 – 1461) (1307 – 1327) C: William II (1087 – 1100) D: Charles II (1660 – 1685)

12. Oldest universities in the world..... 2). University of Al Karouine, Fes, Morocco: 859 3). Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt: 970-972 4). Nizamiyya, Iran: 1065 Nalanda University: 2000 year old Buddhist University near Rajgir, northern India (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/oldest-university-on-earth-is-reborn-after-800-years-2042518.html) 5). University of Bologna, Italy: 1088 www.collegestats.org

13. ECU contact details and any questions? 7th Floor Queens House 55/56 Lincoln's Inn Fields London WC2A 3LJ Tel: 0207 438 1010 Fax: 0207 438 1011 info@ecu.ac.uk www.ecu.ac.uk Claire.herbert@ecu.ac.uk 020 7438 1016