1. Application & Entry
1.1. Impact of £9,000 fees & lack of information on funding
1.1.1. Lobby for bursary support
1.1.2. Provide quality information on funding opportunities
1.2. Funding applications
1.2.1. Support in form filling
1.3. Personal statements/UCAS
1.3.1. Lobby for UCAS personal statement changes
1.3.2. 1 to 1 personal statement sessions
1.4. Clearing
1.4.1. Provide Campus visits around clearing
1.5. Commitments at home
1.5.1. Talks from students with caring responsibilities, advice on juggling home and uni work
1.5.2. Positive information on part time study
1.6. Language
1.7. Elitism
1.7.1. Meaningful quota systems across all departments
1.8. Cost implications of outreach work
1.8.1. Use external organisations to promote Uni life
1.9. Grades not matching ability
1.9.1. Lobby institution for contextual admissions
1.10. Entry Exams
1.10.1. Lobby Uni to stop them
1.11. Cost of travel
1.11.1. Funding for WP students to visit institutions of their choice
1.12. Knowledge of Uni life
1.12.1. Alternative prospectus
1.13. Influence of schools "not good enough"
1.13.1. Peer mentoring
1.14. Parental influence
1.14.1. Provide information for/work with parents
1.14.2. Include parents in open days
1.15. Preconceptions of University
1.15.1. Outreach projects
1.15.2. Community volunteering
1.15.3. SU talks
2. Pre-16
2.1. Socio-economic environment
2.2. Stereotyping and channelling of students
2.3. Attendance
2.4. GCSE Choices
2.4.1. Sessions that support pupils to make link between degree pathway and subject choice
2.5. Lack of subject knowledge - only curriculum
2.5.1. Provide broad outreach options in schools related to degree subjects not schools ones
2.5.2. Workshops from SU in extra and inter curricular life. Societies, democracy, what you can do when at Uni besides your course
2.6. Seeing HE as a "post-16" issue
2.6.1. Specific pre-16 focus
2.7. Careers & education advice
2.7.1. Providing quality careers advice in schools
2.8. Schools - bad teaching/cherry picking certain students
2.8.1. Better training for teachers
2.9. Lack of role models
2.9.1. Taking success stories back to schools
2.10. Knowledge transfer between teachers and pupils
2.10.1. University visits for teachers
2.10.2. Education programs on HE for schools staff
2.11. Lack of understanding about HE amongst young people
2.11.1. Demystify HE with workshops
2.11.2. Campus visits
2.11.3. Summer schools
2.12. Parents
2.12.1. Provide FE & HE info for parents
2.13. Problems at home
2.14. Peers
3. Retention & Student Success
3.1. Wellbeing/Welfare
3.1.1. Access to services
3.1.1.1. 24/7 online advice service
3.1.1.2. Extended opening hours to advice
3.1.1.3. Late night / weekend Exec drop ins
3.1.1.4. "Don't Drop Out, Drop In!"
3.1.1.5. Clear communication strategy of whats available *with examples*
3.2. Social support
3.2.1. Encourage living at home students to bring none HE friends to the Union
3.3. Lack of friends
3.3.1. Buddying scheme for students
3.3.2. Opportunities to make some! Promote volunteering/SU etc
3.3.2.1. Make sure SU is accessible to at home and WP students too
3.4. Lack of money
3.4.1. Make clubs/societies free to join
3.4.2. Secure financial support for students through Access Agreement
3.4.3. Need to work
3.4.3.1. Prioritise WP/access students for SU jobs. Ensures Union engagement
3.5. HE not what you expected
3.5.1. Better work at application/pre-16
3.5.2. Encouraging honesty from University in prospectus
3.5.3. Working with other SUs to provide non-recruitment driven Uni guides
3.6. Student parents
3.6.1. Provide accessible childcare
3.7. Wrong Uni
3.7.1. Advice service, support to transfer
3.7.2. "It happens". Doesn't mean you are a failure. Advice sessions and support
3.8. Lack of engagement in Union/societies
3.8.1. Intervene early. Norm SU engagement. WP sessions in welcome week.
3.9. Not settling in
3.9.1. Good quality advice service
3.9.2. Mentor from year above - realistic but encouraging
3.10. Course issues
3.10.1. Developing course rep system
3.10.2. WP/Access course reps
3.11. Social capital
3.11.1. Feel uncomfortable reporting problems
3.11.1.1. Understand what the SU does
3.11.2. First generation students
3.11.2.1. Got into HE but no role models for after
3.11.2.1.1. Careers advice
3.11.2.1.2. Alumni visits
3.11.2.1.3. Work directly with parents
3.11.2.1.4. Parents Open Day whilst studying
3.11.3. Ensure University knows about services in SU and frontline staff are educated to signpost students to SU
3.12. Lack of support for disabled students
3.12.1. Lobby institution for better support
3.12.2. Develop disabled students campaign in SU
3.12.3. Time to Change pledge
3.12.4. Develop disabled students forum in SU
3.12.5. Train academic staff in recognising mental illness/dyslexia/other disabilities
3.12.5.1. Changes in behaviour trigger referral for support
3.12.5.2. Mitigating circumstances trigger referral for support
3.12.6. Train SU staff to recognise mental illness
3.13. Hidden course costs
3.13.1. Lobby institution to remove all hidden course costs
3.13.2. Lobby institution to have universal most cost effective options. IE: Local trips not trips to NY.
3.13.3. Travel
3.13.3.1. Financial support through access agreement
3.13.3.2. Lobby for better transport solutions, esp for satellite campuses
3.13.4. Printing
3.13.4.1. Encourage institution to provide more digital texts
3.14. Accommodation
3.14.1. Financial support to move into halls not stay at home through Access Agreement
3.14.2. Match students in halls based on interests
3.14.3. Buddying scheme for students coming from same geographical location, such as same suburbs
3.14.3.1. Liftsharing scheme
3.15. Bad behaviours
3.15.1. Student Charter
3.16. Academic failure
3.16.1. Lobby for personal tutors
3.16.1.1. Excellent training support for those tutors too
3.17. Transition points
3.17.1. Pre-welcome week support
3.17.2. Check in with students between 1st/2nd semester 1st year
3.17.3. Identify your own institution's drop out points and run SU campaigns around these
3.17.4. Postgraduate Study
3.17.4.1. Funding support
3.17.4.2. Further study advice sessions
3.17.4.3. Funding officers who support applications
3.18. Returners to study
3.18.1. Specific support for mature students, with current careers - how their education fits into that