HEFCE Invitation 99/08

Improving provision for disabled students:
Invitation to bid for funds for 1999-2000 to 2001-02

Executive summary

1. Purpose

2. The Council wishes to see all higher education institutions (HEIs) develop high quality provision for students with disabilities. As part of our disability funding strategy, this document invites bids for a three-year special funding programme, from 1999-2000 to 2001-02.

   Key points

3. The programme has three related strands:
   • strand one: to improve provision in HEIs that currently have little provision for, or experience in supporting, students with disabilities
   • strand two: to promote and transfer expertise and good practice
   • strand three: to encourage collaboration between institutions to make effective use of existing resources and available funds.
4. We have set aside up to £2 million a year for the three years of the programme. All HEIs directly funded by the HEFCE are eligible for funding. Further education colleges directly funded by the HEFCE can bid as part of a collaborative arrangement with an HEI, but not as the principal applicant.
5. There is a two-stage application process:
   • at stage one institutions are invited to submit brief expressions of interest
   • at stage two, selected institutions will be asked to produce detailed bids, taking into account feedback on their expressions of interest.

   Action required

6. Expressions of interest, using the form at Annex B, should be sent to Richard Townend at the HEFCE, by 9 April 1999.

   Background

7. Since 1993 we have funded three programmes to improve provision for students with disabilities in higher education. In line with our statutory duty to have regard to the needs of disabled people, which arises from the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act, we remain committed to further improving provision for disabled students in all higher education institutions (HEIs).
8. We aim to use disability-related funding to:
   • increase the number of disabled students in HE
   • increase the quality, amount and spread of provision for disabled students
   • facilitate the promotion and transfer of expertise in disability provision that currently exists within the sector
   • increase collaboration between institutions to ensure resources are used effectively in providing for disabled students.
9. We are advised on disability issues by our Advisory Group on Students with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (SLDD), which reports to our Equal Opportunities, Access and Lifelong Learning (EQUALL) Committee.

   Special funding programme for 1999-2000 to 2001-02

10. This document describes a new funding programme for 1999-2000 to 2001-02, with up to £2 million available in each of the three years. The new programme has three related strands:
    • strand one: to improve provision in HEIs that currently have little provision for, or experience in supporting, students with disabilities; referred to here as less well provided institutions
    • strand two: to promote and transfer expertise and good practice
    • strand three: to encourage collaboration between institutions to make effective use of existing resources and available funds.
11. In addition to the new special funding programme, we plan to introduce a premium into our mainstream teaching funding method, to recognise that institutions incur additional costs in supporting students with disabilities (see HEFCE 98/39). This will help to support existing provision in institutions, including that established under previous HEFCE special funding programmes. We hope to introduce the premium in 2000-01 provided we have appropriate data on the numbers of disabled students. We hope to use data on students in receipt of a Disabled Students' Allowance, and are working to both obtain the data at a national level and to develop a methodology to make the best use of it.

    Strand one: improving provision

12. Provision for students with disabilities within HE as a whole has improved significantly in the last 10 years. However, the extent and quality of provision varies between HEIs, which can restrict choice for disabled students. Strand one funding aims to improve student choice by increasing the number of institutions making at least base-level provision for students with disabilities.

    What will we fund under strand one?

13. Funding is intended to help institutions establish over a three-year period (January 2000 to December 2002) at least a base-level of provision for disabled students and, where appropriate, to develop a more strategic approach to improving all aspects of disability provision in the institution.
14. To guide institutions on what base-level provision might include we commissioned jointly with the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, a research study published in January 1999 (HEFCE 99/04). The study identifies the key elements of base-level provision as:
    1. A comprehensive disability statement setting out both provision and policies for students with disabilities.
    2. Institution-wide policies on admissions, examinations and assessments for students with disabilities.
    3. Nominated staff to ensure appropriate provision for disabled students in response to assessed needs, plus senior management and administrative support, and networks of appropriate and available trained support workers.
    4. Comprehensive staff development programmes across the institution to facilitate the integration of disabled students' learning needs into all areas of the institution, including, for example, learning and teaching, information technology, and strategic decision making.
    5. An estates strategy that encompasses the needs of all disabled students.
    6. Procedures to monitor and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of provision for students with disabilities, and to respond to such information.
15. Less well provided institutions will be at different stages in establishing base-level provision. In addition, the diversity of HEIs means that for some institutions not all elements of base-level provision will be appropriate. Therefore, we will be flexible about the nature of work supported under strand one. However, there are two aspects of provision which many institutions could strengthen:
    1. Work which focuses on the provision of day-to-day support services for disabled students – by nominated staff within a single location, for example within student services. Institutions should identify appropriate, clear and measurable deliverables, for example, the number of students receiving appropriate support, or the setting up of a system of support workers for visually-impaired students.
    2. Work which encourages the strategic development of disability provision within an institution. Less well provided institutions that have only recently developed support services for disabled students may wish to build on this by taking a more strategic approach to disability provision across the whole institution. This is likely to involve staff development and support for a wide range of staff to integrate disability into areas such as learning and teaching, estates and IT. Applicants for funding to support this type of activity should already have reasonably well developed day-to-day support services, and would be expected to maintain these in the future. Institutions should identify appropriate, clear and measurable deliverables, for example, the inclusion of a disability element in institution-wide staff development programmes.

    Strand two: promotion and transfer

16. There is already significant experience and expertise in the sector which could be harnessed to improve provision for disabled students. Strand two aims to promote and transfer activity which will help institutions to cost-effectively develop and enhance provision for students with disabilities.

    What will we fund under strand two?

17. We will not prescribe the activity to be funded under strand two. Our aim is to support the promotion and transfer of good practice where institutions can demonstrate that the proposed activity will use existing expertise to improve provision for students with disabilities in other institutions. Activity should be accessible to all institutions that are able to benefit, including the less well provided institutions funded under strand one of this programme.
18. We would particularly stress the role that interest groups or networks might play in the promotion/transfer process. There are many areas where new and existing interest groups or networks could help staff across institutions to share experience and expertise in supporting students with disabilities:
    1. For relatively small sums, new interest groups or networks could be funded to bring together disability practitioners through regular meetings and/or through electronic mailbases. These could provide support and advice to institutions, avoid duplication of effort, and develop collaborative arrangements where appropriate. For example, it may be appropriate to establish new interest groups or networks relating to a particular disability or with a focus on disability provision within a region.
    2. Existing disability-related interest groups or networks are also eligible to bid under this strand. However, they would need to demonstrate how the proposed activity, to be supported by HEFCE funds, would add value to those core activities and services already provided.
    3. Single institutions, collaborative groups of institutions or networks with disability expertise may wish to bid for project funding to work in partnership with other existing interest groups or networks, specifically those not directly disability-related, to disseminate good practice more widely across HE. These groups and networks offer an established route to disseminating knowledge and expertise where there is currently little awareness of disability issues. Networks exist for a variety of professional groups in HE, such as estates, information technology, libraries and planning staff. In addition, subject-related interest groups or networks bring together many academic staff. Funding might support activity such as targeted events or staff development programmes. Where appropriate, applicants should consider how work with non-disability networks might build into an ongoing form of promotion/transfer.
19. We would expect that many strand two transfer and promotion bids may not require support for the full three years of the programme. Therefore, we welcome bids for one or two years' work. The length of activity should be clearly specified in the expression of interest.
20. All applications for promotion/transfer funding must identify clear and measurable deliverables, such as the number of HEIs to be involved in any network.
21. Where a network is bidding for promotion/transfer funding, one institution from the interest group or network should be specified as principal applicant for the purpose of allocating funding.

    Strand three: collaboration

22. There are a number of examples of institutions actively collaborating to share existing resources and plan complementary provision. Strand three aims to fund collaborative activity that brings together currently separate student populations, to increase the use of existing expertise and resources. This could include, for example, developing joint staff development programmes, or a jointly owned student support service for deaf students.

    What will we fund under strand three?

23. Most collaboration is likely to be regional, but collaboration between geographically dispersed institutions may also be appropriate. Institutions bidding for funds to support collaborative arrangements should demonstrate clearly how the provision in each member institution complements that within collaborative partners.
24. Arrangements should allow the collaborating institutions to provide a wider range of support services for students with disabilities more cost-effectively than would be possible for any single institution. Applications for collaborative funding must identify clear and measurable deliverables, and service improvements.
25. One institution should be specified as principal applicant for the purpose of allocating funding.

    Other promotion/transfer or collaboration activity

26. Institutions may wish to bid for funding to undertake promotion/transfer or collaborative activity that does not fit into the areas outlined above. We are happy to consider such applications as long as they clearly meet the bidding criteria for strands two and three set out in Annex A.

    How to apply for funds

27. Evaluations of our previous special funding programmes have indicated that a two-stage application process improves the quality of funded projects. Therefore, the application process for this programme is:
    • in stage one we invite institutions to submit expressions of interest
    • in stage two we will invite selected institutions to develop more detailed bids.

    Submitting an expression of interest for strand one

28. Institutions are invited to submit an initial expression of interest for strand one funding. Expressions of interest must include information under all the following headings:
    1. Current provision for students with disabilities, including current numbers of disabled students, set in the context of the institution's overall position.
    2. Planned additional provision for students with disabilities, including clear and measurable deliverables.
    3. Proposed use of appropriate external expertise, for example, potential work with experienced institutions, and involvement in the other strands of this programme.
    4. Support arrangements for any new staff, including, for example, administrative support, IT access and so on.
    5. Plans for the management, evaluation and continuation of the project. We attach particular importance to the continuation of base-level provision when our funding ends.
    6. Links between the proposed activity and the institution's corporate and strategic planning processes, quality assurance mechanisms and staff development policies and practice.
    7. Outline cost, including any institutional contribution.
29. Institutions aiming to undertake strategic development work (see paragraph 14b) should also provide information on:
    1. Areas of institutional activity they wish to influence.
    2. Institutional mechanisms that would underpin developments.

    Submitting an expression of interest for strands two and three

30. Institutions are invited to submit expressions of interest for strand two and/or strand three. Expressions of interest must include information under all the following headings:
    1. Project aims and planned outcomes, including clear and measurable deliverables.
    2. Implications for widening the participation of students with disabilities in HE.
    3. Evidence of need or demand for the proposed activity, and added value or quality, including, where appropriate, plans to include the needs of less well provided institutions funded under strand one of this programme.
    4. Plans for the management, evaluation and continuation of the project. We attach particular importance to the continuation of provision when our funding ends.
    5. Outline costs, including any institutional contributions.
31. Institutions aiming to develop collaborative arrangements under strand three should also provide information on:
    1. Establishing collaborative groundwork, including the agreement of senior managers in collaborating institutions to provide active support during the planning and implementation of the proposed project.

    Further information (all strands)

32. Annexes A and B give detail on submitting an initial expression of interest for strands one, two or three, and contain the criteria against which detailed bids will be assessed in stage two of the application process. The criteria represent the key features we would expect to see in all successful applications. Institutions are strongly encouraged to take account of the stage two assessment criteria in writing their initial expressions of interest.

    Funding

    Strand one

33. Funding for strand one is available for the three-year period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2002. We would expect institutions to seek funding in relation to their overall size and/or their present and anticipated disabled student population. HEFCE funding for any single strand one project should not exceed a total of £150,000 over the three years. We welcome applications for smaller amounts of funding where this is appropriate to the circumstances of the institution. To demonstrate commitment, institutions may wish to contribute their own resources to their proposed projects, for example by providing administrative support, IT access or additional funding.
34. Strand one is targeted at less well provided institutions. We would expect most institutions previously funded through an HEFCE disability funding programme to have sufficiently developed provision not to bid under this strand. However, the nature of some previously funded projects, for example capital projects that did not significantly move institutions towards base-level provision, may mean it is appropriate for a small number of such institutions to bid.

    Strands two and three

35. Funding for strands two and three is available for the three-year period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2002. We would expect HEFCE funding for individual projects under strand two to range from £5,000 up to a maximum of £50,000 over the three years. HEFCE funds for institutions applying to develop collaborative arrangements under strand three should not exceed a total of £150,000 (covering all collaborative partners) over the three years.
36. Further education colleges in direct receipt of HEFCE-funding are eligible to bid for funding only as part of a collaborative arrangement with an HEI, but may not act as principal applicant.

    Support costs – all strands

37. We will pay support costs only as they relate to the project's specific activities. Institutions should be able to demonstrate that they have robust costing systems in place which conform to the Council's guidance on costing (see HEFCE M 13/97), and that these form part of the institution's costing and pricing strategy. Institutions may be asked to provide details of how the support costs were calculated.

    Other information

    Stage one – submitting an expression of interest

38. Stage one applicants should complete the form at Annex B, and submit an expression of interest of no more than 2000 words outlining their proposed project. Please make clear which strand you are bidding under, and ensure that you provide all the appropriate information (see paragraphs 27-28 or 29-30 as appropriate).
39. Please send four hard copies of your expression of interest, by midday on Friday 9 April 1999, to:

    Richard Townend
    HEFCE
    Northavon House
    Coldharbour Lane
    Bristol BS16 1QD

40. One copy must be single sided, unbound and with all pages numbered. We will not accept late expressions of interest, or facsimile or e-mail copies.

    Stage two – detailed bids

41. The Council's SLDD Advisory Group will consider institutions' initial expressions of interest. Where the group considers an expression of interest provides a firm basis for a stage two bid we will provide feedback to help bidding institutions to develop a detailed bid. Where an institution is not invited to submit a stage two bid, we will provide feedback on the reasons for this decision.
42. For strands one and three applicants invited to submit a stage two bid, the Council and the eQuip team (the HEFCE-funded national disability co-ordination and development team) will be running an advice seminar in Manchester on Monday 21 June 1999. All second stage applicants are encouraged to send a representative to the seminar, details of which will be included with feedback on expressions of interest.
43. We will provide written guidance for institutions applying for funding for promotion/transfer activity under strand two.
44. We will provide a small amount of funding to help institutions develop detailed bids in stage two. This will be £1,000 or 3 per cent of the total HEFCE funding sought in the stage two bid, whichever is greater. We would expect the quality of detailed bids to reflect the resources we are allocating for this purpose, and reserve the right to withhold or reduce the payment where we judge that this is not the case. Funding to help develop detailed bids will only be available to institutions invited to continue into stage two, and will be drawn from the small amount of funds still available from the current (1996-97 to 1998-99) SLDD special funding programme. Any remaining funds will be carried forward into this new funding programme.
45. We expect to invite strand three collaborative bidders to discuss their stage two bid with a panel made up of members of our SLDD Advisory Group. We plan to hold these discussions early in September. Further details will be provided with feedback on expressions of interest.

    Timetable

46. The timetable for the programme is:

    Date	Event
    No later than midday on Friday 9 April 1999	Stage one: expressions of interest submitted to the HEFCE
    By 4 June 1999	Institutions receive feedback from the HEFCE on their expressions of interest.
    21 June 1999	HEFCE/eQuip advice seminar to help institutions writing detailed stage two bids
    No later than midday on Tuesday 10 August 1999	Stage two: detailed project plans to be submitted to the HEFCE
    In week beginning 8 October 1999	Letters sent to stage two applicants with results of bidding process
    January 2000	Funded projects begin

    Monitoring

47. We will require annual monitoring information on all funded projects. A project's funding in years two and three of the programme will depend on satisfactory progress being made towards its original aims and objectives.

    Further information

48. A list of publications that institutions may find useful in their project planning is attached at Annex C.
49. The eQuip team will be publishing a special bulletin to provide helpful information on this new programme. The bulletin, which contains details of the support institutions can expect from eQuip during the bidding process, is available from the eQuip office at Lancaster University on 01524 592 169 or e-mail c.airey@lancaster.ac.uk
50. If you wish to discuss any aspect of this programme please contact:

    Richard Townend, tel 0117 931 7115, e-mail r.townend@hefce.ac.uk
    Jenni Newman , tel 0117 931 7441, e-mail j.newman@hefce.ac.uk

Annex A

Assessment criteria for stage two detailed bids

1. Evaluations of earlier HEFCE special funding programmes have indicated that the success of funded projects depends on a number of key factors. The criteria set out below represent these key factors, which we would expect to see in all successful bids. We will assess stage two detailed project plans against these criteria.

   Criteria for strand one

2. The extent to which the project would establish at least a base-level of provision for students with disabilities, and/or start to develop a strategic approach to disability in the institution, including:
   1. A clear view of current provision for students with disabilities, including staffing levels.
   2. Clear project aims and objectives.
   3. Clear and measurable outputs and deliverables (for example, products or service improvements) against which the success of the project could be measured. These should include project milestones, dates by which milestones are to be achieved and who is responsible for each one.
3. The extent to which the project would make use of existing expertise in the sector from, for example, interest groups, networks and more experienced institutions. We are particularly keen to encourage projects to engage in partnerships, to seek advice from existing sources of expertise, and to promote/transfer their own expertise.
4. The nature and extent of the strategy for project management, including, for example:
   1. The nature and extent of active senior management support.
   2. Lines of communication between project staff, senior management and key institutional committees.
5. The active commitment of the institution to the project, including, for example:
   1. The provision of administrative support and IT access,.
   2. Access to appropriate institutional staff development programmes.
   3. Evidence that the strategic location of the project within the institution will allow it to function effectively.
6. The extent to which staff development is part of the institution's plan, including key staff not directly involved with the project (for example, academic, IT, estates, and learning resource staff).
7. The longer-term commitment of the institution to provision for students with disabilities, including a strategy to embed and build on project gains.
8. The nature and extent of the strategy for monitoring and evaluating the progress of the project.
9. The cost of the project, including institutional contributions, and its value for money.
10. In addition to paragraphs 2-9 of this annex, and only for projects concerned with strategic development (see paragraph 14b), the nature and extent of the strategy for developmental work with staff across the institution including, for example:
    • academic staff
    • information technology and library staff
    • those responsible for staff development within the institution
    • estates staff
    • senior management.

    Criteria for strands two and three:

11. The extent to which the project would promote and transfer expertise or facilitate collaboration, including:
    1. Details of existing provision in the sector (strand two), or in the institutions (strand three).
    2. Clear project aims and objectives.
    3. Clear and measurable outputs and deliverables against which the success of the project could be measured. These should include key milestones, dates by which milestones are to be achieved, and who is responsible for each one.
12. Clear evidence of need or demand for the proposed activity, including, where appropriate, strategies to encourage the participation of less well provided institutions funded under strand one.
13. The extent to which proposed activity would use existing expertise in the sector including, for example, established networks or existing models of inter-institutional collaboration.
14. The strategy for project management, including, where appropriate:
    1. Strategies to promote and maintain networks, groups or partnerships.
    2. The nature and extent of active senior management support. In collaborative arrangements this should include all participating institutions.
15. Evidence of the active commitment of participating institutions, including:
    1. Evidence that the strategic location of the project within participating institutions will allow it to function effectively.
    2. The inclusion of the project within key institutional committees and decision making bodies.
16. Evidence of a longer-term commitment from all participating institutions to ensuring that project gains are continued.
17. The strategy for monitoring and evaluating the progress of the project.
18. The cost of the project, including institutional contributions, and its value for money

Annex B

Expression of interest cover sheet

(You can access an electronic version of this document, including this form, through '1999 publications' on the HEFCE web page at http://www.hefce.ac.uk)

Annex C

Useful publications for applicants