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4 February 2005 HEFCE logo
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Circular letter number 02/2005

For further information contact Ruth Thei, tel 0117 931 7386, e-mail r.thei@hefce.ac.uk

Dear Vice-Chancellor or Principal

Improving provision for disabled students

1.    This letter sets out our approach to improving provision for disabled students within HEFCE and institutional policy and practice.

2.    We are committed to ensuring that all those with the potential to benefit from higher education have the opportunity to do so, whatever their background and whenever they need it. We recognise the hard work of the higher education sector in responding to the challenges of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) and the amendment to Part 4 (education) by the Special Education Needs and Disabilities Act (2001). The fundamental aims of our policy are to build on the successes of higher and further education institutions, maintain the overall stability of funding and to enhance links with broader equality and widening participation agendas.

3.    The objectives of our policy are to:

  1. Embed disability work across our strategic aims.
  2. Work with sector partners to build capacity in institutions at all levels.
  3. Contribute to culture change in higher education, encouraging proactive and mainstreaming approaches to improving provision for disabled students.
  4. Support institutions in implementing the requirements of current and future legislation.
  5. Reduce the accountability burden on institutions.

4.    We will enhance the existing mainstream disability allocation which is part of the widening participation allocation to institutions. This funding is designed to assist institutions in improving provision for disabled students, and will be increased to £12.3 million for the academic year 2005-06. We will introduce a £10,000 minimum allocation for all higher education institutions in order to continue the momentum of special initiative funding to develop baseline provision. There will also be a variable minimum for directly funded further education institutions allocated on the basis of higher education student numbers:

  • £500 for those with less than 50 directly funded full-time equivalents (FTEs)
  • £1,000 for those with 50-249 FTEs
  • £5,000 for those with 250-499 FTEs
  • £10,000 for those with more than 500 FTEs.

For those institutions above these thresholds, we will continue to use the existing allocation method. Institutional allocations will be announced as part of the normal grant letter to institutions in March 2005.

5.    We intend to take forward the achievements of past and present HEFCE special initiative programmes and seek to disseminate and enhance the toolkits, resources and guidance produced. In keeping with our broader policy on reducing burden, we do not intend to set up a further competitive bidding round for short term funding when the current programme ends in December 2005. The outcomes of these special initiative projects and many helpful tools for institutions are available free of charge at the National Disability Team web-site www.natdisteam.ac.uk.

6.    We are committed to ensuring the provision of high quality specialist resources to the sector to make advice and guidance available to institutions. We will take forward the excellent work of the National Disability Team by working together with sector owned bodies and by strategic resourcing of existing structures. We propose that this resource will be based in three organisations: the widening participation co-ordination team in order to embed disability work into the widening participation agenda, including outreach; the Higher Education Academy in order to support learning and teaching; and the Equality Challenge Unit in order to ensure the embedding of disability provision in the context of broader equalities developments. A central point of contact will be available through the widening participation co-ordination team. This structure will be operational for the beginning of 2006.

7.    We will continue to gather evidence to further understand the barriers faced by disabled students and encourage improvements in institutional policy and practice to address these barriers. We will support the further development of activities to raise aspirations and attainment of disabled students within the Aimhigher programme.

8.    We recognise the potential future challenges to the sector in responding to the Disability Discrimination Bill (2004) which is currently before Parliament. We are committed to working with institutions, representative bodies and other stakeholders to ensure appropriate input of higher education into this important emerging agenda.

Yours sincerely

 

Sir Howard Newby
Chief Executive