Information gaps

New protected characteristics

There remains a gap in our evidence base regarding the new protected characteristics including religion and belief, sexual orientation, transgender status and pregnancy and maternity.

Although we collect this information internally for all staff at HEFCE, we do not currently hold this information about the sector.

This will affect our ability to impact assess our policies, both old and new, against these particular groups.

In anticipation, we are aware that some institutions have begun to collect this data and have asked HESA to put in place a voluntary category for HEIs to return data about their staff and students in this area should they be in a position to do so.

We are also working with the Equality Challenge Unit and will engage with our stakeholder groups to ensure that where we are implementing policies likely to have a larger impact on these protected groups, there is a sufficient evidence base.

Teaching funding and allocating student numbers

There is a gap in our evidence base for the impact of the implementation of changes to funding teaching and allocating student numbers in 2012-13, either positively or negatively.

This is partly because precise impacts depend on institutions’ and students’ responses to the changes, which will vary. This behaviour is beyond our direct control.

We have identified possible risks to black and minority ethnic (BME) students, disabled students and students from neighbourhoods where participation in HE has traditionally been low. Separate gender-related impacts may affect both women and men as groups, however, it is also possible that policies may benefit these groups.

The exact interaction of various factors and changes to behaviour is hard to predict. Therefore we have put in place mitigating actions to allow us to react quickly to possible adverse impacts and to maintain oversight of the issues.

Page last updated 1 February 2012