Chapter 3 – Policy Implications for Gaelic - University of Edinburgh

Appendix 2
Student Support Review: Implementation
Summary:
This proposal presents costings for a project to transform the delivery and effectiveness
of student support services at the University of Edinburgh, as discussed and endorsed at
Principal’s Strategy Group on 30 th April and 21 st May, and at Central Management Group
on 23 rd May. Multiple project strands will deliver this step-change, through direct
enhancements to current delivery and through a process of culture change and
multidisciplinary working.
The implementation of this set of support initiatives will put the University of Edinburgh
in a leading position with regard to student support, within and beyond the UK, and will
position us strongly to meet the aspirations of the new Strategic Plan in terms of our
intentions to develop our student demographic and to ensure that students thrive whilst
with us, and find useful employment on exit.
Background and overview:
A review of student support from central areas of the University, was carried out
between January and April, 2012, and presented to Principal’s Strategy Group who
endorsed the Student Support Review and requested that the recommendations within
it be costed, planned and presented back to PSG. In particular, there is an urgency about
the suggestion that Student Help Desks should be developed, with PSG wishing to see an
early version of these in place by September 2012.
The following proposal presents this planned and costed project, with a detailed
timeline for the implementation of Student Help Desks by September, and the rest of the
recommendations being implemented over a four year period, before the end of which
we will present a detailed proposal for the mainstreaming of successful elements of the
work and a concomitant restructuring of support services to facilitate new and
enhanced patterns of working.
Costings are presented for financial year 2012/13, after which the ongoing cost of the
project will be dealt with as an allocation to the core budget in the Planning Round
(Figure 1). Cost for 2012/13 are just over £700,000, rising to £1.23 million in 2013/14,
£1.11 million in 2014/15 and finishing during 2015/16 with a cost in that year of
£250,000. Over the four year period this represents under £0.5% of income from
students. An early start to the project is highly desirable, in order to begin visible
improvements to student support at the same time as the Personal Tutor system and its
attendant improvement to student support in Schools begins. This is the reason for
bringing a request for funds to F&GPC at this point in the financial cycle.
A project approach:
We present the review implementation as a single project, with several related strands,
running over a three year period. This assures rapid implementation of significant
improvements to the student experience, and at the same time allows time to develop
new ways of cross-disciplinary and dispersed working. The project is both practical and
transformational, and will be overseen by a governing body whose remit is to focus on
both of these outcomes. The project will run with an academic lead (Sue Rigby, in her
role as Assistant Principal Student Progression and Taught Postgraduate Programmes)
and through the office, and with the oversight, of the University Secretary. This high
level of support will be critical to a successful outcome.