Next steps
from 24.5 percentage points in 2016 to 27.3 percentage points in 2021 . However , after taking into account underlying differences in characteristics between these groups , by comparing two groups of learners with the same mix of characteristics , the change in this gap is estimated between -0.2 and 1.0 percentage points .
g . Out of all the application outcomes considered in this report , the initial decision to apply to higher education continues to make the biggest contribution to the overall gaps in participation in higher education . Despite the fact that gaps in offer rates and acceptance rates have narrowed further since the launch of Uni Connect , these contribute only a very small amount towards the overall gaps in participation when compared with gaps in application rates .
h . GCSE attainment at Key Stage 4 continues to be strongly related to the likelihood of applying to higher education ( see Annex A ). Gaps in application rates between learners from Uni Connect target areas and other learners were persistent for those with at least four or five ‘ standard pass ’ GCSEs ( those at grade A * to C – or 9 to 4 ) and the gaps widened as the number of these ‘ standard pass ’ GCSEs increased .
7 . The next steps are to :
a . Consider any further feedback received for this analysis . Annex E provides a summary of the feedback received for our previous report and the ways in which we have responded to that feedback in this update .
b . In 2023 , update this analysis to include the next cohort using the 2022 application data . This will be the first cohort that could have received the full five years of engagement intended in the Uni Connect programme design . However , we will need to consider how the COVID-19 pandemic affected GCSE attainment for this cohort , who were awarded GCSEs in summer 2020 .
c . Also in 2023 , consider updating the analysis set out in Annex C , which uses higher education data for the 2021-22 academic year to understand the relationship between Uni Connect and participation by age 19 . However , this will only be available for the cohort of learners who received at most three years of Uni Connect engagement .
This report is an official statistic which falls under the Code of Practice for Statistics . We welcome any feedback on our approach . Please email any comments to Stanley Rudkin at official . statistics @ officeforstudents . org . uk .
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