The performance of individual institutions towards widening participation is shown by performance indicators published annually by the Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA). These performance indicators show how a university performs against its benchmarks. Benchmarks show what a university with similar circumstances could be expected to achieve.
The performance of London Metropolitan University is shown in the following table. The table shows that the London Metropolitan University is exceeding the benchmarks for young people participating from both state schools and colleges and from lower socio-economic backgrounds. It performs below the benchmark for participation from low participation neighbourhoods.
Academic year % from state schools or colleges Benchmark (%) % from NS-SEC classes 4,5,6 & 7 Benchmark (%) % from low participation neighbourhoods Benchmark (%) % from low participation neighbourhoods(POLAR 2)1 Benchmark (%) 2002/03 96.8 92.3 43.7 36.5 12.9 15.9 n/a n/a 2003/04 96.4 94.1 43.0 36.8 13.5 17.9 n/a n/a 2004/05 97.3 93.9 40.1 35.3 15.8 17.8 n/a n/a 2005/06 97.5 94.1 40.9 35.7 16.6 17.9 7.5 10.8 2006/07 97.3 93.3 42.9 35.9 n/a n/a 7.3 10.8 1 There was a change in methodology in 2006/07 for the low participation neighbourhood indicator which has produced a break in the time series as figures using different methods cannot be compared. Figures for the 2005/06 year have been re-calculated to show some time series comparison. Source: "Performance Indicators in Higher Education", published by HESA.