Welcome to the 2018-19 Annual Report and Financial Statements We are delighted to present the annual report and financial statements for Buckinghamshire New University for 2018-19. This year has seen the University make good progress towards its long-term and strategic goals. The University appointed a new Vice-Chancellor, developed a new University strategy to guide our work, and brought to fruition the Transformation Programme generating more than £11m of net benefits in the year. True to our 127-year mission, the University remains focused on providing our richly diverse student body with the best possible experience from their first day at Bucks, creating a learning community where they feel at home, intellectually challenged, supported, and where their opinions count and are valued.
Transformation Programme The University’s performance in the past year has been heavily influenced by the Transformation Programme which centred on reforming the University’s structure, our processes, the courses we offer, and how we deliver them to our students. The Transformation Programme has provided a significant improvement to the University’s current and future financial viability and sustainability. The Transformation Programme has driven the creation of a continually developing course portfolio which is market driven and focused on employability. A multi-point entry and multi-site offer is now in place, as is a range of ‘with foundation year’ programmes across most courses. Both apprenticeship and partnership activity have also grown significantly during the year.
Teaching excellence and course development In August 2019, the University was among 15 institutions awarded the Advance HE Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE), in recognition of our work to develop the 12 degree apprenticeships we offered during the year.
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Improved and new agile systems and processes ensure that we can develop and market our high quality programmes efficiently to ensure that Bucks becomes a stronger competitor in the marketplace. We are building on these successes with the development of new postgraduate programmes and a strong international portfolio. We have invested £1m in the redevelopment of our Aylesbury campus as a site for multiple academic programmes, including the expansion of our nursing and health care provision.
Listening to our people The University places the highest priority on being an employer of choice and on the wellbeing of our people. In December 2018, we conducted an independent staff survey which achieved a response rate of 88%, some 20% above sector benchmark. We were particularly proud to score highly on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Index, and to be above the benchmark for TEF Gold institutions in several areas. Engagement Champions across the University are working with colleagues and the leadership team to turn the knowledge gained from the survey into positive action for change, to ensure Bucks is as great a place to work as it is to study.
Meeting our responsibilities Being a responsible corporate citizen is important to us, and to our students, people and stakeholders. The University is committed to meeting its ethical and social responsibilities. We were pleased to be the first university in the UK to achieve Gold CSR Accreditation, described by the awarding body as ‘a visible testimony of excellence’ in our corporate social responsibility activities.
Improving student satisfaction and outcomes Providing our students with the best experience to help them achieve their full potential remains a high priority. We were proud that during the year:
The University was in the top quartile for UK higher education institutions, exceeding the sector average in almost every area of the 2019 National Student Survey (NSS). Bucks also rose 90 places to rank 29th for student satisfaction in the UK in the 2020 Complete University Guide. Bucks Students’ Union remained in the UK’s top three for representing students’ academic interests in this year’s NSS, testament to all their hard work to support students and develop their skills. The University works in partnership with the Students’ Union on initiatives to improve satisfaction, completion rates and employment outcomes. All but one of the subjects we offer improved in the latest Guardian University Guide which was the best performance of any of the 121 providers in the overall rankings. Bucks also rose ten places to 19th best in England & Wales for social inclusion in the Good University Guide, reflecting our historic mission to provide transformative education which helps students from diverse backgrounds to achieve their ambitions. The most recently published Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey showed that 92% of our graduates were in employment or further study six months after they have graduated. We were also pleased to rank 37th in the UK for graduate salaries in the 2020 Good University Guide.