Introduction
Russbridge Academy is an alternative provider established in May 2019. The Academy is registered as a Private Limited Company located in Rainham, Essex with close and easy transport links off the A13 as well as by public transport. The College has primarily offered further education courses since it was established. Since its inception, a total of 2128 students have attained their desired qualification across levels 2,3, 4 and 5. The College has a total of 14 academic and professional services staff on full-time and fractional equivalent contracts. At the time of submitting this application, the academy has 652 active students registered on various programmes across levels 2 to 5. The Academy does not possess degree awarding powers and all courses offered at the College are through accreditation of professional / vocational awarding bodies.

The college campus is easily accessible by public transport and off the A13 Eastbound with very convenient connections to Greater London, Essex and Kent. With flexible timetabling, we aim to offer a range of courses that will enable learners to commit to their studies along with work and other commitments in their lives. As a responsible alternative provider, we are cognisant of the fact that many learners who wish to progress to or re-access Higher Education face several obstacles that may emanate from various sources including socio-economic forces. Mature adult learners usually face significant barriers to Higher Education and the College has a genuine commitment to widening participation of its Higher Education Courses.

Purpose
The purpose of this document is to outline an access and participation statement that supports our strategic objectives along with our commitment of widening access to higher education and supporting students to progress and achieve in their chosen programme of study.

2.1 Our priorities are:

• To raise awareness and expectations of the Higher Education offer in the local community
• To attract mature students returning to education with non-traditional entry qualifications
• To attract students from the BAME population
• To attract students from deprived neighbourhoods
• To increase retention of vulnerable students on our programmes.

2.2 Widening participation and access to higher education studies is of fundamental importance to helping achieve the strategic aims of the college.

2.3. The College takes an inclusive approach to recruiting and supporting individuals and groups of individuals with protected characteristics in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

General Principles
3.1 Russbridge Academy is committed to recruiting and supporting students from under-represented groups to help and support them to meet their education needs and career aspirations.

3.2 The College has been significantly successful in recruiting students residing in areas of low higher education participation, low household income and socio-economic status. Many of our students are mature and have been away from education for significant periods of time. Our students are also from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, including black males and females.

3.3 We will continue to recruit students around our geographical locations and expect to maintain the profile of mature students from a variety of ethnic backgrounds who have either been away from education for a significant time or have not had the opportunity to access higher education in the UK.

3.4 We are committed to promoting the benefits of higher education and continuing lifelong learning for the communities we serve. This means: giving fair access to the provision offered by us through high quality information and professional support seeking to remove all artificial barriers to students being able to access our programmes and services delivering effective teaching, learning and assessment strategies which meet the needs of students and employers

3.5 Through a fair, appropriate and transparent admissions process, we aim to admit prospective students to relevant higher education programmes, who wish to undertake a programme of study offered by the College and meet the requisite entry requirements, through either formal qualifications or recognised life and work experiences, or through recognition of prior certificated learning.

3.6 Russbridge Academy is fully committed to accepting, enrolling and retaining students from all backgrounds, ages, disabilities and ethnicities in a transparent and fair recruitment process. The College actions support inclusion of students whose circumstances may mean that their potential would go undeveloped and remain unrecognised 

Access and Participation Objectives
4.1 Our commitment to widening access and participation is informed by the following principles:

• To provide an opportunity for those who have been out of education for asignificant period and wish to return to study.
• To provide an opportunity for those who may not in the past have had theconfidence to undertake studies at higher education level.
• To enhance each individual’s personal confidence through success andachievement, underpinned by a supportive learning environment.
• To provide a welcoming and secure environment in which equality of opportunity,diversity of backgrounds and rich experiences are valued.
• To help each individual identify and realise their career aspirations throughdiverse means of employment and/or further study.

4.2 We aim to recruit individuals to higher education from a wide range ofdifferent under-represented groups which include the following:

• Learners from lower socio-economic groups or from a neighbourhood where highereducation participation is low.
• Learners from low-income backgrounds.
• Ethnic groups from economically dis-advantaged backgrounds.
• Mature learners.

4.3 We will continue to approach recruitment and selection for admission to higher education programmes through outreach partners and through advertising in local communities.Community based referrals have been and will continue to be a vital aspect of our strategic approach to reach out to the highly diverse and distinct communities that more conventional and traditional institutions of higher education find difficulty in reaching out to.

Monitoring and Review
5.1 This Statement may be amended by the college at any time. The Statement will be reviewed as part of our quality cycle. Any revisions to the Access and Participation Statement will be approved by the Academic Board and the revised document will be made available on the college website.

5.2 The Access and Participation statement will be monitored on an annual basis by Academic Board.