19 April 2011
T3/7/348
Mr/Ms Derwent
By email: request-66260-
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Dear Mr/Ms Derwent
Freedom of information request
Thank you for your email of 24 March requesting information on the Diploma in Legal
Practice diversity statistics from 2005 to 2011. I am pleased to enclose the following
information.
The University of Edinburgh is the largest university in Scotland and one of the UK’s top
rated research universities. It has over 27,000 students, and 10,000 staff. In 2009/10, its
turnover was £634 million.
Please note that the University’s Diploma in Legal Practice changed title for the 2009/10
academic year. It is now known as the Diploma in Legal Practice Skills. It is the same
programme with minor changes in delivery and teaching methods and offers electives
which the former course did not.
For your information the statistical information contained in the tables below relating to the
status of students on Diploma in Legal Practice and Diploma in Legal Practice and Skills is
at the snapshot date of 31 July for the relevant year, e.g. for 2007/08 the snapshot date
will be 31 July 2008. The figures show the students' status at that point in time: completed
- successfully completed their programme of study, withdrawn - withdrawn permanently
from their programme of study, matriculated - still on programme as of snapshot date.
Disabilities
Question a of your request asked about statistics relating to the disability status of
students on the Diploma in Legal Practice from 2005 until 2011. This information can be
found in the tables below. As these statistics are compiled at the end of the academic
year, the information provided relates to the 2004/05 to 2009/10 academic years only.
1
You will see that I have not provided the exact number where the number is less than five.
This is because disclosing these low numbers could enable individuals to be identified.
This would breach the Data Protection Act 1998. The Freedom of Information (Scotland)
Act 2002 does not require us to provide this sort of information as it is exempt under
section 38(1)(b).
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice student statistics: disability declared
Year of
Status as at
2004/2005
2005/2006
2006/2007
2007/2008 2008/2009
programme end of session
Less than
Less than
Less than
Less than
1 Matriculated
0
5
5
5
5
Less than
Completed
6
9
6
11
5
Sum:
6
-
-
-
-
Less than
2 Completed
0
0
0
0
5
Sum:
0
0
-
0
0
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice and Skills student statistics: disability declared
Year of
Status as at
2009/2010
programme end of session
1 Matriculated
Less than 5
Completed
8
Sum:
-
Dependants
Question b of your request asked for information relating to the dependants of students on
the Diploma in Legal Practice during the specified period. This is not information that the
University holds, therefore, we are unable to answer this part of your request.
LLB and grades obtained
Question c of your request asked for information relating to the number of successful
applicants on the Diploma in Legal Practice that undertook an LLB ordinary or honours,
with a breakdown of their undergraduate grades. You also asked for numbers of
successful applicants who undertook the accelerated LLB during the specified time period
in question d. I estimate that the cost of providing you with the exact information you have
requested is £1185.
Because this part of your request will cost over £600 to fulfil, the
University is not obliged to process it.
I enclose a cost calculation showing how we arrived at this figure. The basis on which we
calculated the cost of responding to freedom of information requests is set out in the
guidance which can be found by following the link below:
http://www.recordsmanagement.ed.ac.uk/InfoStaff/FOIstaff/costings/Costings.htm.
2
Alternatively, you could choose to limit this part of your request to a single year. This
would bring the cost of responding below £600 but within the bracket whereby a fee is
payable. The amount of the fee depends upon the set of information you wish to receive.
We can calculate the exact fee based upon your direction.
I look forward to receiving confirmation of how you wish to proceed with this part of your
request.
Training contract/law society route
Question e of your request asks for information on the numbers of students on the
Diploma in Legal Practice who came from the training contract/law society exams route. I
can confirm that for all the years specified in the timeframe of your request this number
was less than five, with the exception of the 2009/10 academic year when this number was
zero.
Mature students (over 21)
Question f of your request asked about statistics relating to mature students on the
Diploma in Legal Practice from 2005 until 2011. The information can be found in the
tables below. The figures show the numbers of mature students, where mature is
classified as aged 21 and above on programme entry.
Mature students
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice: number of mature students
Year of
Status as at
2004/2005
2005/2006
2006/2007
2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010
programme end of session
Less than
1 Matriculated
9
7
9
11
5
Less than
Completed
114
128
136
141
174
5
Less than
Less than
Less than
Less than
Withdrawn
0
5
5
5
5
Sum:
123
-
-
-
-
-
Less than
Less than
2 Matriculated
0
0
0
0
5
5
Less than
Less than
Completed
0
0
0
0
5
5
Sum:
0
-
-
-
0
0
3
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice and Skills: number of mature students
Year of
Status as at
2009/2010
programme end of session
1 Matriculated
29
Completed
148
Withdrawn
8
Sum:
185
Gender
Question g of your request asks about statistics relating to the gender of students on the
Diploma in Legal Practice from 2005 until 2011. The information can be found in the table
below.
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice: number of female students
Year of
Status as at
2004/2005
2005/2006 2006/2007
2007/2008 2008/2009
programme end of session
Less than
Less than
Less than
1 Matriculated
5
5
5
5
5
Completed
69
74
98
92
114
Less than
Less than
Less than
Less than
Withdrawn
0
5
5
5
5
Sum:
74
-
-
-
-
Less than
2 Matriculated
0
0
0
0
5
Less than
Less than
Completed
0
0
0
5
5
Sum:
0
-
-
-
0
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice: number of male students
Year of
Status as at
2004/2005
2005/2006 2006/2007
2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010
programme end of session
Less than
Less than
Less than
Less than
1 Matriculated
7
0
5
5
5
5
Less than
Completed
45
55
38
49
60
5
Less than
Withdrawn
0
0
0
0
0
5
Sum:
-
-
-
-
67
-
Less than
2 Matriculated
0
0
0
0
0
5
Less than
Completed
0
0
0
0
0
5
Sum:
0
-
-
0
0
0
4
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice and Skills: number of female students
Year of
Status as at
2009/2010
programme end of session
1 Matriculated
17
Completed
103
Less than
Withdrawn
5
Sum:
-
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice and Skills: number of male students
Year of
Status as at
2009/2010
programme end of session
1 Matriculated
12
Completed
45
Withdrawn
5
Sum:
62
Funding
Question h of your request asks about the number of students on the Diploma in Legal
Practice who successfully gained funding from the Student Awards Agency Scotland. For
questions i and j of your request you asked for information relating to the number of
students on the Diploma in Legal Practice during the specified period that were self funded
or funded through sponsorship. This information can be found in the tables below.
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice
Funding source
2005/2006
2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009
SAAS (part funded)
67
73
79
77
Self 50
57
53
89
Other sponsorship
22
20
24
22
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice and Skills: full time
Funding type
2009/2010 2010/2011
SAAS (part funded)
74
74
Self 71
49
Other sponsorship
20
22
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice and Skills: part time
Funding type
2009/2010 2010/2011
Self 13
25
Other sponsorship
14
19
5
Training contracts
Questions k and l of your request asked about the numbers of students that graduated
from the Diploma in Legal Practice who had a training contract upon graduation or
obtained a training contract within a year of graduation. The University does not hold this
information, therefore, we cannot answer this part of your request.
However, we are able to provide you with information on students who had a training
contract within six months of graduation. This information is gathered for the Destination
of Leavers from Higher Education survey which we, in common with all UK higher
education institutions, carry out each year six months after graduation. The below figures
are taken from the surveys of the graduates of the Diploma in Legal Practice from 2004/5
to 2008/9. It is important to note that the survey is sent only to those graduates who were
domiciled in the UK or another European Union country at the start of their studies.
European Economic Area countries such as Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein are not
included. The response rate was not 100%, and the data supplied refers only to those
graduates who responded to the survey.
The survey date is set by the Higher Education Statistics Agency and covers one particular
date, around six months after graduation. As such, we cannot differentiate when graduates
found their jobs. Furthermore, this survey does not cover students who may have found a
training contract more than 6 months after graduation.
Of the 569 graduates who advised they had found employment, 476 of these reported their
occupation as trainee solicitor. This means that in the context of the 610 graduates who
responded to the surveys between 2004/5 and 2008/9, 78% gained training contracts
within six months of graduation from the Diploma in Legal Practice.
Ethnicity
You also asked about statistics relating to the ethnicity of students on the Diploma in Legal
Practice from 2005 until 2011. Information to answer this part of your request can be
found in the tables below.
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice
Status as at
Year of
end of
Ethnic group
programme session
2004/2005
2005/2006
2006/2007
2007/2008
2008/2009
1 Matriculated
0
0
0
Less than 5
0
Asian or
Completed
0
0
0
0
Less than 5
Asian British -
Bangladeshi
Sum:
0
0
0
-
-
Asian or
Less than
1 Completed
0
5
0
Less than 5
Less than 5
Asian British -
Indian
Sum:
0
-
0
-
-
Less than
1 Matriculated
5
0
0
Less than 5
Less than 5
Asian or
Completed
0
0
0
Less than 5
0
Asian British -
Pakistani
Sum:
-
0
0
-
-
6
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice
Status as at
Ethnic group
Year of
end of
programme session
2004/2005
2005/2006
2006/2007
2007/2008
2008/2009
Less than
1 Matriculated
0
0
5
0
0
Black or Black
Sum:
0
0
-
0
0
British -
Less than
African
2 Matriculated
0
0
0
5
0
Sum:
0
0
0
-
0
Less than
Less than
Less than
Less than
1 Completed
0
5
5
5
5
Chinese
Sum:
0
-
-
-
-
Less than
Less than
Less than
Mixed - White
1 Completed
5
5
5
0
0
and Asian
Sum:
-
-
-
0
0
Mixed - White
Less than
1 Completed
0
0
0
0
5
and Black
African
Sum:
0
0
0
0
-
Less than
Other Asian
1 Completed
0
0
5
0
0
background
Sum:
0
0
-
0
0
Less than
1 Matriculated
0
0
0
0
5
Other ethnic
Less than
Less than
background
Completed
0
0
0
5
5
Sum:
0
0
0
-
-
Less than
1 Matriculated
0
0
0
0
5
Other Mixed
Less than
Less than
background
Completed
0
0
0
5
5
Sum:
0
0
0
-
-
Less than
1 Matriculated
0
0
0
0
5
Other White
Less than
Less than
Less than
Less than
Less than
background
Completed
5
5
5
5
5
Sum:
-
-
-
-
-
Less than
Less than
1 Matriculated
0
0
0
5
5
White
Completed
0
0
8
30
35
Sum:
0
0
8
-
-
Less than
Less than
Less than
Less than
1 Matriculated
6
5
5
5
5
Completed
81
95
101
52
42
Less than
Less than
Withdrawn
0
5
5
0
0
White - British
Sum:
87
-
-
-
-
Less than
2 Matriculated
0
0
5
0
0
Less than
Less than
Completed
0
5
5
0
0
Sum:
0
-
-
0
0
Less than
1 Matriculated
0
0
0
0
5
White - Irish
Less than
Less than
Less than
Less than
Less than
Completed
5
5
5
5
5
Sum:
-
-
-
-
-
7
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice
Status as at
Year of
end of
Ethnic group
programme session
2004/2005
2005/2006
2006/2007
2007/2008
2008/2009
Less than
Less than
1 Matriculated
5
0
5
Less than 5
Less than 5
Completed
25
21
16
41
78
White -
Withdrawn
0
0
0
Less than 5
Less than 5
Scottish
Sum:
-
21
-
-
-
Less than
2 Completed
0
5
0
0
0
Sum:
0
-
0
0
0
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice and Skills
Year of
Status as at end
Ethnic group
2009/2010
programme
of session
Asian or Asian British -
1 Matriculated
Less than 5
Bangladeshi
Sum:
-
Asian or Asian British -
1 Completed
Less than 5
Indian
Withdrawn
Less than 5
Sum:
-
Asian or Asian British -
1 Completed
Less than 5
Pakistani
Sum:
-
Black or Black British -
1 Matriculated
Less than 5
African
Sum:
-
Other Asian
1 Completed
Less than 5
background
Sum:
-
Other ethnic
1 Completed
Less than 5
background
Sum:
-
Other Mixed
1 Matriculated
Less than 5
background
Completed
Less than 5
Sum:
-
Other White
1 Matriculated
Less than 5
background
Completed
Less than 5
Sum:
-
1 Matriculated
14
White
Completed
42
Withdrawn
Less than 5
Sum:
-
1 Matriculated
Less than 5
White - British
Completed
69
Withdrawn
Less than 5
Sum:
-
1 Matriculated
Less than 5
White - Scottish
Completed
18
Sum:
-
8
Exit and failure statistics
Lastly you asked for the figures relating to students who exited the programme early and
fail rates of students on the Diploma in Legal Practice. We do not collate figures for the
number of students who exit the programme early but most do so with the intention of
returning the following year and almost all of the students in question return to the
programme. No-one has failed the diploma in the years specified.
If you are dissatisfied with this response, you may ask the University to conduct a review
of this decision. To do this, please contact the University in writing (including by fax, letter
or email) or in some other recorded form (e.g. audio or video tape), describe the original
request, explain your grounds for dissatisfaction, and include an address for
correspondence. You have 40 working days from receipt of this letter to submit a review
request. When the review process has been completed, if you are still dissatisfied, you
may ask the Scottish Information Commissioner to intervene.
Copyright in the information you have been given belongs to the University of Edinburgh or
to another party. Copyright material must not be copied, distributed, modified, reproduced,
transmitted, published (including published on the Internet or an intranet), or otherwise
made available in whole or in part without the prior written consent of the copyright holder.
Yours sincerely
Susan Graham
University Records Manager
9
Cost calculation for freedom of information request - Diploma in Legal Practice
diversity statistics 2005 – 2011
To answer questions c. Number of students who undertook an LLB ordinary or
honours to include a breakdown of undergraduate grades of successful applicants,
and d. Number of students who took the accelerated LLB.
Each student must apply to the university where they studied for LLB, even if they
wish to undertake the diploma at another institution. Each university looks at the
student records and does a calculation based on their own specific exams that are
required by the Law society to qualify for admission to the profession (usually 1st
and 2nd year) and gives the students an overall grade percentage. For example, for
all students who studied LLB at Glasgow but who want to do the diploma in
Edinburgh, Glasgow University collates all the information and sends the overall
percentage to the Edinburgh diploma unit once all the applications have been
received. All of these lists are then compiled into a complete ranking list for Scotland
and this is used not only for allocation of places, but also for allocation of SAAS
funding. We do not therefore have any information on students out with Edinburgh,
apart from their overall grade. This information is not stored electronically and is held
on each individual application form.
The student intakes for the years 2005-2011 are as follows:
2005 133
2006 144
2007 150
2008 184
2009
157 full time 27 part time
2010
134 full time 21 part time (plus 27 continuing)
The total number of individual records that require to be checked is therefore 950.
Tasks to be undertaken:
1. Locate all individual records on 2 separate student databases and identify
which students came from Edinburgh. This involves running programme
reports for each year but then checking each individual record.
This will take an estimated 14 hours
The work will be carried out by a grade 5 member of staff at a cost of £15 per
hour
Cost=14x£15=£210.00
2. For the students who originally graduated from Edinburgh, go through the
student transcripts and identify whether they undertook an LLB ordinary or
honours course or the accelerated LLB course. Record this info and a
breakdown of undergraduate grades in a spreadsheet. In practice this is
1
approximately 75-80% of students so this would need to be undertaken for at
least 700 students.
This will take an estimated 28 hours
The work will be carried out by a grade 5 member of staff at a cost of £15 per
hour
Cost=28x£15=£420
3. For the students who did not graduate from Edinburgh or where the electronic
record does not clearly identify point of origin we need to check through the
original paper application form. The context for this task is that the unit was
located to new premises on 30th March 2011 and all files are currently boxed
up. We would therefore need to sort through all of the boxes to locate the files
and then sort through the files and collate the information as in item 2. We
estimate that this may be required for approximately 250 applications.
This will take an estimated 35 hours
The work will be carried out by a grade 5 or 6 member of staff at a cost of £15
per hour
Cost=35x£15=£525
4. Once all of this information had been collected a summary report would have
to be compiled.
This will take an estimated 2 hours
The work will be carried out by a grade 6 member of staff at a cost of £15 per
hour
Cost=2x£15=£30
TOTAL ESTIMATED COST - £1185.00
2
Document Outline