Syra Shakir, Associate Professor in Learning and Teaching and Strategic Lead for Race Equity and Dr Ruth Squire, Data and Impact Evaluation Manager at Leeds Trinity University have secured funding to evaluate Coaching the Gap, a programme aiming to boost the wellbeing of Asian, Black, Mixed & Other (ABMO) students at risk of academic failure due to mental health struggles stemming from racial bias, discrimination and stigma.

Leeds Trinity University is one of only two universities in the country to have secured this funding as part of a wider project aiming to evaluate student mental health interventions, led by TASO (Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education), an independent hub supporting higher education professionals to eliminate equality gaps. The other university to receive funding is St Mary’s University, Twickenham.

Coaching the Gap will be delivered through Flourished Minds, an organisation that works with students to help them navigate challenges and provide them with the tools and practices they need to feel in control. This intervention is also fully funded through a successful bid secured by Syra Shakir and Dr Ruth Squire, through the Office for Institutional Equity at Leeds Trinity University.

Over the course of the academic year 2024/2025, the coaching programme will allow students at risk to develop the tools and skills they need to address challenges. Tharani Learning and Research, which is made up of two independent evaluators, Amira Tharani and Emma Roberts will lead an evaluation to assess the effectiveness of this intervention on improving student mental health.

Syra Shakir said: “Leeds Trinity’s mission recognises that we all benefit from better student outcomes and reap the rewards individually and collectively of transformational education. Coaching the Gap is an approach that extends beyond the academic realm, offering coaching sessions that harness a variety of techniques to foster confidence and support ABMO students who face the threat of academic failure due to mental health struggles stemming from racial bias, stigma, and discrimination.

“The project offers tailored support through personalised one-on-one coaching, wellbeing sessions and wrap-around care. We are committed to listening and learning from our students so this initiative, grounded in student voice, aims to support all our students to reach their full potential and thrive at Leeds Trinity University.”

Dr Ruth Squire said: “Evaluating how Coaching the Gap and similar interventions can support the mental health and wellbeing of ABMO students at university is critical to being able to deliver the best for our students and address inequities in student experiences. We’re delighted to have secured this opportunity to work with TASO and Tharani Learning and Research on such an in-depth evaluation that can enable us to share learnings with the wider sector.”

Tatjana Damjanovic, Senior Research Officer at TASO said: “TASO is delighted to commission the evaluation of Coaching the Gap at Leeds Trinity University. We hope that this evaluation will work towards closing the gap in the evidence regarding interventions that support the mental health and wellbeing of students from a Black, Asian and minority ethnic background. We are also excited to be providing the sector with an example of realist evaluation that will contribute to the development of rigorous evaluation with small cohorts.”

As the first Yorkshire university to receive the Race Equality Charter (REC) Bronze award, Leeds Trinity University has focused on co-creation with students, alumni, staff and external stakeholders to give individuals a platform to voice their lived experiences, support an inclusive environment, and champion diversity. Syra Shakir has been leading this work continues to develop collaborations with colleagues internally and externally, strengthening anti-racist practice across the sector.

The activity continues to have a positive impact on students, with Coaching the Gap directly addressing issues of the awarding gap and focusing on students at risk. This is in line with the university’s Equity, Social Justice and Belonging Strategy 2022-2026.

Dr Tamsin Bowers-Brown, Director of the Office for Institutional Equity at Leeds Trinity University, said: “To have been successful in securing the funding for the coaching programme through Flourished Minds and then to also be granted TASO funding and support for its evaluation, is testament to the skills, knowledge and experience of my colleagues in the Office for Institutional Equity. These programmes are designed to ensure our students’ success, and to eliminate inequitable outcomes particularly in relation to our global majority students.”

Amira Tharani, evaluator for Tharani Learning and Research, said: “We are really excited to be working on this in-depth realist evaluation with TASO and Leeds Trinity University. This is a unique opportunity to understand how coaching works, for whom and in what circumstances within a Higher Education context. We are also delighted to be evaluating a project with such a clear focus on racial equity. We very much hope that this will add to our understanding of how universities can move towards greater racial equity and closing the awarding gap.”