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portsmouth Students’ Union has a vision of creati ng a positi ve impact with every portsmouth student during their ti me at University. As a charity led by our values and guided by our students, the Union provides wide-ranging services and learner support to the 20,000 students of the University of portsmouth. the Union is based in the centre of portsmouth and turns over £1.5m per annum, employing approximately 60 staff .

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04 Introduction from the President

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05 Headline achievements

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06Performance against objectives

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08Representing Portsmouth students

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09 Volunteering contributions

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10 Sport, Societies& Media

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14 Governance and finances

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16 Our plans 2010/11

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18 Strategy

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2009/10 was a year of significant changes for the Union. Over the past 12 months we’ve overhauled our Governance structures; become the first students’ union in the country to register as a charity; achieved numerous quality marks for our services; and moved into a purpose built student activities centre, to name a few.

This report - the first of its kind produced by the Union - outlines the successes we’ve had in the last year and how they have improved the quality of the student experience here in Portsmouth. We’ve also detailed what our plans are for the next 12 months along with our vision for the Union over the next three years.

In 2009/10 we’ve campaigned hard to improve the student experience for Portsmouth students. Over the past year we’ve worked with the University to increase social study areas via Third Space; challenged the University on its timetabling arrangements; helped change the personal tutoring system to give students more contact time; and worked with the University to roll-out the coursework receipts system. We take our role in supporting and defending students seriously and we aim to keep pushing hard in this area.

In addition to this year being one of significant changes, we’ve also significantly increased the numbers of students we engage with, in everything from elections to societies memberships. In total we now have over 7,000 students engaged in our activities and services. We believe that this increasing level of engagement demon-strates the importance that the Union plays in building a vibrant student community in Portsmouth.

This year we’ve achieved a lot, but we realise that we have a lot more to do. We have a vision of creating a positive impact with every Portsmouth student, and in the coming months we’ll be publishing our strategic plan 2011-14 demonstrating how we intend to achieve it.

Aakash NaikUnion President 2010/11

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Meet the 2010/11 Sabbatical Officers Online at: www.upsu.net/sabbs

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Charity Registration

We were the first Students’ Union

in the country to adopt the recent

changes to charity law and register

as a charity.

Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative (SUEI) AccreditationWe became the first Students’ Union on the south coast to achieve the SUEI (Bronze) quality mark. This award recognises qual-ity across our activities, services and engagement.

Investors in DiversityIn 2010 we achieved level 1 Investors in Diversity status. We view this as an important development and we’ve made achieving level 2 a priority for the future.

Funding for volunteering projects

Last year we said that we wanted

to gain funding for our community

work; we were granted £19,000

from Portsmouth City Council to

run two intergenerational projects

in the city.

A solid financial footingDue to our low level of cash reserves, we took difficult steps to address our weak finances. This is the first year of our re-building programme, that will eventually enable us to better invest in what we provide to students.

Expansion in student activities and electionsThis year saw huge increases in the number of societies, society memberships and the number of students engaging in our democratic processes, demonstrating their value to Portsmouth students.

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1 REGISTER WITh ThE ChARITy COMMISSIOn BEfORE AUGUST 2010. achieved

In 2009/10 wE IdEntIFIEd thE FollowIng 14 tARgEtS AS pRIoRItIES. wE AChIEvEd nInE oF thE tARgEtS; pARtly AChIEvEd A FURthER two; And mISSEd thREE.

3 IMPROvE COMMUnITy nETWORkS By JUly 2010. achieved 4 QUORATE UnIOn MEETInGS AnD REfEREnDA &

InCREASED vOTES In ElECTIOnS. achieved

2 COnTESTED EThICS, EQUAlITy AnD DIvERSITy (EED) ElECTIOnS. achieved

8 SInGlE SPORTS MEMBERShIP By SEPTEMBER 2009/10. achieved but is now changed

5 InCREASED nUMBERS Of STUDEnTS InvOlvED In COMMUnITy AnD vOlUnTEERInG InITIATIvES. achieved

6 InCREASED fUnDInG fOR InITIATIvES fROM SPOnSORShIP By JUly 2010. achieved

7 COMMERCIAl InCOME TARGETS MET By JUly 2010. achieved

9 InvESTIGATE AnD InTEGRATE WEB 2.0 TEChnOlOGy By OCTOBER 2009. achieved and won 2010 hants web awaRd as ‘best PubLic voted website’

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12 EMBED A COMMUnICATIOnS STRATEGy ThAT EffECTIvEly DISSEMInATES ThE UnIOn’S ACTIvITIES, MInIMISES MISUnDERSTAnDInG AnD MAxIMISES InvOlvEMEnT. RECOGnISE ThAT COnSUlTATIOn AnD fEEDBACk ARE CORnERSTOnES Of SUCh A STRATEGy By OCTOBER 2009. not achieved, but a communications PLan wiLL be incoRPoRated into the union’s new stRategy that wiLLbe Launched in JanuaRy 2011

11 lOBBy fOR IMPROvED QUAlITy Of fEEDBACk AnD vARIETy Of ASSESSMEnT In ACADEMIC WORk By JUly 2010. ongoing, but this is now viewed as a PRioRity within the univeRsity

10 InCREASED MEMBERShIP Of SPORTS AnD SOCIETIES. achieved in societies

13 fUnDRAISInG TARGETS MET vIA SUSTAInABlE SOURCES IDEnTIfIED AnD DElIvERED. Not achieved, although two oNe-off graNts were received from Portsmouth city couNcil duriNg 2009/10 aNd the uNioN is committed to geNeratiNg more of this sort of iNcome

14 InCREASED nUMBERS Of STUDEnTS SUBMITTInG POSITIvE fEEDBACk In ThE UnIOn’S AnnUAl SURvEy By JUly 2010. Not achieved due to Poor commuNicatioN aNd comPletioN rates of the survey

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Representation is at the core of our activities, ranging from the annual Sabbatical officer elections to AU Council.

Course Representation has, like previous years, been the corner stone of student representation at the Union. this year was no exception with two major successes on exam feedback and improved personal tutor guide-lines, which ensured students recieve quality pastoral support.

the annual Sabbatical officer elections were combined with the part time officers elections. A total of 3,758 votes were cast in the election - a 41% increase in votes cast compared to last year, smashing all known records.

Student Council played a vital role in the Union being registered as a charity and the changes to the election process, passing a watchful eye over proceedings and holding the officers to account on a range of issues including the delay to the third Space project.

“Attending numerous neighbourhood forums and community volunteering events”

“Representing students on the nUS nEC and nUS Society & Citizenship Committee”

“Assisting over 250 students to register to vote in the general election”

“Secured the pledge of our local mp to vote against potential rises in tuition fees”

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The Union prides itself on its volunteering culture and is dependant on students giving up their time to organise activities on behalf of other students. In addition, we support hundreds of students who participate in community volunteering and raise money for charities.

In May 2010 the Union was successful in two bids with Portsmouth City Council to run intergenerational volunteering projects with senior Portsmouth residents. These projects will take place in 2010/11.

247 vIp mEmBERSContRIBUtEd to oUR CommUnIty wIth ovER

600 hoURSvolUntEERIng In thE poRtSmoUth AREA

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the Union supported a total of 34 sports clubs in 2009/10, which included the 33 clubs in 2008/09 and a new additi on, tchoukball.

The Union changed its membership system for the Athleti c Union (AU) during 2009/10 so that membership of the AU granted access to play and train in all sports. The introducti on saw a reduc-ti on in the total number of members. In 2009/10 the AU had 2,313 members, down from 4,128 in 2008/09. The Union intends to return to an individual club membership system in 2010/11.

2010: 24th

2009: 25th

2008: 37th

2007: 47th

2006: 59thRAn

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“our Boxing Club retained their status of

English and Briti sh University Champions

in 2009/10 - a third consecuti ve double!”

portsmouth clubs won a total of 6 leagues and 5 BUCS cup competi ti ons.

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The Union supports a rapidly expanding base of physical acti vity, religious, cultur-al, politi cal, academic and general acti vity societi es. In 2009/10 the Union dedicated additi onal support to societi es, enabling a huge expansion in both the number of societi es and the number of registered members.

In 2009/10 we had 90 registered societi es with a total of 4,309 members, up from 68 societi es and 3,178 members in 2008/09.

The Union conti nues to support its four pri-mary student-led media outlets: Pugwash news; Pugwash Magazine; PurefM; and UPSU.tv. Pugwash news is printed every fortnight, with Pugwash Magazine being printed 3 ti mes a year. PurefM broadcasts 24 hours a day during term ti me and UPSU.tv has its own online channel.

During 2009/10 our four media outlets had a total of 332 registered members. This is the fi rst ti me that we have held a central record for engagement in this area.

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over the course of the year the Union supported a number of high profile events, including Freshers Fayre; Re-freshers Fayre; the AU dinner; the graduation Ball; the Student Activities Awards dinner; the Ravelin park Carnival; one-world week and numerous society events.

our Freshers’ Fayre in September 2009 contained 166 exhibitors and generated an estimated footfall of 13,440 on day one, with a further 13,020 on day two.

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The Union runs a wholly owned trading company to raise money for the Union’s charitable acti viti es, called portsmouth Students’ Union trad-ing ltd (PSUT). The company was founded in 2007 and has conti nued its impressive revenue growth and bott om line profi t in 2009/10. The com-pany’s main business is through retail sales, night-life promoti ons and adverti sing sales. adverti sing sales.

2010 PROFITS

£83,656

2009 PROFITS

£19,741 2008 PROFITS£26,516

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During 2009/10 the Union overhauled its Governance arrangements; the Union’s Governing document was re-written, The Trustee Board was expanded and diversified; and the powers of the Board were amended to fit with Charity Commission guidelines.

The Board of Trustees is responsible for governing the Union and for setting its strategic direction. The Board also provides the Chief Executive with a budget and operating plan to work towards.

The Union’s new ‘Memorandum and Articles of Associa-tion’ replaced the ‘Constitution’ as the Union’s Govern-ing document in March 2010

The new Memorandum and Articles of Association had to be approved by a general meeting of students, The University and the Charity Commission.

BoARd CompoSItIonBefore After6 Sabbatical Officers 6 Sabbatical Officers2 students 2 students1 University nominated 3 external membersmember 1 University nominated member

On 1st June 2010, we were the first Students’ Union in the country to register as a charity. Our charity number is 1136115.

The Union’s Governance arrangements were audited and given an overall rating of ‘good’ in June 2010 as a part of our SUEI assessment.

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PAGE 152009/10 was a strong year of financial per-formance. The Union generated a surplus of £78,368, up from £18,406 in 2008/09. The surplus was created by a reduction in admin-istrative costs and overall savings in operat-ing expenditure and is essential in building our reserves. none of the charity’s other activities were acquired or discontinued during the last financial year.

The charity has no recognised gains or losses other than those dealt with in the statement of financial activities.

Despite the strong financial performance in 2009/10 the Union continues to have a weak balance sheet position. The Union’s policy for reserves dictates that we should hold a minimum of £350,000 in unrestricted reserves. however, our current holding of £214,475 (unrestricted reserves minus fixed assets) falls well short of this. The Union now has a plan to build the reserve position to £350,000 by August 2015.

Download our financial statementsonline at: www.upsu.net/finances

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Our top targets for 2010/11:StAKEholdERSMaintain strong, sustainable relati onships with our stake-holders so that UPSU can achieve its Vision and deliver its Mission

tARgEtS1. Produce a glossy annual report, including a social respon-sibility and student impact report, by 31st August 20102. Achieve year-on-year improvement in overall rati ngs and in the proporti on of responses from the staff and student sati sfacti on surveys by 30th June 20113. Develop and implement an annual stakeholder sati sfac-ti on survey by 30th March 20114. Develop the Union’s democrati c structures, evidenced by a voter turnout in excess of 4000 votes, with an average of 3 sabbati cal candidates for each post in the March electi ons by 31st March 20115. Coordinate the development of new organisati onal vi-sion, Mission and values statements with fresh branding by 31st January 20116. Develop and launch a new organisati onal strategy that is approved by the Board of Trustees by 31st January 2011

lEARnIng And dEvElopmEntEquip staff and offi cers with the skills and knowledge they need to achieve the Union’s Vision and deliver its Mission

tARgEtS1. Develop an organisati onal training plan and ensure that all permanent staff have an acti ve training and develop-ment plan by 28th February 20112. Ensure that the course rep system is developed, evi-denced by full recruitment of faculty reps and producti on of an annual academic support report by 30th June 20113. Achieve Investors in People (IIP) accreditati on and im-prove the Union’s overall score in the Sound Environmental Impact assessment by 31st July 20114. Complete a student impact review of all student-facing services and achieve Investors in Volunteers (IIV) accredita-ti on by 31st July 20115. Develop customer service standards for all student facing services and service level agreements for support depart-ments and train all staff against those standards by 31st De-cember 2010

In April 2010 the Union introduced a new performance management framework for measuring success - the bal-anced scorecard approach. The balanced scorecard has now been rolled-out across the Union so that all services and acti viti es have a robust target setti ng process.

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FInAnCIAl mAnAgEmEnt And ContRolAchieve fi nancial stability through accountable budget holders, demonstrated by achieving the stated budgeted surpluses by 31st July 2011

tARgEtS1. Achieve the overall budgeted surplus for UPSU for 2010/20112. Achieve the overall budgeted surplus for PSUT for 2010/20113. Achieve the overall budgeted income revenues for PSUT for 2010/20114. Review the fi nancial procedures and all operati onal proc-esses within the fi nance department by 31st January 20115. Produce management account within 8 working days of each period end for at least 10 (out of 12) periods by 31st July 2011

SyStEmS, polICIES And pRoCEdURESEnsure that the Union’s systems, policies and procedures add value and enable UPSU to achieve its Vision and deliver its Mission

tARgEtS1. Review all existi ng policies and develop and implement a plan to review them over the next 3 years, by 31st Decem-ber 20102. Ensure that all ‘red risks’ from the organisati onal risk reg-ister are reviewed quarterly and that all stated acti ons are completed by 31st May 20113. Develop and adopt a Job Evaluati on Scheme and ensure that all posts are reviewed under the scheme by 31st July 20114. Reach an agreement with the University to redevelop the ground fl oor of the Student Centre before february 2012, with improved UPSU retail and recepti on services by 31st July 2011

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GoalTo become an evolving body that continually learns from its people & members.

Key performance indicatorsAll student volunteers are supported & rewarded; accreditation for our peo-ple management; increase number of students en-gaged with the democratic process; all staff & officers have personal development plans; new innovations to services regularly happen which benefit all stakehold-ers.

innoVation and GroWtH

1

GoalTo (vastly) increase student involvement in the local community.

Key performance indicatorsCommunity engagement strategy in place; number of students involved in community projects; growth of community project fund-ing; increase awareness of students’ community contribution; growth of vol-unteering opportunities for students.

commUnity

2

GoalTo build strong & supportive stakeholder relationships.

Key performance indicatorsMore student involvement in union activity; stakehold-er analysis for key stake-holders; increased voter turnout; greater involvement & input in University of Portsmouth policies; im-proved user ratings for all services.

staKe- HoLders

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GoalTo be sustainable and value for money.

Key performanceindicatorsReserves level reached; quality information pro-duced; demonstrating value for money; new income streams established; exist-ing income streams devel-oped.

finance & resoUrces

4

GoalTo create an integrated and accessible system of policies and procedures.

Key performance indicatorsAll users understand poli-cies & procedures; feed-back from the stakehold-ers; systems & procedures have intended impact; recognised for our achieve-ments - awards; systems & polices benefi ting students.

poLicies, procedUres

& systems

5“Over the next few months the Union will be consult-ing with students and its other stakeholders on the content of the Union’s new strategic plan. We’d really like your input into our plan. Please contact the relevant strategy champion with your thoughts and ideas.”

Strategic Champions

INNoVaTIoN & GRoWTHVP Welfare & Volunteering andChief ExecutiveCoMMUNITYVP Societies & Community andRepresentation and Volunteering ManagerSTaKEHolDERSPresident andChief ExecutiveFINaNCE & RESoURCESAn External Trustee andFinancial ControllerPolICIES, PRoCEDURES & SYSTEMSVP Democracy & Communications andStudent Activities Manager

University of Portsmouth Students’ UnionCambridge Road

Portsmouthhampshire

po1 2EF

t: 023 92 84 3859E: hello@upsu.netw: www.upsu.net

Registered charityno: 1136115

Company limited by guarantee(no: 3934555) in England and wales

100% Recycledthis leafl et is printed on 100% recycled paper

when you have fi nished with this documentplease recycle it and help us make a diff erence

photography: tom worman | mike Cooter | Krish mistrylaura Stevenson | Film and photo Society

produced by: tom worman, UpSU marketi ng deparment

Sabbati cal offi cer trustees 09/10

President steven topazio

vP Educati on & Representati on oliver stylesvP Societi es aakash naik

vP Communicati ons Jacob leverett

VP Sports elaina sperring

vP Welfare and volunteering elizabeth shephard

Student trustees 09/10non-Portf olio

andrew brownnon Portf olio Peter frizelle

University nominated trustee non-Portf olio

Peter Jones (resigned march 2010)

non-Portf olio david franklin

(appointed march 2010)

External trusteesnon-Portf olio

christi na munslow (appointed march 2010)

non-Portf olio fraser whyte

(appointed march 2010)non-Portf olio

ian Piper(appointed march 2010)

Company Secretary 09/10 steven topazio

Chief Executi ve (interim) david miles

(unti l march 2010)

Chief Executi ve daniel Palmer

(appointed march 2010)