Widening Participation Activities. The School expects its financial support proposals to be a powerful tool in maintaining and improving access for poorer students. In addition, however, we are proposing to develop and extend our outreach activities. The School guarantees minimum funding for its widening participation activities of £200,000 a year (from 2008-09 onwards). This funding is derived from the additional fee income. We will continue to seek external funding (from alumni, donors, corporate sponsors, etc.) to augment the portfolio of widening participation activities listed below. Indeed some of the activities included in the Access Agreement are funded (either wholly or in part) by external donors. However, it is relevant to include these programmes in the Access Agreement as they demonstrate the full breadth of the School’s commitment to widening access. Our WP activities will explicitly target various groups normally thought to be underrepresented in the university sector (eg. poorer students, those from low performing state schools, those from certain ethnic groups, those from families with little or no history in HE, etc.). We have two main objectives; i The first is to increase the number of people who satisfy the above criteria to apply to study at the LSE; we would also hope that an increase in the number of applicants will also result in an increase in the number of registrations. ii The second is to help people from the above groups to raise their aspirations to attend university, and to attend universities previously thought beyond their expectations. Our detailed WP proposals build on our considerable experience in this area and are a mixture of either new or expanded schemes. A brief description of our schemes is as follows: LSE Choice This is our main recruitment scheme to attract students from under-represented and non- traditional backgrounds in the Greater London area. It will build on the experience of the highly successful LSE Saturday Schools but will be more forthright in its aim to recruit to LSE and other excellent institutions. The scheme is designed to introduce the students to life in such universities, nurture their interest in their chosen subject, raise attainment, and guide the student through the application process. There will be preferential access to the scheme to students from state schools who have no history of HE in their family. It will be available for up to 180 year 12 and 13 students from the Greater London region.
Widening Participation Activities. Given the state of change in the sector, the end of Aim Higher, and the uncertainties surrounding collaborative arrangements, it is highly problematic setting interim targets and milestones. Our activity here at the University aims to support widening participation to this University and beyond. The University’s Performance Indicators provide the best assessment of our success in widening participation at this University. Measures of success for raising attainment and participation locally and regionally are dependent on successful collaboration with other HEIs and relevant stakeholders. Our milestones outlined in Annex C therefore relate to a range of individual and collaborative initiatives that will support the delivery of our overarching aims to deliver widening participation. Local collaboration To secure agreement during 2011-12 for a local Leicester/Leicestershire partnership between the three HEIs, the local authority, local schools, colleges and other appropriate agencies to deliver aspiration raising and widening participation activities to the local area, and to monitor progression to HE in the region. Realising Opportunities To complete the pilot phase of the initiative with the other partner Universities by 2013, and to roll out an appropriate, enlarged version of the programme here at Leicester from 2012, to treble the participants on the scheme at Leicester from 35 to 100 students. Summer Schools To deliver two summer schools in support of young students from 2012, for a minimum of 40 students per year. These will be funded by ourselves and through philanthropic giving, and are in addition to specific departmental activities (in many cases funded through external sources), such as the annual Space School. Aspiration and attainment raising events To embed the current AimHigher programme offered by this University, with the following in 2012- 13: at least 10 University experience days (years 9/10), 10 Masterclasses (Year 12), and a further 10 in-school interventions. These activities and interventions will impact on well over 1,000 pupils. Students in Schools By 2013, to replace the Student Associate Scheme with a range of embedded opportunities for current undergraduates to be placed in schools and support the aspirations and learning of young people in a range of targeted schools. This will build towards 200 undergraduate student placements.
Widening Participation Activities. 12 For these purposes the research intensive universities are defined as Oxford, Cambridge and the Xxxxxxx Group and 94-Group HEIs.
Widening Participation Activities. The College will build on established good practice to increase awareness of higher education progression opportunities across the communities which the College serves, and its own level 3 cohort of learners. Activities will include: School liaison activities with local secondary schools to promote higher education progression opportunities An annual “Next Step” progression fair which promotes higher education progression opportunities to the College’s level 3 cohort Maintaining a comprehensive portfolio of level 3 programmes, including a combined A level and vocational qualification programme, which encourages and supports progression to higher education by non-traditional learners Maintaining a comprehensive Access to Higher Education programme which supports the progression of non-traditional adult learners to higher education Partnership activity with JobCentre Plus which promotes learning opportunities available, including the potential to progress to higher education Open events which promote higher education progression opportunities and the College’s higher education offer An annual programme of school tasters which include the promotion of higher education opportunities The production of high quality materials to promote higher education progression opportunities In addition to the above, the College will support the retention and achievement of its higher education students by: Providing and promoting a Success Centre in each of its main campuses to support students with written assignments, English and mathematics, and overcoming learning difficulties The availability of a Disability Adviser to support students from pre-entry to progression Providing comprehensive progression guidance, delivered by a dedicated team of guidance officers Specific work with schools Secondary education in the East Riding of Yorkshire is provided by 12 local authority maintained schools, 6 Academies and 2 independent 11-18 schools. The high volume of schools reflects the large, rural dispersed nature of the local authority area. The College has highly valued partnership arrangements with all key partner schools, and does not sponsor an individual school. The College’s main feeder schools are Headlands and Bridlington schools in Bridlington; Longcroft, Beverley High and Beverley Grammar in Beverley; Driffield school; Hornsea school; and Ebor Academy in Filey. However, the College successfully recruits learners from over 40 schools and undertakes ...
