Working collaboratively for impact. We will continue to work collaboratively with other HEIs and our target schools and colleges in order to ensure an effective outreach programme. As part of HEFCE’s National Networks for Collaborative Outreach initiative, the universities of Portsmouth, Southampton, Winchester, Southampton Solent, Bournemouth and the Arts University Bournemouth have set up the Southern Universities Network (SUN). This partnership built upon and extended our previous collaboration under the Hampshire Universities WP Group. Across the SUN we have committed to provide outreach opportunities for all state schools and colleges in our region of Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We will also exchange good practice and share effective approaches to WP. Our particular focus for collaborative working in 2016/17 covers: Focus Activities Continuing Professional Development (staff and student union) SUN will arrange staff development for WP practitioners including student ambassadors and Students’ Union officers. Vulnerable children & young people SUN will continue in partnership to develop and promote wider understanding of the issues facing vulnerable children and young people. We will work in partnerships with local authorities and voluntary sector agencies. This work will be informed by the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers. BME work SUN will continue to promote and support the progression of students from minority ethnic communities, working with community groups and sharing our networks to maximise opportunities for collaborative delivery. Disability SUN will develop and extend collaborative projects which support the progression of students with disabilities, drawing on the expertise of specialists within our universities, current students with disabilities and those working in the field. We will continue to work collaboratively with other institutions across the South East as part of the Higher Education Access and Tracking (HEAT) service. This provides a collaborative targeting, monitoring and evaluation service in support of our outreach work. It allows us to report on the impact of our activities in terms of progression to any HEI. It also provides systems and data to underpin an evidence base for WP practice and reporting. Recent reports show us that progression to HE from our outreach activity with quintiles 1&2 (POLAR 3) is 34% as opposed to the national average for these groups of less than 25%. In 2016/17 we will maintain our membership of the Sou...
Working collaboratively for impact. We will continue to work collaboratively with other Universities in our AimHigher partnership to obtain maximum impact from our combined activities, through co‐operation and appropriate targeting of schools and colleges and shared resources. Collaborative activity will include joint ambassador training, partnership work with care leavers and sharing of appropriate data to enable close targeting and monitoring of outcomes. Our current AimHigher partners are the Universities of Southampton, Southampton Solent and Winchester. We also work with the Smallpeice Trust and deliver four STEM focused 4 day residential courses each year for year 19 and 10 pupils. In 2010 this included an Engineering Experience course particularly targeted at WP applicants and females.
