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Aimhigher in Schools, Colleges and Community

Aimhigher in Schools and Colleges

The role of Aimhigher
Aimhigher in Schools and Colleges: Years 9 and 10-13
Meet the Team

Aimhigher is a national programme whose role is to widen participation in Higher Education (HE) by raising the aspirations and developing the abilities of young people from groups that are under-represented in HE. The programme seeks to reach a number of people including potential HE students, their families, teachers and employers.

The role of Aimhigher

The role of the Aimhigher programme is to:

Raise aspirations and motivation to enter HE among young people in schools and further education and in workplace learning, who are from under-represented groups
Raise the attainment of potential HE students, who are from under-represented groups, so that they gain the academic or vocational qualifications and learning skills that will enable them to enter HE
Strengthen routes into HE via vocational courses and government apprenticeships in schools, colleges and the workplace
Raise students’ aspirations to enter HE and to apply to the institution and/or course best able to match their abilities
Improve the attainment, aspirations, motivation and self-esteem of gifted and talented young people aged 13-19; and the quality of identification, provision and support for those students in schools and colleges

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Aimhigher in Schools and Colleges: Years 9 and 10-13

The background and context for the case-study

In the predominantly rural area of Bournemouth, Dorset, Poole and South Somerset, too many capable students do not progress to FE/HE, even though many of them have achieved more than five A*-C GCSEs. The Aimhigher aspiration raising programme has been designed to encourage these students to consider progression beyond Year 11 and through to HE.

The partnership includes 58 schools roughly half of which do not have a sixth form. Thirty four schools were selected for intensive activities based on an LSC analysis of their attainment of 5 A*-C GCSEs, eligibility for free school meals, ward participation in HE and a rurality factor (distance from nearest HE provider). The Aimhigher team offers a more limited programme of support to the remaining 24 schools.

Within the targeted schools, pupils who meet one of the following criteria are eligible to take part in the Aimhigher programme, that is those:

From clerical, administrative or manual backgrounds
First generation and with no family experience of Higher Education
Who come from families dependent on benefits e.g. eligible for Free School Meals, unemployed parents or carers etc
Who come from under-represented minority ethnic groups
Who live in coastal / rural areas
Who have the potential to progress and succeed in Higher Education but have low aspirations, motivation, awareness or support

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A description of the activity

The Aimhigher team has developed a progressive programme of activities appropriate for each year group.

aimhigher further and higher education talk

In Year 9, pupils come onto the HE campus for an activity-based day to raise aspirations and lay the foundations for the subsequent programme.

In Year 10, the focus is on raising aspirations through talks by student ambassadors in Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) sessions and raising attainment through curriculum-based activities. This is accompanied by a mentoring programme running in five targeted schools, with one-to-one mentoring taking place on a weekly basis. There are 29 mentors and 116 mentees 2004/2005 (The 2005/2006 mentoring programme is just starting). The majority of mentees are Yr 10 students with current predicted GCSE D grades. The mentors offer support and encouragement to these pupils to help improve their attainment. This is the first year of the scheme’s operation, but feedback from the mentors, mentees and the school mentor co-ordinators is very positive.

For Year 11 students, the programme continues with aspiration and attainment raising and building up information and awareness of progression routes, degree subjects and the HE environment. GCSE-linked study activities are provided as required by the school, for example coursework support and revision techniques.

In Year 12, the programme offers further support with researching courses and places to study, the importance of Open Days, the UCAS procedure and deadlines, help with completing their UCAS application form and personal statement. Finance and student life talks can be delivered by trained student ambassadors.

For Year 13 students help is on hand for completing UCAS forms and giving further information about finance. Students may need support with preparing to live away from home and encouragement up to and including the exam period.

All participating students complete a “Connexions Consent Form”, so that Connexions, can track their progress for Aimhigher.

How this activity made a difference

In 2003/4, 148 Year 10 students from 11 schools took part in Aimhigher taster days through the LIFE programme. The students were asked about their plans for going to university both before and after they took part in the session. 81 per cent of those who had not previously wanted to go to HE changed their mind as a result of the Aimhigher taster day.

Teachers have reported that the PSHE sessions delivered in schools by HE Student Ambassadors has enthused their students, who enjoy meeting and engaging with HE students. On evaluation forms students comments included:

“Today’s talk was amazing and I’ve definitely changed my mind”

"I enjoyed the talk and it has grabbed me to go to uni”

“Today’s visit has really helped me understand uni”

“Come again!”

Subsequent or ongoing work

The range of Aimhigher activities delivered is flexible and demand-led. The LIFE programme responds to the request of the school for each activity. A vital element in the success of the activity is the “role model” of the Student Ambassadors and Mentors and the relevance of their experiences to younger students.

Subsequent work will be done by Connexions in tracking the progress of all students who have taken part in Aimhigher initiatives. This information will be used to measure the effectiveness of the Aimhigher initiatives.

WP in Schools and Colleges - Meet the Team