access academy access and community engagement dr jon barber – access academy manager victoria...
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Access AcademyAccess and Community Engagement
Dr Jon Barber – Access Academy Manager
Victoria Edwards - Access Academy Officer (Volunteering)
Changing Futures for Young People in Public Care
Access and Community Engagement
Overview:
The University of Leeds
The Widening Participation Agenda
Changing Futures Project
What is the Widening Participation Agenda?
Where does this fit at a University such as Leeds?
Access and Community Engagement
Institutional Philosophy
Strategy Map T9 – To increase access to all who can benefit T8 – provide an exceptional student experience T11 – contribute to the enrichment of society on a local to global scaleValues: academic excellence, professionalism, integrity, community, inclusiveness.
Possible conflict with: Increasing A Level grades Other testing procedures such as LNAT Drive to be top 50 in world by 2015
Access and Community Engagement
Access and Community Engagement
Widening Participation Agenda
Outreach Agenda Raising aspirations and attainment of young people and adults from under-represented groups
Fair Access Agenda – Supporting applications, reviewing admissions processes and providing financial support for low income students – 10 scholarships
Student Support Agenda – ensuring students are supported so that they have the best chance of completing their studies
Employability – ensuring students secure graduate jobs in the labour market
Monitoring and Estimating impact
Access and Community Engagement
Outward facing office for the University
Works in 4 key areas:
- Community
- Schools Outreach
- Scholarships
- Culture & Heritage
Access and Community Engagement
Centrally coordinates and delivers WP outreach
Works annually with 30 000 students in 200 schools12 Staff manage 20 different projects, engaging 700 undergraduates in voluntary, accredited and paid positions
Develops bespoke programmes with schools and other educational establishments
Just some of our partners…
Aimhigher, DCSF, DFID, DIUS, Natural England, Local Education Authorities, Partner schools and colleges, Camelot Foundation, College of Law, Derek Fatchett City Learning Centre, Frank Buttle Trust, GE Foundation, HBOS Foundation, Heritage Lottery Fund, Institute of Physics, Museums, Libraries and Archives, NM Rothschild and Sons, Partner Universities, Royal Society of Chemistry, Skipton Building Society, Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, Stepping Stones, Sutton Trust, Training and Development Agency.
Access and Community Engagement
Strategic Project Activity
WP Strategy Reach for Excellence Summer Schools
Lifelong Learning Networks STEM e.g. Rothschild's Community of Excellence, More Maths Grads, Ogden Pontefract Partnership etc
Belle Vue School partnership with LLC
Frank Buttle Trust Quality Mark for working with Young People in Care
The Stepping Stones Project Changing Futures for Young People in Care
Access Agreement Pathways to Law Intergenerational activity
UK Undergraduate Scholarships Faculty Examples: Languages at Work, Black History Month; Kirklees Gifted and Talented University Beyond School Programme (Arts)
Leeds/Bradford Medical Partnership
Examples of Partnerships in Practice…
Access and Community Engagement
Access and Community Engagement
“Children in public care fall behind at school, seldom achieve good qualifications, and are much less likely than their peers to go on to further or higher education”
‘Educational success for children in public care: advice from a group of high achievers’ Pearl Y. Martin and Sonia Jackson (2002)
Access and Community Engagement
Background
Idea for this Project arose from:
– Academic Research (Jackson and Martin 1998, Jackson 2002, and Jackson et al 2005)
– Volunteering project: University of Leeds with a City Learning Centre (Derek Fatchett): 8 young people in care paired with 8 university volunteers (2005)
– Frank Buttle Trust’s Quality Mark for Care Leavers in Higher Education (2006)
» http://www.buttletrust.org/quality_mark/
The Project…
Pilot ran in 2005-06 with funding from Widening
Participation project fund
University of Leeds was awarded Frank Buttle Trust
Quality mark
Frank Buttle Trust/Camelot Foundation funded
project from 2006-07
Partnership with Stepping Stones formed in 2007-08
Access and Community Engagement
Access and Community Engagement
Changing Futures Project Aims
1) Raise educational aspirations and awareness of HE among looked-after children (LAC) in Leeds Year 9 – 11 (ages 13 - 16)
2) Engage carers and foster carers in the educational process
Access and Community Engagement
One to one support for a small group of looked after children (identified in year 9) to raise their academic achievement. The student mentors and the young people meet for two hours once a week.
Access and Community Engagement
‘I got an interview with Tomas Danby
through my mentor’s help’
‘…they now realise
what they are
capable of
achieving’‘I had help
preparing for an interview … and I knew exactly what
to say!’
The students have looked forward to the
sessions and all have said that they have
enjoyed themselves as well as learning new skills…
Access and Community Engagement
Introducing Stepping Stones…
An Aimhigher programme designed to promote
the educational achievements of looked after
young people.
To raise aspirations and to widen participation to
higher education
Access and Community Engagement
The Partnership…
Provides a vital partnership link with Social
Services
Provides space and staffing at the Derek
Fatchett Centre
Collation of data and mapping across all
projects
Access and Community Engagement
What Works…
Information gathered from Social Services
Space and staffing at the Derek Fatchett
Centre
Specialised training through Social
Services
Additional funding support
Access and Community Engagement
Challenges…
Partnership with Stepping Stones formed after
project was created.
Roles and responsibilities within partnership unclear.
Expectations of partnership/ownership and personal
investment
Funding
Multiagency relationships
Access and Community Engagement
Where we are now…
Formation of Stepping Stones Fellowship
Duke of Edinburgh Award
Frank Buttle Trust Quality Mark
Access and Community Engagement
The Future…
Develop partnership with Duke of
Edinburgh Award
Effective across office working – Access to
Leeds and Reach for Excellence
Continue to improve partnership with
Stepping Stones
Access and Community Engagement
Key questions
- How can Local Authorities support programmes of this kind?
- How can the role of the Social Services be incorporated?
- How do we engage carers more?
- How can we sustain the overall programme?
Access and Community Engagement
And this is why we do it……