Outreach and Widening Participation Summer School Reports – 2014/15 Author: Stephane Farenga, Research & Evaluation Officer Contents A closer look at… Children in Care Summer School ................................................ 1 A closer look at... Year 10 Beacon Summer School ................................................. 5 A closer look at… Year 12 Summer School ............................................................... 9 A closer look at… Children in Care Summer School The Children in Care Summer School raises aspirations for participants who face barriers to entry in higher education. Sessions are designed to engage pupils in academic topics and university life in order to motivate them to think about applying to university. Children in Care (CiC) are immersed in a range of university environments and exciting academic and physical challenges designed to introduce them to life in higher education. UH staff: 15 Year 10 Participating local Lindsey & 11 Rigby, Cobi students authorities: Campbell, from 7 Zahra local Barnet Carnochan authorities Introducing Brent Improving Range of pupils to knowledge activities university & designed to Camden life & awareness engage & academic of HE inspire Enfield subjects participants Haringey Three-day, two-night Hertfordshire residential event, on- campus Islington Sessions Aims Outcomes 1. To inspire CiC to aim for 1. Trips to Cambridge Uni, HE 1. Boost in aspirations Central School of Speech & Drama and UH 2. To provide an insight 2. Increase in knowledge into what uni offers about academic courses & 2. Taster lectures and academically student life subject-specific workshops 3. To expose CiC to new 3. Increase in confidence & 3. Adventure activities & environments & engagement theatre trip experiences 1 Children in Care tend to have limited exposure to HE How many conversations have CiC had How many family members or friends do about university in the last year with CiC have that attended university? carers, social workers and teachers? 36% have zero family members or friends 40% rarely or never had conversations about who have attended university university in the last year 36% have 1-3 family members or friends 33% had conversations every few months who have attended university about university in the last year 29% have more than 7 family members or 26% had conversations regularly about friends who have attended university university 80% of CiC felt Summer School had helped them think about their future "It helped me to think about my opportunities more wisely" "It helped me understand which courses I want to pursue to get my dream job" "Gave me a chance to see Cambridge and that it might be a possibility to go there" 2 Assessing CiC confidence & views on attending university—before & after Summer School Confidence Confidence +56% +52% increase in CiC increase in feeling 'very confidence when confident' about meeting new people being in new environments Attending Attending HE HE +47% increase with CiC 67% who 'strongly agree that there's no disagree' that reason why they university is not the can't attend environment for university if they them wish to 3 What routes are participants likely to follow after school? 14% +71% increase University 36% in CiC likely to Other education (incl. apply to apprenticeships & college) university after Don't know Summer School 50% 90% said staff made them feel comfortable “Great and “They were friendly staff fantastic” 91% satisfaction who makes 91% felt sessions with how staff & you feel were delivered to a ambassadors “Everyone high standard helped during comfortable” activities was brilliant” 92% satisfaction with the way staff & ambassadors answered questions 93% said Summer School changed their perception of university "I have "I now "I always learned a want to go "It showed thought "It’s made lot more to that if I university me think about university" wanted to, would be more university that I intense seriously and have a "Made me could get and I about my better more into a well- didn’t see future" under- enthusiasti known the good standing of c about university" side [until it" going" today]" 4 A closer look at... Year 10 Beacon Summer School The Year 10 Beacon Summer School offers students the chance to discover what life is like at university. They participate in a number of taster lectures, delivered by academic staff, which are designed to introduce them to new subjects and teaching and learning styles. Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) sessions help participants acquire key knowledge about university in order to make informed decisions about their future. By spending a night in university accommodation, including taking part in a social programme, participants are able to experience student life. The entire Summer School is shaped to increase awareness about university, raise aspirations and boost the confidence of those who might who face barriers to attending university. Participating local UH staff: Cobi 44 Year 10 schools: Campbell, Lindsey students Adeyfield School Rigby, Emily from 9 Ashton & local Barnwell School Zahra schools Carnochan Cheshunt School Provide an Boost Exposure insight into confidence Francis Coombe to student university by engaging Academy life courses with range of activities Kings Langley School Priory School Two-day, one-night residential The Sele School event, on- campus Thomas Alleyne School Westfield Academy Sessions Aims Outcomes 1. Subject taster sessions 1. To provide an insight into 1. Increased awareness of what university can offer and interest in courses academically available to study 2. Staying overnight in 2. To experience what life is 2. Knowledge of what life is university accommodation like as a university student like at university 3. To expose to new 3. Increased confidence & 3. Social programme environments & experiences engagement 5 Participants' exposure to higher education & main aims 37% Main aims before Summer School would be the first in their family to attend university 54% are aiming to find out about student life 34% want to find out about new courses 19.5% 8% are aiming to build up their confidence rarely have any conversations about university with family, friends or teachers "My parents would really be proud of me and it would give me a chance to build for my future" 87.5% of participants who rarely talk about university are unsure if university is the right environment "It can help me decide if going to university is for them the right option for me in the future" Participants' outcomes & favourite taster session Aerospace: "It included lots of practical work and could lead to my dream job" Key Summer School outcomes Law: "[the lecturer] really engaged the audience" 19% boosted their confidence (137.5% "This session made me realise that I do enjoy increase for those who specifically stated that other things that I haven’t discovered yet" was their goal at the start of the event) Photography: "I love the process of capturing something" 87% now have the necessary information to "I had never been in a darkroom before and I decide if university is for them enjoyed being able to create something myself" Psychology: "I am doing Psychology at school so I got to understand the course in a lot more detail" 6 Boosting confidence and breaking down barriers Confidence Confidence +39% 88.5% increase in of participants are participants' now confident in confidence when new environments meeting new people "It’s much friendlier and it’s a lot more "The activities welcoming than I allowed me to would have expected become more - seeing as there are confident" so many people” Reducing Reducing obstacles obstacles +85% -64% increase in decrease in participants feeling participants feeling comfortable in a there are obstacles university to attending environment university "I now know what [university] is like "I thought that it and meeting some of would be really the staff has been expensive. I didn’t good and seeing the know anything about grounds – that was student loans or nice." anything like that" 7 Most likely route after finishing school: before and after Summer School Before After University (+17%) University 14% 2% 20% Don't know Don't know 20% 66% Other education Other education 78% (-86% incl. (incl. apprenticeships) apprenticeships) 98% said staff made them feel comfortable “The ambassadors were very “The welcoming and 96.5% satisfaction ambassadors 100% felt sessions with how staff & I felt very were delivered to a ambassadors were fantastic. comfortable high standard helped during They helped us asking activities fit in and feel questions comfortable” about university life” 98% satisfaction with how staff & ambassadors answered questions 98% satisfaction rating 91% usefulness rating "It was amazing as I "I really enjoyed got to experience having the opportunity to what university life "It gave us stay in a room is like and the information that "It had interesting instead of just lectures enabled we normally lectures and vital viewing it [...] I me to understand would not get. scenarios that have enjoyed how we would be We also got the could help me trying different taught. I also got perspective of uni apply to things like the opportunity to students and how university" advertising. I ask a lot of they live and their thought I would questions which experience" never try that as I increased my didn’t think it was knowledge further" for me" 8 A closer look at… Year 12 Summer School The Year 12 Summer School has a very strong focus on Information,