Willingdon Community School Uni Connect Project

Improving engagement and attendance and raising aspirations among learners from disadvantaged backgrounds

METHODOLOGY

The project was part of Willingdon’s whole-school vision to engage students with their learning, improve school attendance and boost aspirations to attend university, especially among those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The project was devised and delivered by a member of staff working as a Uni Connect Higher Education Champion, a role funded by Uni Connect. Those taking part included:

Year 9 – 38 Pupil Premium students; 33 SEN students
Year 10 – 30 Pupil Premium students; 12 SEN students
Year 11 – 34 Pupil Premium students; 6 SEN students

The project involved a bespoke programme of activities including:

• student visits to universities to learn about university life and broaden learners’ horizons beyond Sussex.
• an in-school mentoring programme for first-generation students (those who are the first in their family to access higher education). Run by graduate learning mentors, these sessions looked at course applications, how to cope at university and other issues relevant to the students.
• Action Your Potential sessions to enable students to understand how their brains work and support their study habits and mental well-being.
• Cultural capital trips, such as visits to Glyndebourne, and to careers and STEM fairs, which some students wouldn’t otherwise have been able to afford.
• Revision resources to help secure exam success.

Parents/carers had the opportunity to be involved in the Action Your Potential sessions, parent forums, and information evenings attended by further education and training providers, as well as university visits, reward trips and cultural capital events. 

IMPACT

Some 470 students benefited from the project’s activities and funding, which has enabled:

• all Year 10 and 11 students to have a short conversation about their future ambitions with the learning mentors
• disadvantaged and disengaged students and all first-generation learners to have one-to-one sessions with learning mentors
• disadvantaged, SEN or students at risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) to have in-depth, tailored conversations with the school’s careers adviser
• all 200 Year 10 students to visit Sussex University and other FE institutions to learn about university life
• more independent revision using the study guides provided by the project
• support with writing personal statements and course applications
• cultural capital visits including theatre, residential and Geography fieldwork trips, reward trips to places like Thorpe Park and access to the Duke of Edinburgh Award
• Year 9 to 11 students from disadvantaged backgrounds to attend a variety of career and STEM fairs.
• students to access a wider variety of enrichment experiences including dance and music clubs and small-group life-skill sessions such as healthy cooking
• students to receive additional support from Action Your Potential, including mindfulness sessions
• students to attend employer mentoring sessions run by the Dare2Dream Foundation and creative sessions from Contender Charlie. 

The project has contributed to the following developments in school:

• Exclusions falling by 48%.
• Attendance rising to 94.1%.
• More opportunities for mentoring specific students. 
• Increased student engagement with lessons due to learning mentor support.
• Students being mentored by employers.
• Greater resilience and confidence, and improved communication skills and attitudes to school among students taking part.
• A decrease in the number of students becoming NEET.
• More students having the ambition to go on to higher education and a clearer idea of life post-Willingdon.
• Increased parental engagement with the school.
• Improvements in the school’s pastoral care provision.

  

KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Findings
Thanks to the project, students have more resilience, confidence and ambition and realise that everybody can have the chance to access higher education and apprenticeships.

The number of cultural capital opportunities has increased for Pupil Premium learners, exposing them to new life experiences and educational possibilities.

Recommendations
Learning mentors should continue to be employed as a priority to work with students who are less able or from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Trips to a wide variety of career fairs and STEM events should continue and be expanded, if possible, to include national as well as local events.

Student trips to Sussex University for the school’s Year 10 cohort should be organised annually.

return