What we do
Widening participation
We partner with schools that may have a higher percentage of pupils living in a postcode where people are less likely to go to university. We work collaboratively with schools to tailor activities and events for pupils and their families/carers through different stages of their education to support their progression to university.
Our widening participation criteria includes:
- You are in care, or have ever been in care, of the Local Authority, or under a special guardianship order.
- You are a young carer.
- You have lost contact with your family. Often referred to as estranged, but not in the care of the local authority.
- You currently, or have ever, lived in supported accommodation.
- You are a refugee or asylum seeker.
- You have a diagnosed disability (physical or learning).
- You receive the 16-19 Bursary Fund.
- You received free school meals while at secondary school.
- You are studying an Access to Higher Education course/are a mature student.
- You live in an area where not many people go to university (we can let you know by checking your postcode).
Who we support
We work with all pupils in years 6 to 11, and with their families. We offer activities and events to explore the opportunities that a university education offers, to raise aspirations of studying at university and to help smooth the transition into higher education, particularly for pupils from under-represented backgrounds.
We also offer practical information, advice and guidance to families/carers supporting pupils applying to university who may not have first-hand experience of the process.
What does the widening participation programme include?
We offer in school and on campus activities and resources to eligible students that include:
- Interactive presentations and events with staff and student ambassadors which aim to introduce university, the courses available and the benefit of a university education.
Benefits of our programme
- The 91¶¶Òõ directly supports our partner schools with Gatsby Benchmark 7 – by the age of 16, every pupil should have had a meaningful encounter with providers of the full range of learning opportunities.
- Activities tailored to individual schools.
- A partnership valued by the OFSTED inspection process.
For more information, please email outreach@brighton.ac.uk.
Primary school activities
Our primary project is Read To Succeed. This targeted programme is delivered in selected schools.
The Read to Succeed project is a six-week-long reading programme, which aims to improve literacy and comprehension by fostering a love for reading.
The project is for selected groups of primary and secondary school children in year 6 and 7, who are identified by their schools as being below their expected reading age and from a widening participation background.
The programme includes six, 30-minute sessions, designed to engage young minds and encourage a love for reading. The sessions are led by student ambassadors working with small groups of pupils and involve reading through texts, discussions and activities. The programme finishes with a visit to our Falmer campus.
Outreach programme activities
Our team works closely in partnership with targeted secondary schools to provide training, information, advice and guidance for teachers, and tailor activities that raise awareness of the opportunities arising from university study.
Activities aimed at pupils in Key Stage 3 aim to increase young people’s confidence by providing first hand experience and real examples of university life. We introduce the academic, social, economic and personal benefits of studying at university, and the career opportunities it offers.
From Key Stage 4, activities encourage pupils to consider higher education as an option, and help make informed choices about their future. Activities and events build confidence and encourage pupils to consider applying to and studying at university – from financial support to learning style and transferable skills, as well as introducing the broad range of subjects available.
Our student ambassadors bring a personal touch, sharing anecdotes and experiences.
Pre-16 events and activities include:
- Assemblies: providing Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils with examples of university life. We explore the academic, social, economic and personal benefits of university, and the transferable skills required for university.
- Campus visits: join university staff and student ambassadors for a fun and interactive visit of our university campuses. Our campus visits are available for Years 7, 8 and 9. Students will experience a day of exploring, guided by current university students who will be able to answer questions about what it's like to study at university.
- GCSE options: 60 minute interactive session delivered in-school to support students in selecting their GCSE options for either Year 8 or 9 students.
- The University Game: An hour-long session for a class of Year 7 or 8 students to introduce the idea of university study and university life. Students explore what university is, where you can go, and the subjects you can study. The ambassadors deliver the ‘university game’, in which participants move round a ‘campus’ on the game board, answering questions about university and collecting points for different university experiences.
- The Budgeting Game: a 45 minute budgeting game, aiming to provide students with: information, advice, and guidance around finance and budgeting with the opportunity to practice their budgeting skills (decision making, budget planning, preparation, and management) with realistic figures relevant to university living costs.
Email outreach@brighton.ac.uk for more information.
Attainment raising activities
These activities have been developed to meet local attainment gaps. Alongside these activities, the outreach programme consists of general awareness, aspiration, and accessibility events delivered to target secondary schools.
The Growth Mindset project has been developed by the 91¶¶Òõ to support Year 7/8 students in preparing for their futures.
Students will be encouraged to set goals and plan how to reach them, identify their skills and strengths, and learn techniques and strategies to overcome obstacles and fulfil their ambitions. Students will be supported by an outreach practitioner and student ambassadors throughout.
The project includes six 30-minute sessions and is designed to improve confidence, resilience and a growth mindset through discussions and activities. The programme finishes with a visit to our Falmer campus.
Our Revision and Study Skills programme supports Year 10 students with revision techniques and skills and covers four key areas:
- Session one - Get in the zone for revision:
This session aims to improve mindset and motivation by addressing barriers to study through lack of motivation or organisation.
- Session two - Revision techniques:
This session aims to address revision planning and revision techniques, by providing practical advice and tips.
- Session three - Decoding exam questions:
This session aims to address technical reading skills in exams/assessments and provides guidance on how to approach questions, by breaking down and decoding exam questions.
- Session four - Essay writing for exams:
This session offers practical advice for essay planning with a focus on planning long answers under exam conditions for GCSEs. The session looks at language, form, connecting ideas and time management to increase students’ confidence in approaching exam questions.
Year 7/8 reading project
To help young people gain pleasure from reading, through engagement with a high-quality text using a “fast read” approach, students engage in an uninterrupted reading experience. When compared with fragmented reading, this helps to reposition ‘poorer' readers as ‘good’ readers.
This 6-week in-school project led by ambassadors aims to foster a love of reading. The programme finishes with a visit to our Falmer campus.
Saturday clubs
Our Saturday Clubs offer secondary school students the chance to take part in an exciting, subject-based project led by 91¶¶Òõ staff and students:
- The Sports Club, for Years 7 and 8, allows students to take part in exciting practical sport and sport science activities, giving an insight into different ways to pursue sport at university and as a career. Sessions include a variety of sports activities and games, experiments in our sport labs, and challenges in our strength and conditioning suite.
- The Art and Media Club, for Years 8 and 9, explores fashion textiles, fashion communications and screen printing, with the theme of sustainability running throughout. This Saturday club includes a tour of the facilities at our City campus.
- The Formula 24 Club, for Years 8 and 9, involves working in teams to build, test-drive and race an F24 electric racing car. Students take part in a variety of engineering activities and a local race heat, sponsored by Greenpower, against teams from across the region at Goodwood Motor Circuit. Students receive expert guidance from our technical staff and current university students at our Advanced Engineering Centre.
- The Geography, Ecology and Environmental Science Club, for Years 10 and 11, explores how we encounter nature locally and internationally, investigating people-nature interactions, the monitoring and mapping of wildlife movements, and forensic animal ecology.
One Geography, Ecology and Environmental Science Club attendee said: "I have really enjoyed these sessions. I have liked meeting new people and trying to grasp what it is like to go to university. I have also enjoyed talking to the students that attend, as well as the teachers."
As clubs are run as part of our widening participation programme, priority is given to students .
Students in care
Our work with care experienced young people has been a key priority for the team during our 15 years of outreach. Targeted activities for care experienced students, as well as partnership working with local virtual schools, social workers and foster carers have established us as a trusted partner locally.
Our outreach offer includes twice annual campus visits for local virtual schools for year 7, 8 and 9 students and prioritises these students for outreach activities.
Email aboutuni@brighton.ac.uk for more information.
Support for parents and carers
For parents, carers and families at our partner schools, we offer information, advice and guidance to provide support for their children about pathways and options and applying to university.
We are able to attend, or give presentations at, parent events and option evenings for partner schools. Please email outreach@brighton.ac.uk for more information.
For further information, visit our advice page for parents, carers and guardians.