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Universities continue outreach success with local schools and colleges

8 November 2011

Oxford University, Oxford Brookes University, and Bucks New University have joined forces to continue to raise aspirations and educational attainment among young people from groups currently under-represented in English universities.

The new partnership will be known as Study Higher and will ensure the outreach work with targeted schools and colleges previously coordinated by Aimhigher across the Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire (MKOB) region is maintained.

Aimhigher has now ended, but because it made a real difference to young people across the region the three institutions will now fund this new project to continue its success, through working together to ensure the delivery of a structured programme of activities.

Study Higher seeks to raise awareness of higher education, as well as improve pupils’ grades, building on the evidence which found that the more Aimhigher activities students undertook up to the end of year 11, the more likely they were to meet or exceed their GCSE predictions.

1,775 Aimhigher MKOB students have so far enrolled on higher education programmes with 62 per cent of these students coming from geographic areas with the lowest numbers of students who traditionally progress to higher education.

Study Higher will offer students in schools and colleges a wide range of activities to raise aspirations and knowledge of the opportunities that higher education can provide. It aims to encourage young people to consider continuing in education after the age of 16 by making them aware of the various higher and further education progression routes available.

Through the scheme, young people will be offered concrete skills to help them get into university, including study skills and help with preparing personal statements on application forms.

Tara Prayag, Head of Widening Participation at Oxford University, said: “We’re delighted to be able to continue this successful collaboration with our local university partners to deliver a large and diverse range of activities. The Study Higher partnership, alongside our own portfolios of activities, helps us reach as many local young people as possible to enable them to make the best possible decisions about their post-16 choices.”

Sally Cushing, Widening Participation Manager at Bucks New University, said: “The new partnership between Bucks New University, Oxford Brookes University and the University of Oxford is an excellent way to deliver a broad programme of aspiration-raising activities for young people in schools and colleges across the region. We hope to improve awareness of the range of higher education opportunities and progression pathways and to equip students with the information they need to make important decisions about their future.”

Edward Trewhella, UK Marketing Director at Oxford Brookes, said: “It is fantastic that we can continue, and build upon, the successful work of Aimhigher. Evidence has shown that the activities undertaken made a significant impact on both attainment and progression. It is important that we continue to provide these opportunities to our local young people.” 

Notes for editors

Aimhigher emerged several years ago as a partnership approach to widening participation in higher education. Its government funding ceased on 31 July 2011, but it has made a real difference to partner institutions, and, most importantly, young people across Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
To quote a higher education institution partner from a stakeholder interview: “The big lesson learned from Aimhigher is this: it is sustained contact over a number of years with a very targeted set of objectives and a very clear cohort of students to work with.”

Oxford University is one of the world’s leading universities and was recently ranked 4th in the world and 1st in the UK in the Times Higher Education league table. Oxford is committed to ensuring that all those who have the potential to succeed here apply, regardless of background. Last year the University spent in excess of £4 million pounds on more than 1,500 outreach activities and, for the academic year 2012-13, is offering the most generous financial support of any university to those on a family income of less than £16,000.

For more information about Widening Participation at Oxford University contact Julia Paolitto at 01865 280531 or email julia.paolitto@admin.ox.ac.uk

Set in a historic student city, Oxford Brookes University is one of the UK's leading modern universities and enjoys an international reputation for teaching excellence and innovation as well as strong links with business and industry. Website: www.brookes.ac.uk

For more information about the Study Higher initiative and Widening Participation at Oxford Brookes, please contact Ed Reed on 01865 484454 or email ereed@brookes.ac.uk

Buckinghamshire New University has enjoyed a long and successful history since it was founded in 1893. The University now offers an extensive portfolio of courses spanning the creative and cultural industries, the management and information management sectors, and the public sector. It also offers services to industry including contract research, consultancy and the opportunity to employ graduates.

The University has recently completed a major campus re-development programme, which saw the opening in September 2009 of: a new state-of-the-art building in High Wycombe known as the Gateway and comprising a learning resource and technology centre, events hall, gym, sports science laboratory, dance, drama, music and video production studios, library and meeting rooms; new student accommodation in High Wycombe; and a new base for nursing students and applied healthcare research in Uxbridge, West London. Website: bucks.ac.uk.

For press information, interviews and images, call Sally Skea at Buckinghamshire New University on 01494 605253 or email sally.skea@bucks.ac.uk