Implementation strategy 1

Description

Workshops delivered in schools, colleges and online providing information about higher education options, student finance, higher education application process and student life, to inform decision making in relation to progression to higher education. Our team engages with around 24,000 students through outreach in the South West each year.

Rationale

The University of Exeter is the largest institutional provider of information, advice and guidance to schools and colleges within our region and make a significant partnership contribution to our UniConnect, Next Steps South West. For many schools and colleges, we are the sole provider of this type of outreach which is shown to offer scalable opportunities to achieve impact. This very different to the situation faced by many schools in London and other urban areas supported by a variety of higher education providers. Our schools are also less able to access large HE fairs with UCAS withdrawing its annual event in Cornwall in recent years. We support learners meeting widening participation criteria from around 100 regional schools and colleges each year and provide guidance to around 24,000 local pupils annually. It is important we continue with this commitment given that insufficient advice and guidance is one of the five risks to access to HE identified on the National Equality of Opportunity Risk Register.

For more details see the Schools and Colleges Engagement Theory of Change.

Evaluation

Evaluation of this activity is included in our Annual Activity and Impact Report.

Description 

We will pilot this model of providing outreach to schools through the North Devon Access Hub (Aspire North Devon), working in partnership with University Centre in North Devon (Petroc) and West Buckland School, acting as regional centres hosting cohorts of target students from a wider catchment area of local state schools and colleges. If successful, we will seek to extend this approach to other areas within the Southwest. We aim to support 120 students from North Devon in the Year 1 cohort.

Rationale 

The development of South West Access Hubs aims to provide outreach within under-served geographical locations in a way which is cost-effective but improves engagement with target student groups. We provide a variety of outreach interventions to schools within the South West and face a particular challenge in relation to distance and scale. A significant proportion of our access budget is spent on travel to deliver outreach and subsidising young people to come to campus. With a reduction in information, advice and guidance delivery through national collaborative outreach due to refocus on attainment and reduction in funding, we face escalating demand to provide this support throughout our region with the persistent challenge of how to engage with those learners who require most help. We have focused on North Devon as it includes pockets of high deprivation, large numbers of rural coastal communities and meets a variety of low social mobility criteria. Engagement with traditional methods of outreach have been historically low and the provision of structured support through a locally delivered scaffolded programme of information, advice and guidance, aims to improve engagement to support learners make informed decisions about their future.

For more details see the Aspire North Devon Theory of Change.

Evaluation 

North Devon Aspire Evaluation Report 24/25

Description
 
Advancing Access is a free resource for teachers and careers advisers, providing information and development to equip them with the information needed to support under-represented learners about pathways into higher education. The Russell Group initiative was launched in 2017 after a successful pilot and has subsequently been reviewed and refocused following a theory of change exercise.  Advancing Access has produced CPD resources, modules, and sessions along with a wide range of in-person and online events with its partner universities. The virtual nature of the project enables cold-spot schools and colleges, which may not be geographically serviced by Russell Group institutions, to access information about these competitive university choices. The online platform provides support for around 8,000 teachers.

Rationale 

Evidence points to the influential role that teachers play in enabling or preventing young people from disadvantaged groups from progressing to higher education.  It is further argued widening participation activities should be broadened to capitalise on the untapped potential of teachers via professional development. Advancing Access offers CPD and resources to better equip teachers and advisers to support students’ progress to higher education. 

For more information see the theory of change.

Evaluation 

In 2021, an independent evaluation was undertaken by EDIT at King’s College London which found evidence that teachers scored higher across key areas of information, advice, and guidance following completion of CPD. As of August 2023, 58.6% of mainstream schools (with a sixth form) and colleges in England had engaged with Advancing Access with the engagement of schools targeted due to low progression levels at 76.1%.     

Advancing Access Evaluation Report xx 

Description

We will co-create a range of information and resources for the Home Education community including online Q&As, web-based information and drop-in sessions with a particular focus on supporting students and their families understand and negotiate the HE application system. We will also provide specialist admissions support for this community. 

Rationale 

There are growing numbers of students who are excluded from information, advice and guidance about higher education because they are home educated. The South West has a large home education community and research through our Centre for Social Mobility has shown that the make-up of these students is changing with growing numbers being home educated due to school exclusions and mental health issues. While there is a sparsity of data relating to these students nationally, work by the Centre indicates growing intersections between being home educated and indicators of disadvantage and under-representation with up to 50% of Home Educated young people with special educational needs and a significant number coming from single parent and/or low-income families. Qualitative research with members of the home education community shows that lack of access to relevant outreach is a barrier to progression to higher education. The support required by these students is very specific due to very different patterns of learning and qualification acquisition. 

For more details see the Home Education IAG Theory of Change.

Evaluation 

Evaluation of this activity is included in our Annual Activity and Impact Report.

Description

Working with our Civic Agreement partners we will co-create a range of information and resources for young refugees and those seeking asylum including outreach and online resources with a particular focus on supporting students and their families understand and negotiate the English HE application system. We will also provide specialist admissions support for this community. 

Rationale 

Our work through the Devon Civic Agreement has identified young refugees and asylum seekers as an  underserved and growing community within our local area. Council colleagues supporting these young people have identified specific information and support needs relating to lack of personal and family knowledge of the UK higher education system. Similar issues have been highlighted by national research by UNICEF UK and Refugee Education UK. We will be working with partners to develop information, resources and outreach for these students. Many of these students have experienced significant disruption to their education. As a University of Sanctuary, we have undertaken a commitment to support refugees and asylum seekers, and have range of support in place for those who undertake their studies here.

For more details see Refugee and Asylum Seeker IAG Theory of Change.

Evaluation 

Evaluation of this activity is included in our Annual Activity and Impact Report.

Description

We have provided tailored access support for many years within local partnerships for looked after children. We will continue to provide and develop a bespoke programme of advice and support in partnership with local authorities, virtual schools and other educational partners

Rationale 

Care experienced young people are likely to experience learning gaps due to trauma and educational disruption and low progression rates to higher education. Progression to higher education by care leavers from Devon is disproportionately low and we have been working through our Devon Civic Agreement to improve outcomes for these young people. Our package of support is good and recognised through the NNECL Quality Mark, but there are opportunities to improve provision for students at an earlier stage and to improve visibility of support and partnership working between the University, social workers and other staff involved in supporting these students. We have expertise on the barriers facing young people in care within our Centre for Social Mobility, particularly through the work of Professor Neil Harrison, and are keen to see where this can add value to our existing provision.

For more details see the Care Experienced IAG Theory of Change.

Evaluation 

Evaluation of our access work with care experienced young people is included in our Annual Activity and Impact report. 

The evaluation of the support service for these students, Exeter Cares, will be published in 25/26.

Description

Incorporating these insights from research carried out by the Centre for Social Mobility, the University will pilot a more personalised approach to working with young male students from underrepresented backgrounds at Year 9 onwards. The research indicates that education is not a gender-neutral concept and a more tailored approach in the way we engage with boys is needed, incorporating new themes and “hooks” to get this group interested in the university environment. The focus of this programme, called Community Exe, is engaging with this hard-to-reach group through vehicles such as sport, music and technology to help develop goals, personal and transferrable skills, plus insights into related careers. We plan to support 100 learners in the first year of the scheme.

Rationale 

Research shows that white males from the lowest socioeconomic status backgrounds are less likely than any other group to access higher education. The groups least likely to go to university have been identified as British young males who receive free school meals; white young males from the country’s most deprived areas and from the areas with the lowest progression to higher education. We have robust evaluation which shows correlation between participating in our Exeter Scholars programme, the development of knowledge, skills and confidence, plus propensity to apply and achieve a university place and yet male learners are persistently under-represented, with females making up around two thirds of our Exeter Scholars. In response to sector research and persistent under-representation in our own schemes, we undertook a literature review to better understand the barriers to engagement and inform interventions. This work included a review of existing schemes to support boys and interviews with practitioners, to gain additional insights. The research highlighted barriers to engagement amongst boys, including perceptions of university as boring or irrelevant, perceptions of elitism, issues with targeting or lack of targeted support, difficulties in navigating access and perceptions of risks and rewards of studying against going straight into work. Key recommendations from the review included establishing programmes which offer longitudinal support, ideally as part of a progressive programme of activities starting at an early age and which incorporate positive role models from the university environment, and which offer boys new experiences outside of the school environment and existing peer groups. Collaborative programmes offered in partnership with universities and local community groups, incorporating youth work approaches, were also recommended. 

For more details see the Community Exe Theory of Change.

Evaluation 

Evaluation of Community Exe will be the subject of an impact report which will be published in 27/28.
More information about engaging working class boys with outreach and higher education can be found in the literature review carried out by the Centre for Social Mobility.

Description

We will develop new KS4 Maths Skills provision to encourage motivation to study maths and reduce maths anxiety. This will include promoting the relevance of maths, peer learning, activity-based learning and building self-awareness about maths anxiety to help reduce its effects. This will also include sessions with parents and teachers with the aim of facilitating maths learning. 

Rationale 

Sector research suggests most of the socio-economic gap in HE participation in England can be explained by the fact that disadvantaged students have lower levels of attainment at GCSE with learning gaps emerging from early years and continuing to widen across all stages. In recent years we have developed provision in partnership with local schools to support attainment, subject knowledge and motivation to study. We are planning to extend this work with a particular focus on tutoring in maths and literacy. Fear of maths can be a significant barrier to engagement and performance. Research by the University of Cambridge indicates that the negative attitudes of teachers and parents towards maths can contribute to “maths anxiety” affecting performance. These findings suggest that pupil-focused interventions to help overcome negative perceptions of maths are likely to be more effective if reinforced positively via complementary activities with teachers, parents and carers.

For more details see Maths Skills KS4 Theory of Change.

Evaluation 

Evaluation is included in our Annual Activity and Impact report.

Description

The Crafting Accurate Sentences Tutoring Programme is a 9-session tutoring intervention run over 9 to 10 weeks. The intervention is delivered by university students for year 8 students with a focus on those from under-resourced backgrounds who require further support with their literacy skills, specifically writing accurate sentences. The programme is currently delivered via two different models 1) via undergraduate students on our Learning for Teaching Module and 2) by paid student ambassadors as part of the UniConnect partnership.

Rationale 

Sector research suggests most of the socio-economic gap in HE participation in England can be explained by the fact that disadvantaged students have lower levels of attainment at GCSE with learning gaps emerging from early years and continuing to widen across all stages. In recent years we have developed provision in partnership with local schools to support attainment, subject knowledge and motivation to study. Peer tutoring has been shown to have a positive impact on learning with some evidence to show that low attaining students are likely to benefit most from this approach according to the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). The EEF Teaching and Learning toolkit which is based on a review of sector evidence further suggests that structured mentoring sessions in small groups with near-age peers to consolidate learning are likely to be most effective.

For more details see the theory of change

Evaluation 

Evaluation carried out by ImpactEd showed literacy assessment scores increased by an average of 9.27 percentage-points or 25.57% change suggesting the programme had a positive impact on students’ ability to write accurate sentences. See full report: University of Exeter: Crafting Accurate Sentences Tutoring Programme

Description

We will deliver KS5 maths tutoring at two partner schools through the Levelling Up: Maths programme with a view to extending the scale of this project depending on outcomes. Levelling Up: Maths is a sustained access and enrichment programme, created by the London Mathematical Society, for students from underrepresented backgrounds studying A-level Maths involving near peer tutoring. The goal is to help these students achieve a place, and succeed, at university in preparation for a career in STEM. 

Rationale 

Sector research suggests most of the socio-economic gap in HE participation in England can be explained by the fact that disadvantaged students have lower levels of attainment at GCSE with learning gaps emerging from early years and continuing to widen across all stages. In recent years we have developed provision in partnership with local schools to support attainment, subject knowledge and motivation to study. Peer tutoring has been shown to have a positive impact on learning with some evidence to show that low attaining students are likely to benefit most from this approach according to the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). The EEF Teaching and Learning toolkit which is based on a review of sector evidence further suggests that structured mentoring sessions in small groups with near-age peers to consolidate learning are likely to be most effective.

For more details see Raising Attainment Theory of Change.

Evaluation

Evaluation of the initial pilot using a contribution analysis framework indicated that it was reasonable to conclude from the evidence that the programme contributed to desired outcomes such as success at Level 3 and progression to HE.

Description

A new intervention will aim to support attainment at Level 3 by providing additional opportunities for students to practice their language skills. The pilot with the Ted Wragg Trust will focus on Spanish and involve undergraduate language students engaging with younger peers in regular and structured conversation practice informed by research which suggest this type of activity helps to improve foreign language fluency and grammar and generally support second language acquisition. Depending on evaluation, we may seek to expand this approach to other languages and schools. Targeted support delivered in small groups by University students developing language skills and subject knowledge with teaching materials developed by the school will be supported by sessions with teachers, on-campus visits, and live links with our Study Abroad students.

Rationale 

We can see persistent variations by subject in the diversity of our student intake. Less than 20% of students taking modern languages meet widening participation criteria. The reduction of language teaching in schools is a factor with only two in three UK state schools teaching more than one foreign language and demand for A level qualifications in languages continuing to fall. Activities to encourage the study of languages through exposure in schools is part of our discipline-based outreach. 

For more details see Raising Attainment Theory of Change.

Evaluation

Evaluation is included in our Annual Activity and Impact report.

Description

A programme of discipline-specific activities with schools and groups of learners with a variety of objectives and learning outcomes. Many of these projects have been developed in response to school demand for sessions which add value to subjects in the curriculum while providing exposure to a higher education environment and teaching methods. These include a series of discipline-specific schools conferences on campus in STEM and HASS disciplines; on demand in-school workshops e.g. linked to the English curriculum; events linked to national events such as National Biomechanics Day; and classroom resources for teachers e.g. for Black History Month. We expect to engage around 1,500 learners each year.

Rationale 

Sector research shows patterns between subject choice and HE participation, demonstrating the importance of providing students with good quality advice about post-16 study options to reduce the risk of narrowing opportunities prematurely through via subject choice. Supporting students to make informed choices about qualification routes linked to types of employment is a key part of our information, advice and guidance and support schools with achieving their Gatsby marks. This is particularly important when students are making decisions about Level 3 choices. While specific objectives may vary between teaching enrichment activities, they collectively aim to increase subject knowledge, develop study strategies and academic self-advocacy, motivate students and enhance their ability to make informed decisions about higher education.

For more details see Curriculum Enrichment Theory of Change.

Evaluation 

Evaluation is included in our Annual Activity and Impact report.

Description 

The Devon Healthcare Hub delivered via our College of Medicine and Health was created to support the attainment of pupils meeting widening participation criteria in rural Devon schools. The Hub supports Year 12 students, studying Biology & Chemistry A level, with an interest in progressing to study Medicine, Medical Science and Nursing at university and aims to employ active learning to help consolidate learning and address knowledge gaps which may prevent them from achieving the necessary grades to follow this path.

Rationale

Sector research suggests most of the socio-economic gap in HE participation in England can be explained by the fact that disadvantaged students have lower levels of attainment at GCSE with learning gaps emerging from early years and continuing to widen across all stages. Access to medicine is particularly competitive with high grades sought in science subjects needed to receive an offer of a place to study. This project aims to provide additional study support, access to lab work and encourage the motivation of Devon-based Level 3 science students as they work towards their exams in the hope of a future in medicine.

For more details seeRaising Attainment Theory of Change

Evaluation 

Evaluation is included in our Annual Activity and Impact report.

Description

The IntoUniversity South Bristol Centre jointly sponsored by Exeter, Bath and Bristol universities provides scaffolded support for learners over a period of years through structured academic interventions and wider parental/carer support. We are keen to continue this partnership and will be expanding our engagement with learners at the Centre by complementing partnership academic programmes with outreach and on campus activities designed to boost subject knowledge and familiarity with higher education. We will also provide support and engagement opportunities to students attending IntoUniversity Partnership Centres more widely. The Centre provides support for around 1,400 learners.

Rationale 

Evidence shows that learning gaps for disadvantaged pupils begin in early years and continue to expand over time. Interventions are more likely to be impactful if involving multiple touchpoints and family engagement. In practice, it is difficult for universities to provide this type of sustained engagement from early years. We have therefore worked in partnership with IntoUniversity since 2015 to provide this type of support, co-founding the South Bristol Centre along with Bath and Bristol Universities. The Centre provides community-based support for learners and their families at primary and secondary level and is currently the nearest location within the South West region which meets the charity’s targeting methodology. 

For more details see the theory of change.

Evaluation

Annual evaluation demonstrates the positive impact of the charity’s interventions on progression to higher education and attainment. See the latest impact report.