Access Academy

Reach for Excellence

Richard Kemp

Access Academy Lead Officer

What is RFE?

• Widening participation

• Talent spotting

• Y12/Y13

• Yorkshire focus

• Progression to research intensive universities.

Key features of RFE

• Sustained programme

• Intensive independent evaluation

• VLE

• No cost for students or schools

• Recorded example of best practice

Why was RFE created?

• Very low progression rates to HE is some areas of West Yorkshire

• Engagement of social groups of social groups 4-7 with research intensive universities.

Student profile

Academic criteria

• Potential to study at Russell Group university

• Identified by teacher and GCSE data

WP criteria

• EMA

• First Generation

• Public care

• Disrupted studies.

Student recruitment and selection

• School engagement

• Student talks

• Student/teacher statement

• Selected on potential, motivation and individual circumstances.

Delivery

• Study skills sessions

• Subject skills sessions

• Summer school

• University application sessions and 1-1 advice

• Aspiration raising activities

• Project management

• Financial information/scholarships bursaries

• 1-1 careers advice

• Mentoring

• VLE.

Virtual Learning Environment

• Academic material

• Project updates

• Student community

Student community crucial to project participation.

Objectives of the scheme

• Participants more aware of their life options, particularly related to HE and HE funding

• More participants to enter HE than in control group

• More participants to enter research intensive universities

• Better KS4 achievement than control group.

Other key objectives

• Raise aspirations of the participants

• Raise their self-confidence

• Raise self-esteem.

Outcomes

• RFE students significantly happier than control group on amount of information and guidance received

• 87% gained a university place compared to 65% of the control group

• 45% gained a place at a research intensive university compared to 21% of the control group.

Issues

• Non-participating students

• Student event attendance.

Student quotes

• RfE has opened my eyes to many choices around me.

• My confidence has been built up for meeting new people which I need to do in university.

• RfE has made me more aware of the things involved with university and so it has strengthened my knowledge, making me more confident about going to university.

• It’s pushing you, showing you can do this and showing you your actual potential. Some people like to point out the negative rather than the positive, but Reach for Excellence is all about your good points. I feel privileged that I got on the programme.

Parent quotes

• My daughter feels more confident about higher education and also believes it [RfE] will help with her grades.

• It has heightened his interest in university.

• We feel university attendance is a lot more possible

Future

• Used as a template for future University of Leeds projects:

Sustained intervention

Evaluation