Engaging with Higher Education Nick Cave & Charlotte Brooks

Engaging with Higher Education Activity - How do you currently engage with HE at your school/college? UCAS timeline and key engagement opportunities Pre-16 engagement and the WP agenda Other types of engagement The university perspective & top tips Activity – What engagement would you like to see in the future?

Activity - How do you currently engage with HE at your school/college? In groups, discussion around the ways in which your school/college currently engage with Higher Education. At school or at HE institutions? Student and/or parents? Staff development? Engagement you have instigated? Engagement HEIs have instigated? Please use the post-it notes provided to list the different activities you engage in with Higher Education We will write this up and include it in notes circulated after the conference

The UCAS timeline Step 1: Choosing Courses Step 2: Apply Step 3: Year 12 2016/17 October 2017 January 2018 April /May 2018 August 2018 October 2018 Step 1: Choosing Courses Step 2: Apply Step 3: Offers Step 4: Decisions Step 5: Results Step 6: Start University Websites Prospectuses Open Days 15th Oct Oxbridge Dentistry Medicine Vet Science 15th Jan Everyone else Conditional Unconditional Reject Interview? Firm Accept Insurance Accept Decline Confirm place Adjustment? Clearing?

Year 12 engagement Talks / Workshops in school HEI based events Why University? Choosing a course / university Subject specific e.g. “Applying to Medicine” Personal statements Preparing for Open Days / UCAS Exhib. HEI based events University Open Days Taster lectures / taster days Summer schools Public lectures and events e.g. BBC Stargazing Live Bespoke campus visits School based events HE / Careers fairs – invite employers as well as universities? Parents’ evenings University guest lecturers – subject specific showcases Virtual engagement Webchats / skype chats for potential students Social media Virtual open days MOOCs (massive open online courses)

The UCAS timeline Step 1: Choosing Courses Step 2: Apply Step 3: Year 12 2016/17 October 2017 January 2018 April /May 2018 August 2018 October 2018 Step 1: Choosing Courses Step 2: Apply Step 3: Offers Step 4: Decisions Step 5: Results Step 6: Start University Websites Prospectuses Open Days 15th Oct Oxbridge Dentistry Medicine Vet Science 15th Jan Everyone else Conditional Unconditional Reject Interview? Firm Accept Insurance Accept Decline Confirm place Adjustment? Clearing?

Year 13 engagement Talks / Workshops in school HEI based events UCAS Process Personal Statements (Autumn) Student Finance Clearing & Adjustment Study Skills Preparing for University HEI based events University Applicant Visit Days (might also include interview) Public lectures and events e.g. BBC Stargazing Live Clearing Open Days School based events Mock interview days Personal statement clinics HEI Assistance for applicants UCAS application progress Accommodation application and processes Personal requirements / student support (accessibility, disabilities, specific learning requirements etc)

Widening Participation Post-16 Post-16 engagement- Working in schools with Year 12 & 13 students across the East Midlands Campus visits for Year 12 students Progression Programmes- 18 month programmes for Year 12 students - LEAP - Realising opportunities - Pathways to Law - Med Reach

Widening Participation Pre-16 Working in Leicester & Leicestershire Talks in schools from Primary to Year 11 Sessions on Study Skills, Why University? Revision tips, GCSE/A-Level options, student led sessions and more! Campus Visits- University Experience Days for Year 8 & 9 Employability sessions Summer schools Year 8,9 &10

Non-WP pre-16 engagement? Some universities might be able to offer similar engagement opportunities to pre-16 students 6th form open evenings Talks workshops for KS3 e.g. “Choosing Level 3 Qualifications” Visits to campus Open days are not just for year 12 students Could you invite year 11 students to events organised primarily for year 12? Have you tried approaching the WP teams at your local universities for pre-16 engagement?

Other types of engagement Parents Shift existing events to the evening to include parents? Arrange additional sessions just for them? Consider combining existing events with parents evenings? Dedicated / general HEI produced materials, resources, websites that can be circulated to parents? Staff development Talks/training in school e.g. UCAS reference writing, advising students through clearing/adjustment University Schools of Education? Contact about potential CPD? University run Teacher and Adviser Conferences! (thanks for coming ) Accompanying school groups to open days

The University Perspective Why we engage with schools Student Recruitment Direct recruitment (HE fairs etc) Indirect recruitment Local and community responsibility Widening Participation CSR Our limitations Often quite small teams for Student Recruitment / Outreach work At busy times of year, more requests than we can fulfil Budget restrictions Travel / distance vs type of engagement

Top tips for engaging with HEIs Give plenty of advance notice, particularly for events in March, June and July Please try to provide exact dates and timings where possible, but a save the date is better than waiting months for concrete timings Be creative with sessions / events to make them fit Talks run as carousels? Students attend fairs in groups to ensure steady flow / build in talks Be careful with HE fair timings Is this near to or clashing with a UCAS Exhibition? www.ucas.com for full listings Other local 6th forms arranging similar things? Combine events to increase participation of students and HEIs? Rough rule of thumb - The more local the HEI, the better the chance of engagement

Activity - What engagement would you like to see in the future? In groups, discussion around the ways in which your school/college would like to engage with Higher Education in the future Budget constraints? What if you had unlimited funds!? Current activities you request that cannot be fulfilled? Activities you want to attend but cannot? Dream / ideal activities Please use the post-it notes provided to list the different activities you engage in with Higher Education We will write this up and include it in notes circulated after the conference

Thank you for listening – any questions?