What is Aimhigher?

Aimhigher is a national programme which aims to widen participation in higher education (HE) by raising HE awareness, aspirations and attainment among young people from under-represented groups.

The role of Aimhigher is to:

• Raise aspirations and motivation to enter HE among young people from under-represented groups
• Raise attainment of potential students from under-represented groups so that they gain the academic or vocational qualifications that will enable them to enter HE
• Strengthen progression routes into HE via vocational courses
• Offer information, advice and guidance to potential students and their teachers and families

Jointly funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS), the Aimhigher programme operates across 42 area partnerships throughout England.
Aimhigher encompasses a wide range of activities to engage and motivate learners who have the potential to enter HE but may be under-achieving, undecided or lacking in confidence. The programme particularly focuses on young people from lower socio-economic groups and those from disadvantaged backgrounds who live in areas of relative deprivation where participation in HE is low.
Most Aimhigher activities are developed and delivered at an area level, which allows them to be tailored to the needs of specific communities. The following activities represent a sample of the types of activities available for students to take part in:

• Campus visits
• Mentoring
• Master classes, including subject enrichment or revision sessions
• Student ambassadors
• Information, advice and guidance (IAG)
• Summer schools and HE-related residential experiences
• School or college based interventions

From September 2009, the Aimhigher programme was expanded to include a new national strand. Aimhigher Associates is a £21 million mentoring scheme which has seen around 5,500 university students recruited to provide long-term individual and face-to-face support to more than 21,000 pupils in schools and colleges across the country.
Harton Technology College continue to run a variety of Aimhigher activities involving students from Years 8-11. From January 2011, a group of our 6th form students will be taking part in a 12 week programme of sessions led by undergraduate students from Newcastle College and Sunderland University. The aim of these activities is to help Harton students develop awareness and skills in areas such as problem solving, writing personnel statements, student life, student finance and interview skills. It will also include a day visit to Sunderland University to experience student life.

The following contact details and web links may be useful to you:

Aimhigher portal
www.direct.gov.uk/uni
The starting point for anyone wanting to find out about Aimhigher
All About U
www.allaboutu.org.uk
An online student finance learning tool for 16-19 year olds by UNIAID, The Students' Charity
Apprenticeships
www.apprenticeships.org.uk
Full information on apprenticeships for students and businesses
National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE)
www.niace.org.uk
A non-governmental organisation interested in advancing the interests of adult learners and potential learners
School co-ordinator – Mrs Venables   LVenables@harton-tc.co.uk
Senior Project Manager for Aimhigher in the Tyne and Wear area - Sarah Aldridge sarah.aldridge@ncl.ac.uk  Tel: 0191 222 8640

 

Year 10 ACE Day

On a very cold day in November, a group of our students spent the day at Newcastle University where they took part in a number of activities, games and quizzes to give them a taste of what university life might be like. Undergraduate students from the university led the day’s events which included a tour of the many state of the art facilities during which each group had to use a digital camera to record the highlights.

Harton students who took part said they would definitely recommend the day to others!

Student Association Scheme, Northumbria University

A group of Year 11  and 12 students took part and successfully completed the 12 sessions delivered in school by undergraduate students from Newcastle College in association with Sunderland University. The aim of this scheme is that the undergraduates share their own personal experiences, knowledge and enthusiasm towards HE raising the aspirations of our students.

The sessions included interview techniques, student finance, career advice, personal statements, where to go and what to study and a ‘Day on Campus’ visit to Northumbria University. This visit took place on February 16th and feedback from the students was very positive. Activities included an excellent motivational speaker – ‘defining life and steering your mind’, various goal mapping activities and a campus tour. All the students taking part in the scheme have been awarded an ‘Aimhigher Hoodie’ as a reward for their commitment and a way of promoting the scheme for next year.

Each student will also be awarded a certificate and be able to include this as a very positive addition to future applications for further study/placements/jobs. One of our Year 12 students was awarded a special award and voucher in recognition of his outstanding commitment to the scheme.

Student Association Scheme, Sunderland University

During the summer term we have had 4 students, all of whom are currently studying at Sunderland University, taking part in a 3 week placement scheme working in the Science, Mathematics and ICT departments. The students supported lessons, small groups of students, produced resources and planned and delivered short presentations to help motivate and encourage our students to stay in education. All four students worked together to produce a display for the sixth form area focussing on their own very different backgrounds and how the experience of University life has improved their own prospects and outlook on life.

 

 

 

 

 

The Year 10 residential Summer School at the University of Sunderland took place between

Summer School is a fun and realistic way to get a taste of University Life.

The University of Sunderland's Summer School is funded by Aimhigher so everything is completely FREE of charge.

Our Year 10 students stayed overnight in Panns Bank one of the Halls of Residence for two nights, working with current students and University staff. Over the three days a packed programme of activities gave them the chance to learn about new subjects and find out what it's like to be a student. Lots of time was spent working in small groups with a Student Ambassador who was able to answer any questions and give all the information you might need to know about being a university student. There was free time to socialise with new friends and in the evenings there was a wide range of social activities.

'Summer School gives you a chance to see that university is for all types of people from all kinds of backgrounds and walks of life. Nearly everyone that has attended a Summer School has said that they gained confidence, had a brilliant time and made lasting friendships, lots simply didn't want to go home!'

Year 8 Star Student

Star Student is an innovative giant floor game, developed especially for year 8 students. The game introduces the concept of Higher Education in a fun and interactive way, covering a range of subjects from types of courses to social life and finances. It is led by two current students from Northumbria University. The whole year group were able to take part (each tutor group completed the one hour activity) on the 2nd and 14th December. All students were given the opportunity to practice both team and individual skills and had the chance to ask lots of questions at the end which many of them did!

Year 7 Destination YOUni

The whole year group took part in a two hour programme of hands on activities designed to encourage them to think about Higher education. Members of staff from Sunderland University lead the activities which included a presentation called 'Who needs a degree?' 'Design a Student' and 'Be who you want to be' all aimed at encouraging students to think a about the future and goals they can set for themselves.