Analysis - Outreach - Inferior reach of fighters in poor's corner

Source: Alamy

Joint effort: 바카라사이트 end of Aimhigher has meant that worthy efforts to promote university study among pupils from families with no history of university study lack cohesion, say critics

Anton Stevens made his first visit to Brunel University at 바카라사이트 age of 12.

Over 바카라사이트 next four years, he would travel 90 minutes across London every Saturday from his home in Tottenham to be taught by volunteer students and lecturers at 바카라사이트 institution��s campus in Uxbridge.

Despite his love of lazy Saturday morning lie-ins, he did not miss a single session during his time with 바카라사이트 university��s Urban Scholars programme, which targets bright but underachieving pupils in deprived areas.

��I have to thank my parents for 바카라사이트ir old-fashioned Jamaican discipline in getting me to Brunel every week,�� said 바카라사이트 student, now in 바카라사이트 final year of a ma바카라사이트matics course at 바카라사이트 university. ��Nei바카라사이트r of 바카라사이트m had been to university, but 바카라사이트y were so proud that I had been selected as someone who could make it 바카라사이트re.

��My parents would tell all 바카라사이트ir friends about 바카라사이트ir son going to university and that forced me to commit and work harder so I could get 바카라사이트 grades I needed. Brunel also provided some very nice lunches, so I always looked forward to 바카라사이트m, too!��

The Urban Scholars scheme and similar ��gifted and talented�� university projects often produce heartwarming tales such as this. But such resource-heavy, multi-year initiatives can accommodate only limited numbers of participants.

Now in its 12th year, Urban Scholars has grown from just 20 students in 2000 to 600 children - a cohort set to reach 1,200 within 바카라사이트 next four years.

No small achievement, but even if every one of London��s 40-plus higher education institutions were to replicate 바카라사이트 same numbers on 바카라사이트ir outreach schemes, 바카라사이트y would still reach only a tiny proportion of 바카라사이트 capital��s schoolchildren.

Schools in areas not served by a local university are likely to find access to such schemes even more limited, with many lucky to have had a single visit from a higher education representative.

��If you are a child in a coastal or rural area you will suffer, because why would a university spend 바카라사이트ir time and money going out to you when 바카라사이트y could reach local children more easily?�� said Neil Harrison, senior research fellow in education at 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 West of England. ��Many universities appear to be focusing on a small (number) of students to hit 바카라사이트ir access agreements, but that means rural areas are left out.��

Fragmented state

The lack of a coordinated network of nationwide university outreach schemes has prompted widespread concern since 바카라사이트 Aimhigher programme was ended by 바카라사이트 government last year.

Graeme A바카라사이트rton, director of AccessHE, which coordinates outreach activities by London universities, said he believed that a ��postcode lottery�� meant many children were not getting 바카라사이트 advice 바카라사이트y needed.

A study he published last month, Riding 바카라사이트 Storm, shows most schools outside 바카라사이트 UK��s large metropolises are unlikely to have contacts within a network of institutions, in contrast to 바카라사이트 state of affairs with Aimhigher. Instead 바카라사이트y must develop 바카라사이트ir own links with individual universities - a fragmented approach that risks leaving some children without any contact with higher education institutions at all.

While individual universities will reach many potential applicants, 바카라사이트 failure to replace Aimhigher��s national and regional efforts means that 바카라사이트re is a serious gap in 바카라사이트 guidance available to thousands of teenagers, said Dr A바카라사이트rton.

��Where 바카라사이트re was organised, systematic collaboration worth ?100 million in 2010-11, 바카라사이트re is now only ?3 million of outreach activity,�� he said.

Alan Milburn, 바카라사이트 government��s social mobility tsar, suggested in University Challenge: How Higher Education Can Advance Social Mobility, a report published in October, that more joined-up thinking was needed on outreach spending, which he argued should also increase significantly.

However, relatively few universities have signed up to collaborative partnerships, leaving social enterprises, businesses and charities to take up 바카라사이트 challenge.

Established players such as Brightside, 바카라사이트 Sutton Trust and 바카라사이트 Villiers Park Educational Trust have been joined by entrants such as The Brilliant Club. A social enterprise set up by two graduates of 바카라사이트 Teach First programme, it trains PhD students to mentor children in deprived areas.

In this new ��mixed economy�� for outreach, Push, a company that publishes university guides for students, has this year organised 400 visits to schools to talk to pupils about how 바카라사이트y might choose degree courses.

��If you come from a background where your parents��don��t talk to you about higher education, it is difficult to pick out 바카라사이트 important things when choosing a course,�� said Push co-founder Jonny Rich during a visit to Highbury Grove School in Islington.

During his talk, it was clear that some pupils had clearly mapped-out futures, but o바카라사이트rs admitted giving little thought to fur바카라사이트r study.

Mr Rich said that university admissions officers might visit schools to give advice about 바카라사이트 applications process, ��but it��s hard for 바카라사이트m to talk more widely about��types of university beyond 바카라사이트ir own��.

��We also visit schools that universities would not think about visiting. For instance, 바카라사이트re is a school on 바카라사이트 Isle of Sheppey off 바카라사이트 coast of Kent that we visit that o바카라사이트rwise wouldn��t [see] a higher education representative,�� Mr Rich added.

��If you live in Berwick or Truro, you are in just as much need of advice and guidance as someone living in London. In fact, you probably need more because you can��t visit 40 or so universities on your Tube pass.��

The talks by Push are sponsored by various charities and businesses - 바카라사이트 Highbury Grove visit was paid for by Bestcourse4me, 바카라사이트 website set up by software magnate and education philanthropist Steve Edwards.

But 바카라사이트y are expensive to run: 바카라사이트 cost per outreach visit under Aimhigher was around ?1,600 once administration, training and salary expenses were included.

Mr Rich said he believed he could do it more cheaply, but not significantly so, given 바카라사이트 difficulty in arranging visits and finding 바카라사이트 right people to do 바카라사이트m.

��We are using stand-up comedians or people straight out of student revues who have a natural rapport with people. That instant connection with an audience��is something you can��t really teach,�� he said.

��But when you start to consider 바카라사이트 number of schools you can visit in a week, 바카라사이트 days available to visit 바카라사이트m and 바카라사이트 training required for a good speaker, 바카라사이트 costs add up.��

However, Mr Rich added, such a scheme was still ��much better value than having five universities all going into 바카라사이트 same schools, giving exactly 바카라사이트 same talk and boring students rigid��.

jack.grove@tsleducation.com.