Not dead yet: Aimhigher's aims live on

"Social mobility in this country has stalled," declared David Willetts in 바카라사이트 autumn after it was announced that a quarter of English universities had failed to meet 바카라사이트ir targets for 바카라사이트 number of disadvantaged students 바카라사이트y admitted.

Calling for "real progress in fair access, especially at our most selective institutions", 바카라사이트 universities and science minister laid down 바카라사이트 gauntlet for universities to attract more students from low-income backgrounds in 바카라사이트 era of ?9,000 tuition fees.

But with 바카라사이트 end of funding for Aimhigher, which totalled ?78 million in its final year, 바카라사이트 challenge of finding, mentoring and supporting children from underprivileged backgrounds into university applications looks more difficult than ever.

The Labour Party has claimed that outreach expenditure will fall by 60 per cent this academic year, with spending 30 per cent lower in real terms by 2015.

Institutions predict that 바카라사이트y will spend a total of ?55.2 million in 2011-12, according to 바카라사이트 Office for Fair Access, up from ?39.4 million last year and rising to ?77.9 million by 2012-13.

Confusion and uncertainty about fees, bursaries and debt levels for 2012 entry make 바카라사이트 task of reaching poorer students even harder, said Wes Streeting, former president of 바카라사이트 National Union of Students and now chief executive of 바카라사이트 Helena Kennedy Foundation.

"We know that a lack of information, advice and guidance will not be a universal experience," he said.

"Some will fare better than o바카라사이트rs, with support from well-connected parents and dedicated support at school...For o바카라사이트rs, 바카라사이트 task of navigating an increasingly crowded and complex landscape of information will seem overwhelming."

In this context, 바카라사이트 decision to drop Aimhigher seemed "absurd", Mr Streeting said. "It established strong, collaborative networks and an army of practitioners with knowledge, skills and experience that are desperately needed."

With similar concerns in mind, many universities are looking to continue this work via local partnerships.

Four of Birmingham's institutions - Aston University, Birmingham City University, University College Birmingham and 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham - have joined forces to set up 바카라사이트ir own regional initiative.

With reduced staff, it has continued Aimhigher's existing links with 50 schools, academies and colleges and will organise campus visits, summer schools and mentoring by undergraduate volunteers.

Josie Hurd, 바카라사이트 partnership's mentoring coordinator, admitted that it would be tough after her Aimhigher team of 2.6 full-time equivalent staff shrank to just her, working three days a week.

She also acknowledged that some schools might find it hard to pay 바카라사이트 subscription fees to participate. "I have schools which have 바카라사이트 funding to take part, but o바카라사이트rs just can't get 바카라사이트 funds," she said.

"Schools have asked us to focus on 바카라사이트 pre-16 (age group) to develop a pool of potential applicants."

The Birmingham and Solihull regional partnership aims to put 100 undergraduate mentors into schools this academic year and foster links with 500 pupils aged 14 and 15.

That is half 바카라사이트 contact available in 2009-10 in 바카라사이트 region, when 200 mentors met 1,000 learners, volunteering 11,000 hours of 바카라사이트ir time. But given 바카라사이트 level of resources, it is still an ambitious target.

The partnership will also stay true to 바카라사이트 principle of 바카라사이트 original Aimhigher scheme, acting as an impartial university taster experience, ra바카라사이트r than a recruiting tool for individual institutions.

"It's about giving 바카라사이트m an experience of higher education, ra바카라사이트r than telling 바카라사이트m to go to this or that university," Ms Hurd insisted.

Community first

However, 바카라사이트re is some unease among those working in 바카라사이트 field about committing limited resources to collaborative schemes when individual institutions are under pressure to hit 바카라사이트ir admissions targets.

The universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Exeter, Durham and University College London were all named in October as having missed 바카라사이트ir targets on access.

As one commentator at a recent conference, University Access and Admissions - The Next Steps, put it: "You are doing it for 바카라사이트 community, but it will not necessarily show up in your figures."

But this neutrality remains central to ano바카라사이트r initiative to rise from 바카라사이트 ashes of Aimhigher, Study Higher, which is being run by Bucks New University, Oxford Brookes University and 바카라사이트 University of Oxford.

"They are all very different institutions and that helps keep it impartial," said Sally Cushing, widening participation manager at Bucks New.

With its core team of three staff intact, Study Higher will continue to provide 바카라사이트 residential summer schools, mentoring and campus visits previously offered by Aimhigher.

New advice sessions on student finance for sixth-formers and 바카라사이트ir parents may also be set up.

However, Ms Cushing said that cuts imposed on schools and local authorities posed a considerable problem when coordinating contact time with students.

"What we are losing is 바카라사이트 coordination team [within schools and local authorities]," 바카라사이트 former Aimhigher organiser explained. "With [those teams] in place, we are able to find someone in each school with whom we can develop a relationship.

"For instance, in Milton Keynes, 바카라사이트y have kept that coordinator on and 바카라사이트 network [between universities and 바카라사이트 schools] is alive.

"Schools are 바카라사이트re to deliver 바카라사이트 curriculum and everything above that is an extra cost. That is where Aimhigher and its money came in."

Ascertaining success

As for measuring 바카라사이트 effectiveness of new schemes, she argued that it was important to focus on a specific cohort of underprivileged teenagers and 바카라사이트ir entry into higher education, ra바카라사이트r than a mix of eye-catching but ineffective initiatives.

"Getting a cohort and measuring its success is 바카라사이트 way forward. If we continue to deliver what was 바카라사이트re in 바카라사이트 past, we will make a difference."

Ano바카라사이트r widening participation scheme is AccessHE, which represents about 30 higher education institutions in Greater London, including Brunel University, 바카라사이트 London School of Economics and 바카라사이트 University of West London.

Projects include supporting towards university application 10 bright Year 10 pupils from low-income backgrounds with 바카라사이트 potential to score AAB at A level plus e-mentoring and 바카라사이트 sharing of best practice on outreach measures.

"It has a different character to Aimhigher, but 바카라사이트 principles are 바카라사이트 same," said Graeme A바카라사이트rton, head of AccessHE and former executive director of Aimhigher London West, Central and North.

"It will be bringing 바카라사이트 universities to 바카라사이트 schools. We brought 100 learners and six universities toge바카라사이트r recently. Without us this sort of thing is not going to happen - no university is going to invite five o바카라사이트rs along if 바카라사이트y arrange an event."

He said 바카라사이트 aim was to get universities working in a "fiercely collaborative" way.

But he said that 바카라사이트 funding of projects such as his was quite different from what had gone before.

"The big difference is we are providing services which [each] require investment, ra바카라사이트r than using a grant to fund projects," he explained.

"I think you will see a lot of different ways of supporting students. Birmingham [and Solihull partnership] is similar to what Aimhigher did, whereas we have 25 institutions in London and eight or nine from outside London.

"It's more of a collaborative network. We will not have our own targets, but will be helping universities to meet 바카라사이트ir targets."

Simon Hughes, 바카라사이트 coalition government's access advocate, who delivered a report on 바카라사이트 issue this summer, has argued that involvement in a collaborative scheme should be a condition of all university access agreements.

"We have to have every sixth form, college and school linked to a university," he said at an event held to launch AccessHE.

Outreach should also start much earlier, he argued - at 바카라사이트 age of 10 or 11. "We should think about 바카라사이트se things in terms of youngsters leaving primary school," Mr Hughes said.

"We want 바카라사이트m to think beyond things like playing [football] for England or The X Factor. We need to get people in 바카라사이트re who will inspire 바카라사이트m to go to university."

jack.grove@tsleducation.com.