University of Wolverhampton Summer School

The Aspire to HE team at the University of Wolverhampton has delivered two successful residential summer schools as part of the Right Track programme. Each summer school saw Year 10 pupils from targeted schools come to the University’s Telford Innovation Campus to take part in a variety of activities to develop their knowledge of higher education.

The Right Track Summer Schools, held on Sunday 30 June – Tuesday 2 July and Sunday 14 – Tuesday 16 July, aimed to bring together and reinforce the students’ previous learning with the experience of living on campus as a university student.

Supported by University of Wolverhampton Student Ambassadors, the students took part in a variety of activities during their time at the University. This included myth busting around higher education, interactive subject taster sessions delivered by academics, a talk on student finance, and an inspirational speaker. There were also plenty of opportunities for the young people to get to know each other, from bowling at the Southwater complex in Telford to a pub quiz and disco, complete with photo booth and candyfloss machine.

With around 60 students taking part in each summer school, the vibrant events gave the participants the opportunity to see what it’s like to be at university, with the students staying over in halls of residence during their stay to get a real feel for student life.

The feedback from the students was really positive. “I gained knowledge on student finance and how students live, and I made new friends” said one, echoing the comments of many of the young people who took part. The students valued the opportunity to meet others from different schools and found the experience helped boost their confidence and independence, as well as being a great opportunity to find out more about higher education and student life.

The students kept summer school diaries during their stay where they shared their thoughts on the experience. “I’m capable to follow my passion,” one commented when reflecting on something they had learnt about themselves during the summer school.

Both of the summer schools were a great success and delivered a positive and inspirational experience for the young people taking part.

Right Track

Right Track is an ongoing Aspire to HE programme, starting in Year 10, which aims to boost pupil aspirations and give them the knowledge, skills and understanding to make an informed and ambitious decision about their future. Right Track is targeted at pupils who have the potential to progress on to higher education, and is designed to raise aspirations, break down barriers and inform progression.

Pupils take part in a series of planned interventions. This has included a programme launch that took place at City Campus in November 2018 with parents and carers, and Outreach Days which were held at Walsall Campus in February and March 2019.

Aspire to HE

Aspire to HE is one of 29 consortia that make up the National Collaborative Outreach Programme (NCOP), which aims to increase the number of disadvantaged young people entering higher education by bringing together partnerships of universities, colleges and schools. In working together, Aspire to HE is aiming to ensure that regardless of their context or background, all young people have a fair and equal chance of fulfilling their potential.