Into University

HISTORY

In 2002, three friends, Hugh Rayment-Pickard, Clare Richards and Rachel Carr, were involved in a local community project in North Kensington, a borough of social and economic extremes. Shocked by the scale of underachievement amongst Britain’s poorest families, these social entrepreneurs launched the Into University scheme.

After a successful pilot in North Kensington, they decided to launch the programme as a charity in its own right in 2007, and centres opened up in Lambeth, Brent, Bow, Haringey, Hackney and Hammersmith.

In 2010, the team was approached by senior staff from the University of Nottingham, who proposed a partnership with the university’s widening participation department in order to deliver Into University’s award-winning programme to children and young people in the area. The first centre was launched in Autumn 2011 and the second, Nottingham East, in April 2013.

Since then, they have opened four further centres in London in Brixton, Hackney, Walworth and East Ham. They have also opened two centres in Bristol, a third Nottingham centre and new centres in Oxford, Brighton, Leeds and Southampton.

COURSES

Academic Support

Primary and secondary students come down to their centres for Academic Support, where they receive after-school help with homework, coursework, literacy and numeracy from trained tutors. They also offer one-to-one support with GCSE, AS Level, A2 Level and degree options, coursework, revision, exam techniques, UCAS forms, interview techniques and gap years.

Focus

The school curriculum gives little sense of the university experience of concentrated, passionate learning in a specialist area. The FOCUS Programme offers young people learning experiences which aim to immerse them in a single topic or subject area. It includes: primary school workshops and FOCUS Weeks ; secondary school workshops and holiday FOCUS activities; Extending Horizons weekends away; and after-school Careers in FOCUS.

Mentoring

Students aged 10-17 attending Academic Support have the opportunity to join their Mentoring Programme. They are paired with a university student who provides help with school work, social skills, and confidence-building. The mentors act as role models who have already made it to university, and encourage the young people to think about their futures and raise their aspirations.

They also run a Buddy Scheme. Groups of secondary students work with university student volunteers to engage in hands-on activities focussed a specific discipline for a full day at a university. Past Buddy Days have focussed on science, medicine, law and engineering.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

To speak to someone about Into University and any of their programmes please visit their website to find the best person to contact.

ACADEMIC STRENGTHS

The Into University programme can demonstrate evidence of:

• Improved academic performance
• Improved chances of getting to university
• Improved attitudes to learn

Primary and secondary students come down to their centres for Academic Support, where they receive after-school help with homework, coursework, literacy and numeracy from trained tutors. They also offer one-to-one support with GCSE, AS Level, A2 Level and degree options, coursework, revision, exam techniques, UCAS forms, interview techniques and gap years.

TEACHING STANDARDS

Into University delivers its award-winning programme from local learning centres established in heart of the communities where their students live.

Each centre is staffed by a team of Education Workers, headed up by a Centre Leader. They also receive valuable support from their volunteers and interns.

CAREERS GUIDANCE

On their Corporate Mentoring Scheme Year 13 students are paired with graduates in full-time employment. They are supported throughout their final year of college and first year of university.  Young people from their target groups are more likely to drop out of university in their first year than their peers, so with the help of their mentors they feel encouraged to continue with their study.