Level Up Programme

Helping to raise pre-16 attainment in schools is a current priority for the higher education sector and the Office for Students has identified attainment in school as a key ‘risk to equality of opportunity in English HE’. In response, AccessHE developed the Level Up Programme, which is designed for students in Year 9 or Year 10 who are currently not on track to achieve at Key Stage 4 / GCSE.

The programme was developed through months of consultation with schools as well as with AccessHE members and other delivery organisations. It supports pre-16 attainment by providing students with a suite of workshops that focus on developing study strategies and social and emotional learning.

Over five in-school workshops, students take part in activities such as developing creative mind maps to realise the power of colour and images in the learning journey, using different memory techniques to suit different types of information and practising how to study more effectively at home. Collectively this enables students to build a good foundation for developing accelerated learning.

During the final week of the programme students are invited to take part in a Cultural Capital day trip, which includes a campus visit as well as a tour of popular London attractions to experience student life in the capital.

The programme has proven effective in improving students’ predicted attainment at GCSE as well as their engagement with learning. Participants in the pilot also reported feeling more confident that they could revise effectively for their exams after taking part in the Level Up Programme.

A full impact report is available here.