AccessHE Team Spotlight – May 2019

Welcome to Team Spotlight – a light-hearted section in our monthly Connect e-bulletin (open to all – subscribe to it here) where you can learn about who we are at AccessHE and what we’ve been up to in the past month.

In May (check out last month’s entry here and our intro to this section here) our spotlight shone to reveal…

Tanyel: This month, we’ve welcomed a fine selection of external speakers for our final flurry of Forum meetings for this academic year (Evidence & Evaluation, Creative, Care Experienced and Estranged Students). We’ve learnt about the Theory of Change, the Creative Careers Programme, Centre for London social mobility research in cultural and creative industries and more. We’re at an exciting stage with our student ambassador proposal, running a webinar for interested Members to find out more about what the project will look like, how much it will cost to participate and how student ambassadors will benefit (hint: networking, career skills, and employer networking!). We’re excited to take things forward at our next meeting on Thursday 6 June (it’s not too late to book on – staff and student ambassadors from our Member HE institutions are welcome) in view of what will likely be an intense planning period over the summer! I closed the month by stepping in for colleagues at London Medicine to run focus groups with widening participation students from the five medical schools to understand their experience of getting into, and being at, Medical school. This is part of work for an action-based report to be released in September 2019.

Richard: This month I’ve been busy planning AccessHE’s 2019 conference – The London Factor: The Future of Access and Participation in the Capital. The event kicks off a full programme of events during London HE Week in w/c 17 June, and it’s fitting that the theme of social mobility and HE is on the agenda given that London has shown such marked progress here yet at the same time faces some unique challenges. We look forward to considering those together with our HE members and other key stakeholders; for anyone yet to sign up, the event is free (programme here) and our keynote speakers are Dame Margaret Hodge and Sir Vince Cable (as if you needed any further encouragement!) Aside from the conference I’ve been continuing work on phase two of the London Uni Connect Programme, which we will be helping to deliver.

Vanessa: Not long now until we welcome c.50 year nine girls from South Yorkshire down to London as part of the HeppSY+ SheCan Project! As part of this visit the Urdang Academy will be conducting a brief tour of both their sites where the students will have the opportunity to observe some classes and rehearsals. Still on the summer school front, the first batch of attendees for the AccessHE Capital Summer School, delivered in partnership with Greater Manchester Higher, have been confirmed. As well as educational visits to HEIs, students will be given the opportunity to visit cultural institutions related to their subject strand on the morning of Thursday 25th July. We are delighted to announce that the Guardian Education Centre have agreed to host the Humanities and Social Sciences cohort and Cockpit Arts the Creative Arts and Digital Media cohort. We are still seeking a partner to host a visit from our Science and Technology cohort.In other news, AccessHE are coming to the end of some productive discussions with UKADIA (United Kingdom Art and Design Institutions Association). Full participation is nearly confirmed with a view to organise focus groups on the current guide over the summer.

Team Uni Connect (Naz, Kay, Barbora): This month, our Y10 and Y12 AccessHE London Uni Connect students took part in some of their final Uni Connect sessions before the end of the academic year. Here is a glimpse at some of the insightful sessions delivered across our Uni Connect schools in the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham and Havering.

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