Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Students of the future get a taste of university life in West Yorkshire
The residential, organised collaboratively by Leeds Beckett University, Leeds College of Art, Leeds Trinity University, Leeds City College, Bradford College, the University of Bradford and the University of Huddersfield, was coordinated by HEART - a partnership of 12 higher education providers in West Yorkshire, committed to encouraging under-represented groups to aspire, apply, enter and succeed in higher education.
Around 75 pupils aged 14 and 15, who will be taking their GCSEs next year, attended the summer school from Tuesday 19 to Thursday 21 July. Throughout the three days, the pupils stayed at Leeds Beckett University’s Headingley Campus student accommodation whilst having the chance to visit all seven universities and colleges, taking part in a series of workshops and social activities.
Rob Hemmens, a teacher at Immanuel College in Bradford, said: “The kids have enjoyed it, they’ve been engaged the whole time, but really importantly they’ve had a really positive experience of what university is actually like – something that kids this age don’t normally get the opportunity to do. There’s been a few academic activities that they’ve particularly liked: the animation workshop at Leeds College of Art where they got to have a go at playing with software that they would never see in school; and at Bradford College they could use make-up to portray wounds and scars in the media make-up workshop which they really liked. Kids at this age don’t really know what they want to do, their main decision-making is based on what their friends are doing and what sounds interesting; whereas having specific experiences focused them on their options.”
The aim of the residential was to give the pupils the chance to find out about the range of courses and higher education providers on offer in West Yorkshire; give them the opportunity to take part in university-level workshops; raise their aspirations; inspire them to think about applying for university in the future; and give them first-hand experience of university life so they can picture themselves as students in the future.
Will Atkinson, Collaborative Outreach Coordinator at Leeds Beckett, explained: “The young people were identified by their teachers as having the ability to attend university in the future but needing a boost to give them the confidence to apply: perhaps because none of their family have gone to university before or because they need to have some long-term goals to increase their grades in the short term.”
Activities that the pupils took part in included: teambuilding and a Dragons’ Den enterprise activity at Leeds Beckett; a science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) workshop at the University of Bradford; media make-up at Bradford College; sport, dance and childcare at Leeds City College; fashion and animation at Leeds College of Art; mechanical engineering, music technology, history and science at the University of Huddersfield; and a mock graduation at Leeds Trinity University.
Bethany Dennison, from the 14+ Apprenticeship Academy at Park Lane in Leeds, won the Dragons’ Den competition with her team: “We had to use old materials and up-cycle them, making them into new things. We decided to get old CDs and make them into wall art. I felt surprised when we won and I’m really happy. The highlight has been working with my group from the college as we’ve all got closer and done things that we wouldn’t normally do. I’m now thinking of going to uni when I leave.”
Nigel Butler, also from the 14+ Apprenticeship Academy, added: “I loved all the activities that we’ve done, especially animation. I think university is something I would really enjoy doing because I’ve made a lot of new friends. The residential will also help me to decide what to do at A Levels. If I decide I want to do animation then I’ll want to do art, English and ICT.”
Dr Anna Woodhouse, HEART Outreach and Activity Coordinator, said: “I was delighted to be involved in the Collaborative Higher Education (HE) Experience Summer School and to see how much the participants benefited from this unique opportunity. It’s been a chance for them to try new things and to consider new possibilities. Lots of universities offer residentials, but I don’t know of any that provide access to multiple institutions, including further education (FE) colleges. Most of these students had no first-hand experience of any HE institution before the summer school, let alone the seven they have now had the chance to visit!
“The brilliant thing about this residential is that they now have a real sense of the HE landscape in our region, and of their potential options for the future. We sometimes forget that these institutions can be scary places for those who stand outside of them. Now, these students can be confident about knocking on the door, coming in, and contributing. And it’s important that we welcome them, because we need them as much as they need us.”
The full list of schools taking part was: Immanuel College, Appleton Academy and Dixons Trinity Academy in Bradford; Cathedral Academy and Featherstone Academy in Wakefield; Westborough High School in Dewsbury; Airedale Academy in Castleford; and the 14+ Apprenticeship Academy in Leeds.
Photos copyright Ian Richard Hinchliffe