SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

• Widening Participation and Undergraduate Recruitment Office
• Teachers and careers advisers
• Access to Bristol scheme
• Pathways to Law
• HE events and careers fairs
• Primary school activities
• Secondary school activities
• Students in schools
• Aimhigher
  • Mentoring
  • Tutoring
  • Subject enrichment
• Open days
• Summer schools
• Talks for Schools and Colleges
• Undergraduate policies and strategies
• Publications and resources
• Departmental activities
• Contact the Undergraduate Recruitment and Widening Participation Team

Aimhigher

Aimhigher is a national programme of activities designed to encourage young people with the potential to go on to higher education to 'aim higher' and achieve that potential.

Aimhigher encompasses a wide range of activities to engage and motivate students and young people. The programme particularly focuses on young people from groups that are under-represented in higher education, including disabled young people, Children in Care and young people from disadvantaged social and economic backgrounds. Aimhigher activities can be of particular benefit to young people who are currently underachieving at school, are undecided about whether or not to continue with their education or are lacking in confidence.

The University of Bristol is actively involved with the Aimhigher West Partnership, which brings together universities, colleges, schools and other key organisations such as Learning and Skills Councils and local authorities in the 'West Area'. This stretches from Gloucestershire in the north, to Bridgwater in Somerset and is one of three Area partnerships in the south west.

The Aimhigher programme is jointly funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The Aimhigher Partnership provides a distinctive programme of activities, focusing on progression to higher education (HE) by under-represented groups. These activities have three main aims:

• raising awareness of the opportunities available through HE;
• raising the aspirations of young people in schools, colleges and the workplace who are currently under-represented in HE, and motivating them to further their education;
• raising the attainment of potential HE students in under-represented groups, so that they gain the academic or vocational qualifications and learning skills that will enable them to enter HE.

Aimhigher-funded activities at the University of Bristol include subject-enrichment events; mentoring and tutoring by University students in local schools and colleges; and Aimhigher days which are visits to the University for targeted groups of students from local schools and colleges.

Aimhigher activities are available to schools and colleges that are members of the Aimhigher West Partnership.