Aimhigher SW: The Future

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Aimhigher SW The Future

• John Storan
• Director Regional Adviser
• Action on Access

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Introduction - Overview

• Aimhigher A brief history
• Identify and defining Success
• Reading the tea leaves!

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Aimhigher A brief history

• Aimhigher began in August 2004
• Aimhigher is funded by the Higher Education
  Funding Council for England
• Aimhigher is a national programme operating at
  national, regional and area levels (45 area
  partnerships, 9 regional partners)
• Aimhigher is the outcome of two programmes being
  brought together P4P and Excellence Challenge

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Aimhigher A brief history

• VisionTo deliver a coherent national outreach
  programme operating most intensively on the most
  disadvantaged areas
• AimsTo widen participation in HE by
• Raising aspirations and motivation of learners in
  schools, FE and workplace
• Raising attainment of potential HE students in
  academic and vocational qualifications

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Aimhigher A brief history

• Operational Characteristics- National programme
  but planned and delivered through regional and
  area partnerships
• - Main Target Groups Young people aged 13-19
  from groups that are under-represented in HE
• Adults under 30 from groups that are
  under-represented in HE

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Aimhigher A brief history

• Operational Characteristics (Contd)- Funding for
  regions and areas based on a formula that
  reflects measures of depravation (combination of
  educational attainment and participation in HE)
• - Funding agreed until 31st July 2008

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Identify and defining Success

• Partnership Level
• HEFCE guidance characterised effective Aimhigher
  partnerships by
• Arrangements which enable all partners to
  participate in the agreement of priorities and
  resource allocation
• Activity that has been informed by an input from
  all partners and integrated with the learning of
  pupils, students or apprentices in their everyday
  situations

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Identify and defining Success

• Comment
• SW scores extremely highly on both these with
  excellent feedback from the Regional Partnership
  Board

9
Identify and defining Success

• Evidence of impact (Parents)
• Quotes from SW parents attending an Aimhigher
  event for parents and pupils
• "Excellent opportunity - I enjoyed the visit."
• "Many thanks for giving me the opportunity to
  share this experience with my son.
• "This was a great opportunity for the children.
  I was pleased I could attend and share this with
  my daughter." "We both enjoyed the visit. Many
  thanks to everyone involved." "An excellent idea
  - well done."

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Identify and defining Success

• Evidence of impact (OFSTED)
• Details of OFSTED references to SW Aimhigher
• School that was moving out of Special Measures.
  The lead HMI said
• Pupils have participated in a thoughtful
  Aimhigher programme to encourage them to think
  positively about further education and university
  courses at post 16. Their achievement over time
  is more secure and progress in lessons much
  better.

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Identify and defining Success

• Monitoring and Evaluation Critical ( Peer,
  comparative, extend, national)
• Aimhigher is a slow burn (sustain interactions
  one time vital)
• Gathering and profiling impact evidence vital
  (develop practice, informing funders and policy
  makers)

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Reading the tea leaves!

• Aimhigher partnerships build cross-sector
  relationships which break down the barriers which
  institutions and systems can unwittingly create
  for learners.
• Aimhigher remains our primary vehicle for
  collaboration work and we will work with DfES
  and LSC to develop this programme over the long
  term.
• (HEFCE Strategic Plan 2006-11)

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Reading the tea leaves!

• National Aimhigher Evidence Programme
• Five Strands
• Tracking Survey of Young People
• Data linking and analysis
• Area Studies
• Survey of educational providers
• Regional and area monitoring and evaluationplus
  a cost study

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Reading the tea leaves!

• Comment
• Action on Access Conference on 4th July to look
  at the evidence so far. Interim reports contain
  considerable positive evidence. This evidence
  will feed into the Comprehensive Spending Review
  process.

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Reading the tea leaves!

• Aimhighers contribution to widening
  participation is increasingly being recognised
  by Politicians
• Funders
• Schools/HEIs/FECs
• OFSTED
• Comment
• We need to build an effective lobby that can
  ensure that the evidence base continues to
  develop and is effectively communicated.

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Reading the tea leaves!

• Aimhigher has built communities of practice
  around WP which are becoming embedded.
• Comment
• Sustaining and embedding Aimhigher activities
  will be an important part of ensuring continuity

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Reading the tea leaves!

• The SW Aimhigher partnerships through the high
  quality and innovative work that has been and
  will be undertaken is making a major difference
  to individual learners, families and communities
  and the Aimhigher partners.

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Reading the tea leaves!

• Thank you all and congratulations on your
  contribution to this success.