Collaborative Outreach Activities. Aston University will continue the collaborative partnership established in 2011 – 12 with University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University and University College Birmingham to take forward the legacy of Aimhigher. The Aimhigher West Midlands partnership has established itself and exceeded its baseline year targets, having engaged over 500 disadvantaged young people from more than 50 schools. Going forward, the partnership will sharpen its focus on learners in Years 9 to 11, and seek to consolidate established links with 20 schools to deliver activities in an intensive and coherent programme in line with the Learner Progression Framework. The partnership will also deliver less intensive activities to a larger numbers of young people in response to demand from schools. The Aston University will jointly fund this with an increased contribution of £35,000 in 2012-13 and will continue to be intimately involved in its governance and management. Opportunities to engage other HEIs in elements of the Aimhigher programme will be pursued, as will opportunities to align with and sustain other relevant initiatives. These partnership activities will complement Aston University‟s own extensive programme of widening access and fair access measures outlined elsewhere in this agreement. Aston University takes an active role in the work of HELOA (The Higher Education Liaison Officers‟ Association) with a member of Aston‟s Schools Liaison team elected as Midlands Chairperson in 2012. HELOA is the professional association of higher education staff who provide guidance and information to prospective higher education students, their families and advisers. HELOA has in excess of 800 members from over 130 UK Universities and Higher Education Institutions. HELOA has a code of practice which encourages collaboration, good practice and ethical standards.
Collaborative Outreach Activities. Aston University will continue the collaborative partnership established in 2011-12 with University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University and University College Birmingham to take forward the legacy of Aimhigher. The Aimhigher Collaborative Partnership exceeded its baseline year milestones in 2012/13 and is on target to do so again in 2013/14. We therefore confirm our intention to increase the number of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds engaged in Aimhigher’s intensive mentoring and residential activity to 1,000 each year from 2014/15 to 2017/18, retaining a focus on pre-16 students. In response to demand we will also continue to deliver less-intensive activities for young people and parents, and support events for higher education advice and guidance practitioners working to support the progression of disadvantaged young people.. Aston University intends to continue jointly to fund Aimhigher with a contribution of £35,000 in 2015-16 and will be intimately involved in its governance and management. Opportunities to engage other HEIs in Aimhigher will be pursued, as will opportunities to align with the National Strategy for Access and Student Success and other relevant policy developments and initiatives. These partnership activities will complement Aston’s own extensive programme of widening access and fair access measures outlined elsewhere in this agreement. Aston University takes an active role in the work of HELOA (The Higher Education Liaison Officers’ Association) with a member of Aston’s Schools Liaison team elected as Midlands Chairperson in 2012 and 2014.
Collaborative Outreach Activities. Aston University has formed a collaborative partnership with the University of Birmingham, University College Birmingham and Birmingham City University to take forward the legacy of the Birmingham and Solihull AimHigher (AH) partnership. Established in 2004, that partnership of five HEIs, two local authorities and 118 local schools, academies and FE/6th form colleges in Birmingham and Solihull, has been very successful in delivering an extensive provision of widening access activities, including collaborative provision of mentoring, masterclass, summer schools and advice to schools. The new partnership will take forward this work in collaboration with schools, focusing upon pre-16 education, within a new organisational model which draws upon the experience and successful initiatives of the AH partnership. Aston University will jointly fund the partnership‟s work with a contribution of £25,000 in 2011/12 and £35,000 in 2012/13 and is playing a significant role in its governance and management. Partnership activities will complement Aston‟s own extensive programme of widening participation and fair access measures outlined elsewhere in this agreement.
Collaborative Outreach Activities. Aston University will continue the collaborative Aimhigher West Midlands partnership established in 2011/12 with the University of Birmingham, University College Birmingham and Birmingham City University and in 2015/16 will extend to include the University of Worcester. The partnership met its yearly milestones in 2013/14 and is on course to do so again in 2014/15. We therefore confirm our intention to engage 1,000 disadvantaged young people in Aimhigher’s intensive activity in each year from 2015/16 to 2019/20, and to increase the number and geographical range of the schools we work with. Aston University will jointly fund Aimhigher with a contribution of £35,000 in 2016/17 and will be heavily involved in its governance and management. The outreach activities delivered through the partnership will complement Aston’s own extensive programme of widening access and fair access measures outlined elsewhere in this agreement. Our non-OFFA linked collaborative work to broker, coordinate and deliver outreach activities and events for higher education advice and guidance practitioners working to support the progression of disadvantaged young people will be greatly extended as a result of Aimhigher West Midlands’ success in becoming part of the HEFCE-funded NNCO initiative.
