Supporting educators. Our Widening Participation team and colleagues in the Graduate School of Education are currently planning a formal training programme for our staff and partners to help improve the efficacy of our interventions in schools. Depending on the outcome of a pilot planned during 2017/18, we anticipate offering a number of training sessions a year under the auspices of our Centre for Professional Learning with a particular focus on the national curriculum and raising attainment. The University of Exeter will continue our partnership in Advancing Access - a national collaboration of 24 selective universities working together with schools and colleges to develop and deliver CPD for teachers and advisers. Advancing Access complements the work already carried out by partner institutions by engaging those areas that have historically been hard to reach and may be in geographic ‘cold spots’ and aims to support student progression to selective universities and courses. The scheme also aims to complement the work of national collaborative outreach programmes and is a cost-effective approach to equipping teachers and advisers with the information they need to advise students with confidence. Initially funded through HEFCE’s collaborative outreach network scheme, Advancing Access is now financed by partner contributions. We will continue to host HE Advisers' days at our Streatham and Penryn campuses. The days provide the opportunity for teachers and careers advisers from our link schools, who play a vital role in supporting students making progression decisions, to attend a full programme of presentations and workshops focusing on the current higher education environment and the factors affecting progression. We will also continue to provide training and other support with a range of other organisations such as Teach First.
