Aspire2University (A2U) is a progressive programme targeting ‘children and young people’ in the care system from Year 7 onwards. Working in partnership with Virtual Schools from five local authorities within the West Midlands, A2U has been successfully running at Wolverhampton University since 2015.
One of the main aims of the programme is to promote awareness and understanding of the opportunities that university can offer. The young people are targeted via their Key Stage two outcomes, The A2U’s participants have the opportunity to embark upon their journey towards a potential future in Higher Education from an early age; ‘catch ‘em young.’
The partners work together to
- removing barriers to learning and progression
- releasing and raising aspirations
- increasing knowledge and promoting understanding of HE
- supporting to keep on track
There are four strands to the programme:
- Outreach – visits to University
- Enrichment – Holiday/out of hours activities
- Mentoring – Group and/or one-to-one from undergraduate students
- Tutoring – supporting core subjects