Secondary school activities
The University of Bristol works closely with schools and colleges in the region to encourage achievement by raising young peoples’ awareness of university. In 2014-15, we are holding regular Aiming Higher days, where groups of up to 50 school students from Years 7 to 11 spend the day at the University learning about the benefits of higher education.
Benefits
A significant part of the day is spent addressing any misconceptions students may have about higher education and attempting to overcome perceived barriers to entering university. The Aiming Higher days give students the opportunity to spend the day with a trained student ambassador who can give enormous insight into what it is really like to attend university. The interaction with current students can be an inspirational experience for many young people.
A typical Aiming Higher day
The activities at one of our Aiming Higher days are designed to be fun and interactive, providing students with a positive experience of higher education. As well as fun icebreakers, students take part in group activities, a tour of the campus and a quiz. An Aiming Higher day may also include a lecture on 'The Physics of Ice Cream', in which students investigate the science behind the manufacture of ice cream. The lecture culminates in a live demonstration of ice-cream making and a free ice cream for members of the audience.
Why take part in an Aiming Higher day?
These university visits are intended to raise the aspirations and motivation of the widening participation cohort in school and colleges. This means that they are aimed at learners who would previously have been members of the Aimhigher cohort; whose parents did not attend HE; who live in neighbourhoods with low participation in HE or are entitled to free school meals. We are keen to provide schools with an experience that is tailored to their needs and we encourage teachers to approach us with ideas about what they think would work for their school.
How much does an Aiming Higher day cost?
There is no cost for any of our Aiming Higher activities, although schools/colleges are expected to arrange their own transport and their students' lunches.