HE Reaching Out: Mapping, Evaluating and Collaborating on Outreach Reaching East and Reaching London

Background HEFCE’s National Networks for Collaborative Outreach (NNCO) scheme explicitly aims to encourage more young people into Higher Education Nationally coordinated approach to work with schools, colleges and HEIs Scheme involves around 4,300 secondary schools and 200 universities and colleges

NNCO to SPoC Each network has appointed a single point of contact (SpoC), who will: help teachers and advisers find out about the outreach activity which universities and colleges run in their area provide general advice about progression into HE.

Linking London Linking London is the pan London SPoC All institutions involved in the suite of Reaching Out projects are members of Linking London

Reaching East and Reaching London providing an in depth understanding of the delivery and impact of outreach work in the East of London area, through the mapping exercise (year one) Gaps, needs and capacity analysis (year two) Culminates in a seminar series

Reaching East geography Eastern arc of low participation – POLAR data

Reaching London pockets of low participation throughout the capital, particularly to the north east, south of the Thames, and in the outer western suburbs.

Research Aims (Year 1) To map the type and frequency of outreach activity in the East of London arc of low participation To establish a database of this activity with useful contact details to be shared with our and other NNCOs To examine the role of colleges in particular, and to look at FECs as a particular case study as they are (potentially) both providers of outreach, as well as receivers of outreach activity To examine this activity for patterns which may contribute to rates of participation in a local (borough or ward level) area, including the use of datasets such as IMD data To establish potential connections between rates of participation, outreach, and destination of young learners

Outputs and Timeframe Reaching East – Final mapping and reporting July 2016 – Final report and Toolkit Dec 2016 Reaching London – Final mapping and reporting July 2016 Ravensbourne and Goldsmiths

Data Sources School survey Collecting data from HEIs All London HEIs involved From survey and Access Agreements (Nvivo) identified 35 out of London HEIs who work in London/Essex Identified data issues (triangulation between survey and HEI data) FECs

Survey Findings

Activity type and year group

Mapping

Mapping Data Shell map with contextual data Outreach data (once harmonised) HESA data

Next Steps To conduct a gap analysis to identify “cold spots” where outreach activities are not provided To conduct a needs analysis to identify where outreach work could potentially be of benefit To conduct a capacity analysis to help colleges, schools and other providers deliver more tailored, effective, or simply more outreach activity to benefit learners in East London To develop a toolkit to facilitate the engagement of colleges and schools with appropriate outreach activity and help schools to develop a way to map their own engagement with outreach work To deliver four seminar workshops to provide a space where stakeholders can come together to collaborate and act as a “matchmaking service” to further facilitate the provision of outreach activity. These seminar workshops will also be of use for teachers, head teachers and other stakeholder staff members’ CPD

Contact Details Karina Berzins Research Fellow, Continuum, UEL