Each year, our teams crisscross the country delivering a wide range of in-school outreach activities, bringing higher education insight, advice and inspiration directly into classrooms, assemblies, and school halls.
In the 2023–24 academic year alone, we delivered almost 600 individual events in schools, reaching an incredible 44,000 students. These sessions included everything from large-scale assemblies and higher education (HE) fairs to smaller workshops and talks focused on student finance, course choices, university life and study skills.
We’re already on track for another busy year in 2024–25, with over 400 events and 35,000 attendees recorded so far with many more planned before the academic year ends.
What Do We Deliver?
Our in-school activity is varied by design, responsive to what schools need, and rooted in our commitment to reach students who may never have considered university as an option. This includes:
- Workshops on topics like personal statements, student finance and choosing courses
- Assemblies introducing higher education and the student experience
- Inofrmation sessions led by our ambassadors
- HE fairs and information stands, where students can ask questions and access materials in a more informal setting
Whether we’re delivering to 30 students or 300, we aim to make every interaction count offering a balance of practical advice, myth-busting, and encouragement to explore future options.
National Reach, Local Relevance
While we’re based in the South West, our outreach is national. The map of our 2024–25 activity so far shows engagement with schools from Cornwall to Edinburgh; each of those dots representing a face-to-face conversation about futures, opportunities, and potential.
This national reach reflects the relationships we’ve built with schools and networks across the country, and our commitment to supporting students from all backgrounds including those in areas with historically low progression to higher education.
Why It Matters
We know from research and experience that access to higher education isn’t just about academic attainment, it’s also about awareness, inspiration and confidence. For students who don’t have family members who’ve been to university, or who attend schools with limited access to careers guidance, simply knowing that university is an option, and understanding what it’s really like, can be transformative.
That’s where in-school outreach makes the difference. It brings the conversation to students on their terms, in their space. It means they don’t need to travel, book time off school, or already have a clear idea about university to start engaging with it.
This kind of relational work, delivered consistently and at scale, can help break down the cultural and informational barriers that hold some students back. It helps students to:
- Visualise themselves in higher education
- Ask questions they may not feel confident asking elsewhere
- Understand practical steps like UCAS, student finance and subject choices
- Meet real university students who can share their lived experience
While the headline figure of 43,000+ students reached in 2023–24 is impressive, the real impact is often more personal and cumulative. It’s in the student who says, “I’d never thought about university before, but now I might apply,” or the teacher who tells us, “This was exactly what our students needed to hear.”
In-school outreach is the quiet, consistent backbone of access work, and it continues to be one of the most effective ways we build trust and raise awareness in a meaningful way.
