The Widening Participation team at the University of Sussex are involved in a variety of schemes and projects that have been designed specifically to raise the attainment and the aspirations of students who typically experience barriers in education, and would not usually consider continuing to university, despite evident potential. We offer activities to students from Year 7 – Year 13, as well as CPD activities for teachers and tutors, and occasional bespoke projects with primary school students.
The focus and the purpose of the events and projects vary, and can be generic in nature, e.g. what is it like to be a student or to live on campus, or more specific in nature, e.g. subject specific taster days, or advice on completing university applications. The activities aim to raise attainment levels for students showing potential, e.g. tutoring, whilst raising awareness and understanding with regards to higher education, e,g, campus visits.
Some of the criteria used to identify a student as a 'WP' student are as follows:
- has little or no family background of higher education
- has demonstrated an interest or a potential in continuing into higher education
- would benefit from participation in the programme due to other mitigating factors or experience of disadvantage.
To find out more about Widening Participation at the University of Sussex, please email participate@sussex.ac.uk.