We’ve been awarded funding from The Robertson Trust to help reduce local inequalities in access to higher education in Scotland, by empowering parents and carers to become agents of change.
The three-year partnership will enable us to launch two Parent Power Scotland chapters in North Glasgow and East Ayrshire. This will be run in partnership with the University of Strathclyde and Connect, a parental and family engagement charity.
This award is part of the £2.3 million The Robertson Trust has recently awarded to 12 projects “with potential to lead to big change that lasts on poverty and trauma in Scotland”.
Lyndsay Fraser Robertson, Programmes and Practice Officer at The Robertson Trust said: “We are pleased to support The Brilliant Club’s Parent Power project in Scotland through our programme awards, which are designed to back work with the potential to drive lasting, large-scale change to the systems that exacerbate poverty and poverty related trauma in Scotland.
“Parent Power brings a strong, community-based approach to widening access to further and higher education, rooted in the insight and leadership of parents themselves. The Brilliant Club have a clear understanding of the barriers facing families and offers a thoughtful model for how communities can be informed, organised and supported to seek change.
“We look forward to learning alongside The Brilliant Club as this work develops in Scotland.”
Our interim CEO, Susie Whigham, said: “We’re delighted to expand Parent Power to Scotland, thanks to The Robertson Trust’s transformative funding. The involvement of parents and carers is so important for championing all young people’s equal access to higher education.
“With this funding and key partnerships in place, Parent Power can make a difference for families in North Glasgow and East Ayrshire communities.”
In Scotland, just 29% of school leavers from the most deprived backgrounds go onto higher education, compared to 65% of those from the least deprived backgrounds (School Leaver Destinations, Scottish Government, 2022).
Parents from all backgrounds want the best for their children and have a big influence on their child’s post-school options and outcomes. Parents and carers account for almost 50% of the factors that influence the socio-economic gap in education at age 11 (The Institute for Fiscal Studies), and parental engagement can help young people make an average of 4 months’ additional educational progress (Education Endowment Foundation).
With this new partnership, we can support national efforts to widen access to higher education by providing a scalable model that works directly with families to tackle the underlying social and cultural barriers that prevent underrepresented students from entering and succeeding in higher education.
The lived experience of local community organisers will ensure that our approach is appropriately tailored for the Scottish education system and the needs and context of the specific communities served by each chapter.
The two new Parent Power Scotland chapters will join our 13 existing chapters in England and Wales.
Parent Power builds parent/carer communities across the UK, each one supported by a local partnership. Through support to develop community organising skills, as well as advice and guidance on accessing higher education, parents and carers are empowered to ensure their children have a fair chance in education and their future careers.
The model gathers interest from parents, follows up with one-to-one meetings, and then facilitates six group meetings led by a local Community Organiser. In meetings, parents decide which activities will benefit their communities – from tailored visits to universities for young people to training on student finance and university access.