As we reach October half-term and settle into the rhythm of the academic year, students are beginning to think about their futures. While sixth form students prepare their UCAS applications and first-year university students settle into their halls and pen their first assignments, it is important to think about what we can do to build the confidence, skills and knowledge needed to progress to and succeed at university into the school experience.
We know that it is important to embed these skills early in the student lifecycle: by the time students reach their GCSES, less-advantaged students are already 19.2 months behind their more-advantaged peers. This year, we will be working in partnership with Co-op Academies Trust to run programmes that raise attainment and improve university access for students in schools across the North of England.
The partnership includes the delivery of The Scholars Programme – a widening access initiative which offers the opportunity for students to engage with university-style learning through small group tutorials, delivered by PhD tutors. The Brilliant Club currently collaborates with over 850 schools nationwide to implement its programme and is excited to work with Co-op to expand its reach and impact.
This collaboration will see the launch of Scholars Programme placements across Co-op academies in Manchester, Bradford, Leeds, and Stoke-on-Trent. Key Stage 3 and 4 students across Co-op will enrol on bespoke courses, with students studying courses such as ‘Beyond National Histories: Understanding International, Global and Transnational Approaches to the Spanish Civil War’, ‘British Parliamentary Politics’, and ‘The Birth of Stars’. At the end of their placement, scholars will be invited to a Graduation Event at a university, which will give students the opportunity to celebrate their achievements, as well as to find out more about university learning, tour a campus, and meet current undergraduates.
Case Study: Co-op Academy Priesthorpe
Though this is a new partnership, some Co-op schools have run Scholars Programme placements for many years. Last Autumn, Year 9 and 10 students at Co-op Academy Priesthorpe studied a course called ‘Torn in Displacement, where do I turn?’. The course taught students about forced migration – when people are displaced from their homes due to war, conflict, and climate change – and asked them to consider whether the term ‘refugee’ captures the diverse experiences of those who must leave their homes. The course was run by Joana Kolo-Manma, a PhD student at the University of Bradford.
At the end of the placement, students wrote an assignment called ‘How can the world manage issues around forced migration better?’. Once they reached the end of their course, they celebrated their achievements during their graduation at the University of Sheffield, where they toured the campus, learned about student life, and received a certificate for finishing the programme.
In the spring term, a group of Year 7 and 8 students at Priesthorpe enrolled on another Scholars Programme course, called ‘English: Introduction to Literary Theory’ with Sarah Thorpe, and the graduation event was at the University of Leeds in April. Their graduation event was at the University of Sheffield in February. Sarah, reflecting on what it was like to expose younger students to university-style learning, said:
“The students at Co-op Academy Priesthorpe adapted extremely well to university seminar style teaching, which emphasises the importance of student contributions. They were willing to express their own interpretations of the stories and poems we studied, noticing aspects of the text that I had not previously considered. I was especially impressed by one student’s original interpretation of ‘won’t you celebrate with me’ by Lucille Clifton. This poem is very short and initially seems quite simple, but the student was not daunted by this and wrote a very thoughtful interpretation of the poem’s imagery.”
Beyond their graduation, these students have lots more to look forward to because the programme has proven impact in schools: students who participate in the programme are more likely than their peers to get a 9-5 in English and maths at GCSE, and more likely to eventually apply to and progress to a competitive university. Sarah said: “Overall, I felt that the course gave students the space to think independently, which will be very important to them as they move towards university learning.”
Case study: Co-op Academy Belle Vue
This Autumn, we will also be running the Scholars Programme for Key Stage 4 students at Co-op Academy Belle Vue in Manchester. The course, designed by a PhD tutor at Manchester Metropolitan University, is called ‘Language and Power’. The course introduces critical discourse analysis to Year 9 and 10 students, allowing them to assess the power that language can hold in society.
The lead teacher for this placement, Peter Hafekost, described what it is like to collaborate with The Brilliant Club to deliver a Scholars Programme placement:
“Being the lead teacher for the Brilliant Club is an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s inspiring to witness students engage deeply with university-level content, guided by a passionate PhD tutor. The small group tutorials foster rich discussions, allowing students to explore complex ideas – ours is ‘How does language contribute to the use of power in society?’ Watching their confidence grow and culminating in a university graduation is a true testament to their hard work and potential.”
Interested in running The Scholars Programme in your school or multi-academy trust? Contact us at hello@thebrilliantclub.org