The attainment gap between the most and least advantaged students is at an all-time high. At KS2, students eligible for free school meals are 10.3 months behind their more advantaged peers and by GCSEs, they are 18 months behind (Sutton Trust, 2024). In Wales, the attainment gap is even larger, and currently stands at about 22-23 months. But students who are experiencing persistent poverty experience a more serious attainment gap: in England the persistent disadvantage gap was equal to about 23 months of learning, while in Wales it was 29 months.
On average, students eligible for free school meals achieve more than three quarters of a grade lower per GCSE subject than students with the same ability from better off backgrounds. Since the pandemic, these gaps in attainment have been getting wider every year. That’s why The Scholars Programme exists: working to build the confidence and skills to help young people to succeed at school and beyond.
Recent research has shown a positive link between The Scholars Programme and GCSE attainment. Data from the Higher Education Access Tracker (HEAT) has shown that The Scholars Programme has an impact on GCSE attainment. Students who did The Scholars Programme in Year 8, 9 or 10 were more likely to achieve a 9-5 in maths and English than students who scored similarly at Key Stage 2 within their schools.
We have been running independent UCAS evaluations on The Scholars Programme since 2017. Each evaluation has shown that this programme makes a statistically significant difference to university application.
Our community of over 1,000 PhD tutors is what makes The Brilliant Club unique. For some students, the only doctor they may have ever met is in a medical setting, but our programme opens up the world of academic research and gives young people the opportunity to study university-level work in an accessible way.
Our tutors are recruited from a range of disciplines covering STEM, arts and humanities and social sciences. The training also supports tutors to develop their understanding of pedagogy and teaching practice to deliver high quality tutorials to small groups of students. Tutors also undergo safeguarding and professional standards training.
Each student receives a course handbook to support them through the programme. This includes all of the material that they need for their tutorials and final assignment. Students will also have access to our online portal The Hub throughout the programme to submit work and get support from their tutor.
We also run webinars for teachers to learn more about running the programme for different Key Stage groups.
These examples provide a flavour of the exciting courses students have studied in the past. Schools and colleges can indicate a preference for a subject stream but we can’t offer courses for specific subject tutoring.
Click on a course title for the course rationale and more information.
We work with non-selective state schools across the UK.
As a university access charity, we work with the students who most benefit from the support of our programmes. We require that at least 70% of the students registered on the programme meet at least one of the following criteria:
Please note, if you are in receipt of funding from an external organisation such as a Uni Connect, additional targeting criteria may apply.
When you become a Brilliant Club school through The Scholars Programme, you will gain access to a host of information and resources designed to benefit you, your students and your wider community.
The school contribution is £205 per student, £2870 for a cohort of 14 students. This cost is subsidised through contributions from our university partners and external grants and donations.
We also offer a virtual version of The Scholars Programme where the launch event and all tutorials will take place online. Students will still be able to attend a full day, in-person graduation event at the end of the programme. With this option, schools will be able to choose their subject stream (STEM, Arts and Humanities or Social Sciences).
The price of The Virtual Scholars Programme is £197 per pupil, £2758 for a cohort of 14 students. We would be happy to discuss this as an option with you.