The attainment gap between the most and least advantaged students is at an all-time high. At KS2, Welsh students eligible for free school meals are statistically less likely to receive a Level 4 or above in Y6 than their more advantaged peers. Similarly, at GCSE Welsh students eligible for free school meals 28.4 percentage points less likely to achieve a Grade C or above.
In Wales, the attainment gap currently stands at about 22-23 months. But students who are experiencing persistent poverty experience a more serious attainment gap sitting at around 29 months in Wales.
Since the pandemic, these gaps in attainment have been getting wider every year. That’s why we offer The Scholars Programme in Wales: working to build the confidence and skills to help Welsh young people to succeed at school and beyond.
The Scholars Programme has helped me reach a better understanding of both university life and studying as a university student. I am more confident now in essay writing and researching on specific topics. I have now developed an interest in the topic we studied and have a much better understanding of it.
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 an A*-C 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.
The Scholars Programme contributes to the four purposes outlined in the Curriculum for Wales:
A small group learning environment, led by a tutor who is an expert in their field, ensures pupils are excited about learning and therefore creates ambitious, capable learners ready to learn throughout their lives.
Busy classroom environments sometimes don’t afford quieter pupils the opportunity to build confidence in contributing to discussions. Through a 1:7 learning ratio, The Scholars Programme ensures pupils have the opportunity to become enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work.
Our exciting and varied courses, based on actual PhD research, allow pupils to work beyond the curriculum and engage with worldwide debates such as, ‘Climate Change and Migration: Two Modern Crises’. As a result, scholars finish the programme as ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world.
Our two key outcomes for The Scholars Programme are to provide pupils with improved academic attainment, and academic self-efficacy. Through generating a sense of belonging, The Scholars Programme aims to aid pupils to become healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.
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. 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. Training 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.
These examples provide a flavour of the exciting courses students have studied in the past on The Scholars Programme in Wales. Schools and colleges can indicate a preference for a subject stream, but we can’t offer courses for specific subject tutoring. It is sometimes possible to offer a course in Welsh, if tutors are available. Enquire here to find out more.
Click on each handbook title to find out more about the course:
We work with non-selective state schools across Wales and the rest of the UK.
The Brilliant Club requires that at least 55% of pupils registered on the programme fulfil 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.
The school contribution is £205 per pupil, £2,870 for a cohort of 14 pupils. This cost is subsidised through contributions from our university partners and external grants and donations.