Aimhigher West Midlands are your single point of contact for higher education outreach.
Aimhigher can support your school with the Gatsby Benchmarks.
Our Progression Framework is designed to support learners’ progress to higher education and enable young people to develop the growth mind-set and agency to make informed decisions about their future.
Each of the activities in the Progression Framework have been carefully linked to the Gatsby Benchmarks and can support you and your school/college to evidence how you are embedding impartial careers information, advice and guidance.
The Progression Framework is split into three important phases which are designed to support the development of learners’ motivations, knowledge and experiences of higher education.
All learning outcomes are mapped against the Aimhigher 5As of access to higher education:
Aimhigher hosts an annual conference for Teachers and Advisers in the West Midlands, offering interesting talks and discussions around higher education. This year, the conference will take place on Thursday 22 June 2023.
We are preparing a fantastic line up of speakers who will be providing insightful and interesting talks. The conference is free of charge to attend and includes lunch and refreshments. Book your place here.
We understand the vital role that teachers and advisers play in supporting aspirational career progression and increased social mobility, especially for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who may not have access to the additional tutoring, extra-curricular activities and social capital available to their more affluent peers.
Aimhigher West Midlands supports this work by offering a number of CPD events and resources for teachers and advisers, and a range of information resources and events for parents and carers.
Activities Resource BankAimhigher mentors are undergraduates who provide face-to-face and on-line support and encouragement to pre-16 learners as they encounter educational, personal and career-related challenges, opportunities and choices.
Mentors receive training to help them in this role, and are fully DBS checked. Partner schools and colleges typically host 4 Aimhigher mentors, who each support 5 learners over a total 10 to 12 weeks. Learners are selected by their school or college, and are from disadvantaged backgrounds and communities that are underrepresented in higher education.
Aimhigher mentoring is free of charge to participating schools and colleges.
Get in touch if your school are interested in the Aimhigher Mentoring Scheme.
Download our Mentoring Evaluation Report to see how participating in the scheme helped hundreds of young people.
Aimhigher mentoring is learner-centred, and our mentors work with young people to identify their needs and agree a range of personal and learning-related development objectives. At the heart of the scheme is The Aimhigher Mentoring Idea Bank, a sequential and coherent programme of activities designed for pre-16 learners. Its main aim is to support the work of the mentors in raising the aspirations and awareness of career progression opportunities for disadvantaged young people. The Idea Bank provides a useful starting point for mentors to plan their exchanges with learners, and a wide range of activities and information resources to draw upon.
Our UniFest Year 10 summer schools are a great opportunity for your learners to get a taster of university life.
Read moreThe work we do at Aimhigher West Midlands makes a difference!
Take a look at our Research & Impact page to find out how we evaluate our programme and what young people have to say about their experiences.
Read moreAimhigher Plus is a targeted programme for learners in year 9 to year 13 who live in specific postcode areas. We can work with schools and colleges to help identify young people who might benefit from this support. Is your school eligible for Aimhigher Plus support?
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