Opportunities for learners with care experience
H.E. 4 Me
‘Care experience’ is defined as any young person who has been under the care of their local authority at any point in their life. The H.E. 4 Me programme offers a range of events tailored specifically for learners with care experience. We offer learners the chance to discover the world of higher education and their future options, focusing on the support available exclusively to learners with care experience. We offer free events for Year 7 – 13s and their supporting adults, providing support throughout each stage of their secondary education and their time in care.
You can read about each of our partner universities’ offers for care leavers here.
We’ve created a new guide to HE for learners with care experience!
CHECK OUT THE GUIDEScroll down to see details of our next event — coming soon — and find out what happened at our most recent Campus Experience Day below.
Upcoming events
We are delighted to announce H.E.4 ME: UNIverse, an event designed exclusively for care experienced and Looked After learners in Years 12 and 13.
Taking place on Wednesday 25 November 2026 in the Great Hall at the University of Birmingham, UNIverse has been created to support young people as they prepare for life after sixth form, helping them explore their options, understand the support available to them and feel confident about their future.
Unlike a traditional university open day, UNIverse has been designed specifically with the experiences and needs of care experienced young people in mind. Whether learners are considering university, college, an apprenticeship or are still deciding what comes next, the day will provide a welcoming and supportive environment where they can explore a range of progression pathways.
We’re currently putting together an exciting programme for the day, which we expect to include:
🎓 A Higher Education Fair featuring universities from across the West Midlands, showcasing the dedicated support available for care experienced students.
💬 Opportunities to meet universities, colleges, training providers and organisations that can support learners with their next steps.
🌟 Inspiring talks from guest speakers, alumni and professionals.
🤝 Interactive workshops and activities focusing on progression, independence, student life and future opportunities.
❓ Plenty of opportunities for learners to ask questions, gather information and build confidence as they prepare for the next stage of their journey.
As the programme is still being finalised, we’ll share further details over the coming weeks. However, we’d love to begin hearing from schools who would be interested in attending so we can plan the event around anticipated numbers.
Event Details
📅 Wednesday 25 November 2026
📍 The Great Hall, University of Birmingham
👥 For care experienced and Looked After learners in Years 12 and 13
If you would like your school or college to attend, please complete our Register Your Interest form HERE, or scan the QR code below:
We look forward to welcoming you in November!
H.E.4ME at Birmingham City University and Aston University – POSTPONED UNTIL DECEMBER 2026
We wanted to let you know that our upcoming H.E.4 ME event for Year 7 and 8 students, originally scheduled for Tuesday 3rd June 2026 at Birmingham City University, has been postponed by BCU and will now take place in December 2026.
While we’re disappointed to wait a little longer for this fantastic opportunity, the good news is that there is still plenty of time for schools and students to sign up!
During the event, learners will:
- Learn what university is like in a simple and engaging way
- Discover the additional support available to care-experienced students
- Take part in a guided campus tour
- Enjoy a hands-on architecture workshop
With spaces limited, we encourage interested schools to register their students as soon as possible to secure a place.
👉 Sign up here: https://gck.fm/dyufu
We can’t wait to welcome your learners for what promises to be an exciting and supportive day.
🎓 HE4ME: Y11 event for learners with care-experience @ UCB ✔️
We were delighted to welcome care experienced Year 11 students to University College Birmingham for a confidence and exam-skills day designed to support young people as they prepare for their GCSEs and think about their future.
The day included an inspiring welcome from Miranda, a care experienced student who shared her journey into higher education, followed by a confidence and resilience workshop delivered by Speakers Trust. Students took part in revision and confidence sessions, explored the campus on a guided tour, and enjoyed lunch together in the McIntyre Dining Area.
Alongside this, teachers, carers and professionals joined a dedicated session focused on supporting care experienced learners and navigating student finance. The day closed with a shared plenary and reflections, celebrating learners’ confidence, engagement and ambition.
Thank you to all the students, staff and partners who made the day such a success. We look forward to welcoming more care experienced learners to future HE4ME events in 2026.
Details for our other H.E. 4 Me events are currently being finalised.
Please check back soon for confirmed dates, venues, and booking information.
Last year, we were thrilled to host a Campus Experience Day at Aston University for Year 7 and 8 learners with care experience. The event gave learners the chance to explore a university campus, take part in engaging subject masterclasses in Biomedical Sciences and English, and hear directly from current students about university life and the support available for care leavers.
It was a fantastic opportunity to discover higher education in an inspiring, supportive environment — and we can’t wait to share details of our next event soon!
🎓 H.E.4 ME: Year 9 & 10 Care Experienced Learners @ University of Worcester ✔️
We were delighted to welcome Year 9 and 10 learners with care experience to the University of Worcester for an engaging and inspiring H.E.4 ME Day focused on building confidence, developing new skills, and exploring future pathways.
The day began with a warm welcome on campus before learners traveled to the University’s Lakeside Campus, where they took part in a range of confidence-building outdoor and team activities. These sessions encouraged learners to step outside their comfort zones, work together, and build positive connections with their peers.
Back on campus, learners participated in interactive workshops led by the Aim Higher team, exploring student life and the support available for care experienced learners in higher education. A highlight of the day was the creative session, where learners designed their own dream university campus, encouraging them to think about what an ideal learning environment could look like for them.
The day concluded with reflections and a shared celebration of everything achieved — with staff receiving a well-deserved round of applause from learners, a real testament to the positive impact of the event.
It was fantastic to see such high levels of engagement, enthusiasm and confidence throughout the day, and we are incredibly proud of all the learners who took part.
A huge thank you to all students, staff and partners who made the day such a success. We look forward to welcoming more learners to future H.E.4 ME events.
Stay in the loop
To be the first to hear about H.E. 4 Me events, subscribe to our monthly newsletter by emailing us with the word ‘SUBSCRIBE’ as the subject: aimhigher@contacts.bham.ac.uk
Further support for learners
Unite Foundation – thisisusatuni.org
BECOME – becomecharity.org.uk
Care Leaver Covenant – mycovenant.org.uk