Our Offer for Schools and Colleges
There are several elements to the HeppSY offer to schools and colleges in 24/25. This includes three strands of provision: Targeted Outreach, Strategic Outreach and Attainment Raising.
In this section you can find out more information about our three strands of provision for 2024/2025.
Our Offer is compliant with safeguarding in remote and online learning and our delivery team have been fully trained to deliver safely online.
In addition to the three strands of work, HeppSY schools and colleges can also access:
- Free, high quality resources for teachers and advisers to enable school-led delivery – accessed via HeppHUB
- Signposting to our wider partnership provision, including activity provided by our university partners
- CPD provision for teachers, advisers and other key influencers, facilitated through HeppSY, partner delivery and online resources
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Targeted Outreach
Targeted outreach is framed around sustained and progressive interventions for young people in years 12-13 (or equivalent) in areas where the proportion of young people entering higher education is low compared to GCSE attainment.
This strand aims to tackle the key barriers young people face in relation to higher education progression and decision making. It includes access to a suite of workshops and assemblies, bespoke campus tours as well as access to free resources from HeppHUB.
Targeted outreach is split into the three packages of activity outlined below. To ensure activity is sustained and progressive, schools are encouraged to select one of the packages below and book at least two activities from that area:
Motivate
- A workshop from motivational speaker Stephen Seki
- HeppSY’s workshop The Importance of Mindset*
- HeppSY’s workshop Student Life at Higher Education*
*these sessions can also be delivered as an extended 30-minute assembly
Understand
- HeppSY’s NEW UCAS workshop*
- HeppSY’s Student Finance workshop*
- HeppSY’s Student Journey workshop*
- HeppSY’s Routes Post 18*
*these sessions can also be delivered as an extended 30-minute assembly
Elevate
- A fully funded trip to Cambridge University
- A fully funded trip to Oxford University
- An online workshop exploring prestigious universities*
*bespoke 1-hour session ran by one of our partner Oxbridge colleges
Strategic Outreach
Strategic outreach focuses on delivering sustained engagement intervention programmes for students who are in underrepresented groups – meaning these students are statistically less likely to progress into Higher Education. Our projects will aim to address some of the additional barriers to progression into Higher Education for these students through a range of interventions.
If you would like to take part in HE Can or SHE Can or would like more information, please contact Audie O’Donnell (Engagement Coordinator) via email on audie.o’donnell@shu.ac.uk or see the information and links below.
HE Can
HE Can is a sustained intervention programme for Year 9 boys who are White British, Eligible for Free School Meals and predicted to achieve grade 4+ in GCSE English and Maths. It focuses on the potential benefits of HE, accessing support and increasing a sense of belonging.
Last year, our workshops covered problem solving, teamwork and confidence building. Students went on exciting visits to Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Manchester, where they learned about student life, societies, financial support and a range of careers. Students particularly enjoyed visiting the National Videogame Museum and the Manchester Science and Industry Museum, where they built transferrable skills through interactive workshops.
SHE Can
SHE Can is a sustained intervention programme for Year 9 girls who are Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic, eligible for Free School Meals and predicted to achieve a grade 4+ in GCSE English and Maths. We explore the potential benefits of HE, belonging in HE and developing self-efficacy.
Our workshops last year encouraged students to work as a team, overcome their challenges and think about their future careers. Students enjoyed exploring societies and accommodation at Leeds Beckett University and learning about additional support at the University of Sheffield, as well as exploring a Victorian Street at the Thackray Museum of Medicine and building adaptive controllers at the National Videogame Museum.
Campus Connect
We’re excited to introduce Campus Connect, a tailored higher education experience for students with disabilities in Year 9 and above.
Our data shows that students who identified as having a disability, also stated they hadn’t accessed campus tours. This opportunity provides accessible campus visits including a guided campus tour, interactive workshop, and Q&A session about accessibility to higher education with a current student with a disability.
This is fully funded by us, including transport and staff cover costs. Campus Connect aims to increase awareness of higher education pathways and support services while building confidence through showcasing inclusive environments and success stories!
Please forward this information to your SEN lead or, to arrange a visit for your students, please contact Audie.O’Donnell@shu.ac.uk
LEVELS
Sign up now for a fully funded HeppSY project that seeks to boost the academic potential of Y10 EAL students as well as broadening their knowledge of the higher education landscape.
The project includes:
- A HeppSY funded day on campus for EAL leaders from participating schools
On this day, school staff network with other EAL leaders and work together to create appropriate attainment raising resources for their Y10 EAL cohort - Two workshops at each participating school
Along with participating EAL school staff, HeppSY will deliver workshops to your Y10 EAL students on goal setting and problem solving, as well as academic confidence and revision habits - A day on campus for participating students
This HeppSY funded campus day for Y10 EAL students involves activities designed to improve students’ knowledge of HE pathways and increase their sense of belonging at HE institutions.
School places for 2025/26 are limited will be assigned on a first come first served basis. Contact Katy Raynor (K.Raynor@shu.ac.uk) for details.
Attainment Raising
This academic year, HeppSY are continuing with the successful attainment raising projects launched last year in South Yorkshire schools.
If you would like to take part in an attainment raising project or would like more information, please contact Jamie Taylor (Engagement Manager) via email on jamie.taylor@shu.ac.uk or see the information and links below.
GOALS Breakfast Club
Growing Our Achievement, Learning and Skills
Devised in partnership with South Yorkshire Children’s University, the GOALS Breakfast Club aims to boost attainment by developing students’ independent learning, goal setting and problem solving through a series of fun, challenging activities.
The project will be open to Y7, 8 and 9 students who are entitled to free school meals and will consist of 12 x 30-minute early morning sessions where students will be guided to research and plan a funding application for a school enrichment resource. The project will culminate in the successful bid being funded by HeppSY and enjoyed by the school as a legacy resource.
Breakfast will be provided for all participating students.
The Elephant Group – Meta Method
Devised in partnership with The Elephant Group, this is a two-year project that will support Y10 students as they move into Y11. The aim of the project is to boost GCSE attainment by teaching students how to recognise, understand and apply various metacognition techniques.
Sessions will take place during the school day and will be delivered by The Elephant Group and HeppSY. Participating students must be eligible for free school meals and have the potential to achieve a high grade at GCSE.
- 6 x 1-hour sessions will be delivered in Y10 this year
- 5 x 1-hour sessions will be delivered in Y11 next year
Students will receive free equipment and study aids funded by HeppSY.
Places on this programme are now full.
Grade Shifter
Devised in collaboration with humanities specialists in partner schools, this project aims to boost attainment in GCSE Geography and History by supporting Y11 students with subject specific help and broader study strategies.
HeppSY will fund the development of subject specific revision resources which will be delivered by the subject teacher; HeppSY staff will deliver content focusing on academic resilience, study skills and stress-busting techniques.
The project will be delivered in 4 x 1-hour sessions during curriculum time. Students will receive free equipment and study aids funded by HeppSY. Participating students must be eligible for free school meals and have the potential to achieve a grade 4 or above in the humanities subject they are studying.
Transport Fund
Schools and colleges affiliated with HeppSY are entitled to financial help with any school trips that have a link to higher education.
If your school or college is planning trips for the academic year 24/25, we can help with transport and cover costs if students with widening participation characteristics are involved in the trip. The fund is limited and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.
Contact your Engagement Manager to apply for this fund.
Data Requirements
HeppSY asks schools and colleges to provide students’ data in line with our privacy notice.
HeppSY collects data under the lawful basis of Public Task; this means we are legally permitted to process personal data as it is in the public interest for us to do so and necessary for us to fulfil our reporting requirements to the Office for Students and the government. We are a tax-payer funded project for the public good. HeppSY permits individual students to be excluded from our data collection/dataset upon request but requests schools and colleges provide all permitted data. The data we collect is outlined in our privacy notice and is primarily demographic data to help with our targeting. By sharing data with HeppSY, schools and colleges enable us to better target our activity toward disadvantaged students and to better evaluate our activity to ensure it remains beneficial to the students who need it most.
We ask our school and college partners to share the linked privacy notice with parents and carers for a period of 7 working days by uploading it to their website and notifying parents and carers of its publication. This is to ensure that parents, carers and students have time to read the privacy notice and decide whether to withdraw their data if they wish to do so.
Once the privacy notice has been shared for the above period, we then ask schools and colleges to provide us with their data. We provide a template to fill out which includes the data requirements for most students. We ask that schools and colleges provide this data as soon as possible following the conclusion of their privacy notice period to ensure we can use the data to best effect in the planning and evaluation for that academic year. In most cases, this means prior to the end of the 2024 calendar year. For schools and colleges engaging in specific projects (particularly those in the Attainment Raising strand), we may ask for further data related to attainment and attendance. This is also outlined in the privacy notice.
The HeppSY Data Team is always available to provide support for any step of the data collection process. Please reach out to us at heppsydata@shu.ac.uk if you need any assistance.
