Our offer for schools and colleges 2026-27
There are several elements to the HeppSY offer to schools and colleges in 2026-27.
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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Key Stage 3
GOALS Breakfast Club
Growing Our Achievement, Learning and Skills
Watch the animation above then contact Jamie Taylor for more details: Jamie.Taylor@shu.ac.uk
HE Can
HE Can is a sustained multiple intervention programme for year 9 boys who meet the following criteria:
- White British
- Eligible for Free School Meals
- Predicted to achieve grade 4+ in GCSE English and Maths
HE Can 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. Learners went on exciting visits to Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Derby, where they learned about student life, societies, financial support and a range of careers. This project will give them the opportunity to reflect, think about their future pathways and goals, increase their confidence to access higher education and make the best use of the resources and opportunities available to them. Contact Katy Raynor for more details: K.Raynor@shu.ac.uk
SHE Can
SHE Can is a sustained multiple intervention programme for year 9 girls who meet the following criteria:
- Eligible for Free School Meals
- Predicted to achieve grade 4+ in GCSE English and Maths
- Please note: if you have taken part in SHE Can before, we have widened the cohort for this year to be all FSM girls
SHE Can explores the potential benefits of HE, belonging in HE and developing self-efficacy.
Our workshops last year encouraged learners to work as a team, overcome their challenges and think about their future careers. Learners enjoyed exploring societies and accommodation at Leeds Beckett University and learning about additional support at Sheffield Hallam University. This project will give them the opportunity to reflect, think about their future pathways and goals, increase their confidence to access higher education and make the best use of the resources and opportunities available to them.
Contact Katy Raynor for more details: K.Raynor@shu.ac.uk
HEar Me!
This new project will be delivered in partnership with Talk The Talk.
This free, two-day programme gives year 9 learners the opportunity to build confidence, find their voice and develop the communication skills that will support them throughout school and beyond. Through engaging, interactive workshops, students will learn to structure verbal responses, express ideas with clarity and confidence in both individual and group settings, and understand what effective communication really looks like.
By the end of the programme, learners will feel more confident contributing to discussions, delivering presentations and communicating their ideas – skills that will benefit them now and in their future education and careers.
Contact Jo Slater for more details: Joanne.Slater@shu.ac.uk
Campus Connect
Campus Connect is a tailored higher education experience for learners with disabilities in year 7 and above. Our data shows that learners who identified as having a disability, also often stated that they hadn’t accessed a campus tour. This opportunity provides accessible campus visits including a guided campus tour, an interactive workshop and a Q&A session about access to Higher Education with a current undergraduate with a disability.
This is fully funded by HeppSY, 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.
You can find out more information by contacting Katy Raynor (K.Raynor@shu.ac.uk) or book now by completing this Microsoft Form.
Key Stage 4
The Elephant Group – Meta Method
Meta Method was created by The Elephant Group and is designed to support the academic progress of your learners by introducing them to the concept of metacognition. This is a free, HeppSY funded project.
The aim of the project is to teach your learners to recognise, understand and apply various metacognition techniques to boost their academic attainment. The project focuses on the HOW of studying and revision in the form of fully interactive workshops for up to 15 learners with engaging group work and time for independent reflection.
Year 10: Meta Study – 5 x 50min sessions with interactive booklets. Sessions focus on metacognitive study skills including goal setting, self-monitoring, self-reflection, and evidence-based revision strategies.
Year 11: Meta Revise – 4 x 50min sessions with interactive booklets. Sessions are revision-focused, applying metacognitive strategies to GCSE preparation, with an emphasis on practical techniques that learners can use independently.
To learn more about the Meta Method, click here
Contact Jamie Taylor to register your interest jamie.taylor@shu.ac.uk
LEVELS
LEVELS is a fully funded project to help year 10 EAL learners build their academic confidence and their awareness of opportunities in higher education. It is also a rare chance for EAL leaders in schools to network and spend time with local teachers in similar roles.
Watch the animation above then contact Jamie Taylor for more details: jamie.taylor@shu.ac.uk
Campus Connect
Campus Connect is a tailored higher education experience for learners with disabilities in year 7 and above. Our data shows that learners who identified as having a disability, also often stated that they hadn’t accessed a campus tour. This opportunity provides accessible campus visits including a guided campus tour, an interactive workshop and a Q&A session about access to Higher Education with a current undergraduate with a disability.
This is fully funded by HeppSY, 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.
You can find out more information by contacting Katy Raynor (K.Raynor@shu.ac.uk) or book now by completing this Microsoft Form.
Key Stage 5 / Post-16
The Elephant Group – Meta Method
Meta Method was created by The Elephant Group and is designed to support the academic progress of your learners by introducing them to the concept of metacognition. This is a free, HeppSY funded project.
The aim of the project is to teach your learners to recognise, understand and apply various metacognition techniques to boost their academic attainment. The project focuses on the HOW of studying and revision in the form of fully interactive workshops with engaging group work and time for independent reflection.
Year 12: 5 x 50min sessions – Session 1: Transition to further education- supporting learners to adjust to the demands of post-16 study. Sessions 2–4: Meta Study- developing metacognitive study skills appropriate to sixth form level. Session 5: Goal setting- structured reflection and target-setting for the year ahead.
Year 13: 1 x 2hr revision masterclass, supporting learners in applying metacognitive techniques to A-level revision and exam preparation.
To learn more about the Meta Method, click here
Contact Jamie Taylor to register your interest jamie.taylor@shu.ac.uk
Campus Connect
Campus Connect is a tailored higher education experience for learners with disabilities in year 7 and above. Our data shows that learners who identified as having a disability, also often stated that they hadn’t accessed a campus tour. This opportunity provides accessible campus visits including a guided campus tour, an interactive workshop and a Q&A session about access to Higher Education with a current undergraduate with a disability.
This is fully funded by HeppSY, 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.
This is fully funded by HeppSY, 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.
You can find out more information by contacting Katy Raynor (K.Raynor@shu.ac.uk) or book now by completing this Microsoft Form.
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 25/26, we can help with transport and cover costs if learners 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 learners’ data in line with our privacy notice (HeppSY’s privacy notice for the 2026-27 academic year is located here).
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 learners 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 learners and to better evaluate our activity to ensure it remains beneficial to the learners 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 learners 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 learners. 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 2025 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.
