IntoUniversity
We are proud to continue our partnership with IntoUniversity, which is an organisation which provides local learning centres where young people are inspired to achieve.
At these centres, IntoUniversity offers an innovative programme that supports students from disadvantaged backgrounds to attain either a university place or another chosen aspiration. They began in 2002 as a homework club in North Kensington, but now operating 32 learning centres and projects. Alongside the significant financial support CLS provides for their North Islington Centre, our pupils normally volunteer at IntoUniversity centres, providing academic mentoring for GCSE aged students.
For much of 2021, the pandemic prevented these face-to-face interactions, so a group of 40 committed Junior Sixth formers produced a selection of educational videos on a range of topics. These included core subjects such as Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics as well as additional content including ‘Picking Your A-Levels' and ‘Revision Strategies’. These were trialled in the North London Centre and then shared across the whole IntoUniversity network.
Although staff provided some oversight, the resources were entirely conceptually designed and produced by CLS pupils drawing on their expertise and their own experience of GCSEs.
This year, a new cohort of over 60 Junior Sixth Formers have begun volunteering with IntoUniversity. Many of these are engaged in face-to-face mentoring at learning centres across London; others will continue with digital content creation. We are delighted that pupils from CLSG will also be joining this project.
Aims
At CLS, we seek to nurture a deep-seated sense of social responsibility. Our pupils know that there are others less fortunate than they are and strive to make a positive difference at school and beyond.
A key element of our Strategic Vision 2019-14 is: 'Through partnership and opportunities for voluntary service and charity work, our pupils will understand the responsibilities they have to society. We will seek to embed within them a commitment to service, and an understanding that they can make a difference, right now.'
At each local centre IntoUniversity offers an innovative programme that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to attain either a university place or another chosen aspiration.
The programme provides children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with the help that many children receive as a matter of course. There are three main strands:
- Academic Support
- FOCUS
- Mentoring
Intouniversity is dependent on volunteers for all these elements.
Background
CLS has been engaged in partnership work with IntoUniversity since 2016.
In 2019, over 25 pupils are made weekly visits to centres across London to participate in IntoUniversity’s Academic Support Programme, acting as role models and providing young people with tailored help with homework, coursework, revision and study skills.
In the absence of physical volunteering, we continued our relationship with IntoUniversity, sharing their work and the impact it has had on CLS pupils via an assembly with the Junior Sixth, and developing a virtual mentoring model in which pupils develop focused and targeted academic support resources which are shared with pupils at IntoUniversity. As we return to in person volunteering, 60 pupils are engaged in volunteering and content creation.
Resources
Pupils in the Sixth Form volunteer many hours to IntoUniversity Centres across London.
CLS staff also volunteer to support aspects of IntoUniversity’s work, including providing advice to their students on university applications, interview technique and helping them prepare for public examinations.
From 2019, IntoUniversity, started to make use of our facilities to host regional and national events, including their Big City Bright Future Preparation Day.
Impact
The Annual Report of the IntoUniversity North Islington Centre which is supported by a consortium of independent schools, including CLS, provides extensive evidence of the tangible impact on young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
IntoUniversity has a significant impact nationally. Nationally, only 26% students entitled to free school meals progress to higher education. However, 68% of those supported by IU do.
Testimony to the impact of CLS and its pupils is shared as follows:
“I remember struggling to grasp different scientific concepts when I was revising so I tried to incorporate my own understanding of the subject into the videos I made. I hope our content will greatly help and students revising for their own exams” A (Junior Sixth Form)
“I have been hugely impressed with the professionalism and enthusiasm of our Junior Sixth contributors. They have shown creativity, teamwork and dedication to achieve what they have achieved. I loved the personality and good humour they brought to their videos. It has been great to see different pupils in different roles develop a range of skills and learning from the process. It is wonderful to work at a school where a quarter of the Junior Sixth Form have committed a huge amount of time towards supporting an organisation whose aims fit so well with the inclusive, egalitarian, and empowering ethos of CLS. By participating in this the pupils are more aware of the realities for many young people in London, have shown kindness by giving their talents to the benefit of others, and through their experiences of using technology collaboratively, are more ready to make a positive impact in the future.” J Innes, Head of Geography and Project Coordinator, CLS
“I would firstly like to thank all of the pupils involved in making the videos. They were clear, informative, and helped our students through some notoriously difficult topics. The videos on probability were particularly useful and helped a number of our students feel more confident ahead of their mock exams. The videos have allowed us to support our students across a broader range of subjects and have become an important tool for their independent learning. We will now be sharing the videos across our national network of 34 centres and I am sure that they will be an invaluable resource for many students” L, Secondary FOCUS Coordinator, IntoUniversity
“I am delighted to be able to thank CLS for their support of IntoUniversity. Our work is only made possible by the generous support and investment from our partners. It has been an exceptional year for the charity , and for our university and school partners, as we have all responded to the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 and its impact, in particularly on students from the most disadvantage background. It has been vital for us all to work together to support our students in navigating this difficult time. The many years of collaboration between our charity and CLS played a crucial role in enabling us provide such effective and transformative learning opportunities to our students.” Dr R Carr OBE, Chief Executive and Co-Founder, IntoUniversity
Pupil Involvement
Significant numbers of Year 12 and Year 13 pupils volunteer.
Frequency
Daily.