Grant to Villiers Park Educational Trust (360G-EssexCF-A479670)
Funding Organization
£10,000
Recipient Organization
To provide STEM courses for Essex children.
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Grant Details
| Amount Applied For | 0 |
| Amount Awarded | 10000 |
| Award Date | 2018-04-25T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Beneficiary Location: Country Code | GB |
| Grant Programme: Code | 2017/18 |
| Grant Programme: Title | Salter McKinlay Charitable Fund |
| Impact Category | Improve life skills, education, employability and enterprise |
| Last Modified | 2021-04-29T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Primary beneficiary | Children and Young People |
| Primary issue | Education, learning and training |
| Recipient Org: Charity Number | 225920 |
| Recipient Org: Description | The Issue: The UK has one of the worst rates for social mobility in the developed world. Almost 4 million children in the UK today are living in low-income households. These young people face many barriers beyond their control throughout their early lives that have a significant impact on their future. For example, young people from low-income homes with similar GCSEs to their better-off classmates are one third more likely to drop out of education at 16, and for the ones that do continue they are 30% less likely to study A-levels that could get them into a top university. All of this means that just one out of every eight young people from low-income backgrounds go on to become a high-income earner later in life. And even for those that do fulfil their potential; get good qualifications and progress into professional careers, they are paid an average of £6,800 less per year than their colleagues from more affluent families. This is what low social mobility means for real people, every day. Communities across the UK, not just in the north, are being left behind. Not only is it not fair, it is also an incredible waste of talent and ability. Furthermore, low social mobility is estimated to cost the UK economy up to £140bn per year by 2050. Villiers Park Educational Trust is a national charity working to improve social mobility in the UK by supporting less advantaged high potential young people to succeed in education and careers. We do this by equipping these young people with essential skills and providing greater access to opportunities. Everything we do is about supporting young people to build these core skills, so that they can thrive throughout their education and careers. Each year we directly work with almost 2000 students through our range of programmes. Our regionally based Scholars Programme is an unprecedented four-year programme for participating students, providing mentoring, skills workshops, university and career interactions, and residential visits designed to build on subject specific knowledge and promote further education. Our innovative INVOLVE awards scheme sees student-led projects delivered to secondary beneficiaries at a ratio of 5:1. This not only builds leadership and project management skills of students undertaking INVOLVE, but also passes on educational skills to the secondary beneficiaries, and helps to create a culture of learning and raised aspirations within schools. In addition, our renowned Inspiring Excellence residential programme is our longest running programme of subject specific week long courses – bringing able students from across the UK together to experience a vibrant and inspiring learning environment. The courses run throughout the year for students to study at degree level, undertake unique visits to relevant companies and organisations, and be taught by young leaders in the field. The Activity – Inspiring Excellence: Villiers Park has been running residential courses for over 50 years, and have outstanding data that evidences the impact on young people who take part. The Inspiring Excellence courses provide able students with a challenging and transformational experience that provides lasting impact. High potential A-level students from state schools stay in groups of 25 for five days to study their chosen subject at university level, and experience independent learning and staying away from home. The courses are designed to improve skills, raise aspirations and increase awareness of the range of opportunities available to help students reach their potential. Each year we run 32 courses on a wide spectrum of subjects covering science, technology, engineering, maths, English, humanities & arts. Over 800 students take part, building essential skills such as team work, resilience, leadership and independence. During these five-day subject-specific residential courses, students are introduced to the latest ideas and research, allowing them to explore challenging topics in subjects across the sciences, arts and humanities. Teamwork, research, presentation skills and creativity are important features of our courses, helping participants to develop key study and employability skills. The academic, motivational and social benefits of attending are strong, as testified by teachers, university admissions tutors, and most importantly by the students themselves. Specifically our courses set out to: • Provide an insight into university-level material by studying a wide range of exciting topics • Challenge students to stretch the limit of their abilities with a group of like-minded students in a supportive and non-competitive environment • Offer active learning experience through workshops, group discussions and presentations • Develop important skills to ensure academic success and employability This nationally acclaimed programme is listed on the UCAS application form as evidence of preparation for higher education. Furthermore, references to specific aspects of our courses within personal statements are frequently picked up on and made a focus of during university interviews. Lasting impact: 23% of all state school students, compared to 65% of all independently schooled students, progressed to the most selective universities. In contrast, last year 76% of students taking part in an Inspiring Excellence course secured a place at a leading university. Feedback is consistently good, whether five, ten or even thirty years on: “In 1983 I attended the history short course at Villiers Park, it is no exaggeration to say that it was a life changing experience. As a 16 year old from a family with no previous experience of university, at a school where no previous students had gone to university I didn’t know anyone who had applied to or gone to university. So while determined I lacked real confidence in my ability to apply and be successful and was really worried about “fitting in” and being good enough should I be successful. The support, insight and confidence that course gave me I firmly believe was critical to achieving an unexpected 5 offers from 5 Russell Group schools – having been encouraged by my head teacher to focus on polytechnics as a more achievable goal.” – Julie, History 1983, now Senior VP at an international organisation. |
| Recipient Org: Web Address | https://www.villierspark.org.uk/ |