PARTNERS Developing Potential and Supporting Success
PARTNERS What is it? Events and opportunities What route can your students take? The Guaranteed Offer Scheme The PARTNERS Programme Financial support Student Performance
What is PARTNERS? Partnership agreement with over 100 schools and colleges Programme of activities and opportunities that give students a taste of Higher Education and help them to make informed decisions about their future see Aspiration Raising Activities session Provides routes into Newcastle University for students from PARTNERS schools and colleges and financial support
PARTNERS Events & Opportunities first-year college Visits and Talks: Choosing a Course and University or Why Newcastle? (Oct 11 Feb 12) Student Shadowing, including Medicine and Dentistry (March 12) Visit Days (July 12) Pure Potential (July 12) BSU residential Summer School (17 20 July 12)
PARTNERS Events & Opportunities final-year college & other groups Final-year college: Visits and Talks: PARTNERS: What s on offer? (Sept 11 Nov 11) Visit Day (1 Oct 11) Other: Higher Education Advisors and Teachers Conference (13 Oct 11) Parent/Carer Conference (3 Mar 12)
Routes into Newcastle Uni Guaranteed Offer Scheme Your students may be entitled to receive a guaranteed conditional offer from the University, at the typical level for the degree(s) concerned. The PARTNERS Programme Your students may be entitled to receive a lower conditional offer from the University, that includes the successful completion of an Assessed Summer School
Guaranteed Offer Scheme Eligible students are Guaranteed to receive a typical conditional offer for the course(s) they are applying to To be eligible: Their predicted grades must be within one grade of the typical offer in each subject. Where the typical offer is expressed as a range eg AAA-BBB, students must be predicted to achieve within one grade of the top of the range, in each subject. Students studying BTEC qualifications or the International Baccalaureate will be considered on an individual basis They must meet any specific subject requirements They must meet all UCAS deadlines
Which courses? All courses apart from those where selection is based on the UCAS plus other criteria: Architecture* Business Accounting and Finance (with PWC) Fine Art Folk and Traditional Music Speech and Language Sciences Medicine Music (BA and BMus) Dental Surgery *where Art or Design is not taken at A2
How to apply? Students do not need to complete any additional application forms If a student applies to a participating course at Newcastle, and is eligible for the Guaranteed Offer Scheme, they will automatically receive a typical conditional offer from the University.
PARTNERS Programme A supported entry route into the University that aims to encourage able students who have the potential to succeed at Newcastle University, to do so Could enable students to receive a lower conditional offer from the University, that includes the successful completion of an Assessed Summer School Offers vary per course, but for example: Typical Offer: AAB at A level or equivalent PARTNERS Offer: BBB at A level, plus successful completion of the Assessed Summer School
Which courses? ALL OF OUR COURSES Apart from Business Accounting and Finance (with PWC) Please check online for a current list of entrance requirements: www.ncl.ac.uk/partners/support/offer Please note that requirements may have changed recently so students should check online for the most up-to-date information
Who is eligible? To be eligible for a PARTNERS offer, the student must meet all of the following criteria: Their predicted grades must match or exceed the lower PARTNERS offer They must meet the UCAS deadlines They must have home student status
Who is eligible? Then they must meet at least one of the following criteria (on the next three slides): They attended a school at age16 where the number of students achieving 5 or more GCSE grades A* to C, including English and Mathematics, is 35% or less. They currently attend a school where the average QCA points score per student is 550 or less
Who is eligible? They received EMA/Adult Learning Grant during 2010 11, or are currently entitled to Free School Meals They have been in local authority care for a period of at least three months within the last 10 years Their parents/carers do not have a Higher Education qualification and are not in professional occupations (main wage earner)
Who is eligible? They live in a neighbourhood which has a low progression rate to higher education and also: or or has a high level of financial or economic deprivation has a high proportion of people from lower socio-economic groups have experienced extenuating personal circumstances relating to social, economic or educational disadvantage at key educational times
What is involved? Students must choose their PARTNERS offer from Newcastle University as their FIRM CHOICE (CF) We can also be their Insurance Choice (CI) if they are holding two offers with us Events to attend Making the Transition Event and Information Evening (21 March 2012) A Pre-Summer School Tutorial (May/June 2012) Assessed Summer School and associated assessed work (4 24 July 2012)
Assessed Summer School (4 11 July 2012) Academic Subject: Lectures, tutorials and practical sessions Higher Education Skills: Variety of topics to prepare students for University Project Work: Assignment based on the work students do in their Academic Subject sessions, incorporating some of the HE Skills 100% attendance at the Summer School. Up to 30 hours of contact time and 20-50 hours of personal study time during and after the Summer School.
What s in it for students? Find out more about their chosen subject Find out what university is really like Have access to University facilities Meet other students and increase their confidence Receive ongoing support from PARTNERS staff Receive the lower offer The Summer School is free to attend, travel expenses are reimbursed and lunch is provided
Student Profile - Jake Graduated from a degree Philosophical Studies and went on to study a Masters in Business at Newcastle Entered the University through the PARTNERS Programme I cannot overemphasise the importance of the PARTNERS programme and studying at Newcastle University. These experiences were instrumental in my successful academic life and most importantly in allowing me to progress from originally having no intentions of going to University to finding a prestigious graduate job. Jake is now working as an Associate in Assurance for PricewaterhouseCoopers
Student Profile - Poppy Graduated from a degree in Zoology Entered the University through the PARTNERS Programme I choose the PARTNERS route to get a taster of what university life is like. It also gave me more confidence in my application as the grade requirements were lower. It gave me a great head start when I started university, I knew my way around and I had already made friends on my course too, which made starting out a little easier. Now taking a Masters in Agriculture and Environmental Science at Newcastle University
Applying to PARTNERS STEP 1: Students apply through UCAS in the normal way, but they must place a P against their PARTNERS course(s) in the Further details section on the UCAS form STEP 2: They must then complete a PARTNERS Application Form and ask their teacher/tutor to sign it and provide any additional information STEP 3: You (teacher/tutor) will then send their Application Form, a copy of your UCAS form and predicted grades to us for consideration
Applying to PARTNERS Even if students are eligible for PARTNERS, they are not guaranteed to receive an offer for a course that requires additional selection criteria, such as an interview It is a two-step application process: their eligibility is determined by the Student Recruitment Team and Selectors informed of the outcome Selectors will make the decision as to whether to give an offer, and any offer given will be the lower PARTNERS offer
Financial Support Newcastle University Access Scholarship For students who enter the University through the PARTNERS Programme. Where their household income is less than 42,600 and they are living in an area of low participation 2,000 per year - 1,000 cash bursary and 1,000 fee discount per year - Received in addition to any other government grants - They do not need to apply separately for this
Financial Support Newcastle University National Scholarship If students are not eligible for the Access Scholarship they could be eligible for a Newcastle University National Scholarship if their household income is less than 25,000 Could be up to 6,500 over a three year course in the form of cash bursaries and fee discounts Alumni Scholarships Various money available to identified PARTNERS students, given by members of Newcastle University Alumni see our website for more details
Financial Support Computing Science PARTNERS Merit Scholarship In addition to any other University scholarships, students studying Computing Science who took part in PARTNERS could be eligible for 1,000 over two years: - Must achieve a Pass with Merit at the Summer School - Must achieve over 60% average in Stage One to be eligible for second instalment in Stage Two
Support once they re in Induction Programme Timely e-mails through PARTNERS Mailbase encouraging involvement in Student Recruitment Team events and to offer Study Skills support How s it going so far? questionnaire and follow-up Facebook and Blackboard communities Christmas/New Year Drinks!
Student Performance Over 2,000 students have entered through the PARTNERS Programme Supported Entry Route since it began! In the last three years, almost 90% of PARTNERS students received a 2:2 or above, with a significant increase in the number of 2:1 classifications Almost 87% of PARTNERS graduates have entered employment and/or further study (University figure 86.2% and National Average of 86.6%) Almost 81% of those employed are employed within the North East, compared to a University figure of 45.1% The withdrawal rate of PARTNERS students is an average of 2.9% p/y (compared to a University-wide figure of 5% p/y and National Average of 6.5%)
Any Questions?