̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Jon Datta

Plan to boost support for care experienced students

ps748 — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 14:59:40 +0000

Earlier this year, the ̽��ֱ�� hosted an event to celebrate the achievements of students with a care background. ̽��ֱ��gathering, at Homerton College, included prospective students turning their thoughts to ̽��ֱ��, their foster carers and current students. ̽��ֱ��carers said they were impressed with the general desire to see young people develop their skills and achieve their potential.

One of those the group heard from was Robert Barker, a care-experienced student currently studying for a degree in Geography at Fitzwilliam College who encouraged younger students to do whatever they set their minds to achieve:

'Students from care-experienced backgrounds really can go on to do the most amazing things, despite challenging circumstances. Ensuring students from these backgrounds can see that people from similar backgrounds can go on to do great things is crucial and programmes such as the Realise Project do this exceptionally well through celebrating the achievements of students from these backgrounds. Being in care presents many challenges and often at times it is difficult to see the future, but the reality is people with a background in Care can and do go into doing amazing things - the sky really is the limit.’

Student Robert Barker

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� is a signatory to the Care Leaver Covenant which commits it to providing support for those with experience of the care system and ensuring they don’t miss out on opportunities. It’s also signed the Stand Alone pledge demonstrating a similar commitment to those young people who are either estranged from their families or living independently. There are currently more than 150 undergraduate and postgraduate students at Cambridge who have experience of the care system. Six of the 47 students embarking on the Foundation Year programme this year are also care experienced. Dr Alex Pryce is the Foundation Year Course Director:

“ ̽��ֱ��Cambridge Foundation Year exists to provide a pathway for those whose education has been disrupted or disadvantaged. We know the impact having been in care can have on someone’s educational journey. We are delighted to see 1 in 10 care experienced students in our first cohort and look forward to supporting them - and hopefully many others in the future - to realise their potential at Cambridge.”

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� is working towards further accreditation with a NNECL (National Network for the Education of Care Leavers) Quality Mark for the inclusion and success of care experienced students. To achieve this it will have to demonstrate a continuing commitment to the inclusion of care experienced students. Jon Datta is Deputy Head of Widening Participation at the ̽��ֱ��:

“We know that care experienced students are less likely to go to ̽��ֱ�� than other groups and we also know that they have lower continuation rates and outcomes. We are committed to ensuring they thrive while studying here and will be establishing a new role within the Widening Participation team to help improve their participation in ̽��ֱ�� life. We are also setting up an advisory panel for care-experienced and estranged students. This will bring together a group of students to share their experiences and offer suggestions to help the ̽��ֱ�� devise new initiatives to support them.”

In May the annual celebration of Foster Care Fortnight was marked by another event at Homerton College. ̽��ֱ��choice of the College as venue was apposite as its Principal, Lord Woolley, was raised by foster parents. He spoke passionately about his own journey through Higher Education and of his subsequent achievements in life. ‘You’re superheroes without capes’, he told the attendees, stressing the need for those who are care-experienced to ‘drop the impostor syndrome’ and be ambitious about what they wanted to achieve in life.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge is increasing its efforts to support students who have a care background or who are estranged from their families. It’s establishing a panel of care experienced students to advise on ways to ensure proper support is available and will be recruiting a team of mentors to help guide new students through their time at Cambridge.

We are committed to ensuring they thrive while studying here

Jon Datta

Group at Homerton

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New group to encourage university applications

ps748 — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 14:19:34 +0000

̽��ֱ��group's first major event was held in May when 25 parents and carers and 25 young people took part in a visit to the ̽��ֱ�� of East Anglia. They toured the campus, met with current students, and took part in training sessions on student finance and university accommodation.

̽��ֱ��trip was the first outing for members of Parent Power Fenland, a new group which aims to tackle educational inequality in the area.

Mrs Nunn, a member of Parent Power Fenland, said: “We found out a lot about university fees, help and other resources…it makes the choice of going [to university] so much easier. Being from the Traveller community, it was nice to see everyone make us welcome and…not feel excluded from stuff or that my child would miss out….thank you Parent Power.”

Parent Power provides training, advice and guidance sessions on accessing university, so parents and carers can secure opportunities for their children. It is targeted at parents who may not feel comfortable navigating the university admissions system, including those who have not been to university themselves.

Parents also take part in community organising training so they can make change in their wider communities and ensure that everyone has a fair chance at success in education and beyond.

Fenland parents have identified a lack of public transport as a key barrier to their children accessing developmental opportunities. During the trip, parents came together to sign a letter to Fenland power holders asking to meet and discuss this issue. Parents Jenny and Karen said: “We didn’t realise and appreciate the effect of a lack of public transport and the correlation it has with the percentage of 18-year-olds who go to university.”

In the UK today, graduates from the most competitive universities are more likely to access professional careers and have higher rates of life satisfaction. On average they will also earn £10,000 more annually than their peers. But access to these life-changing opportunities is not equal.

Parents and carers from Cromwell Community College, Neale-Wade Academy, Sir Harry Smith Community College, and Thomas Clarkson Academy have been invited to take part in the network. These schools are in areas where the percentage of young people who go to university is lower than the national average.

Across the UK, 37% of 18-year-olds went to university in 2020. But, according to POLAR4 data, which is a way of measuring the percentage of young people in local areas who progress to university, that figure drops to 27% in Whittlesey, in Wisbech it is 25%, in March it is 33.%, and in Chatteris it is just 23.2%.

̽��ֱ��Education Endowment Foundation estimates that parental engagement can help children and young people make an average of 4 months’ additional progress in education, with higher impact for students with lower prior attainment and younger students.

Parent Power Fenland, which is co-founded by the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, is part of a UK-wide network of Parent Power groups coordinated by education charity ̽��ֱ��Brilliant Club. ̽��ֱ��Brilliant Club mobilises the PhD community to support students who are less advantaged to access the most competitive universities and succeed when they get there.

Other Parent Power groups have obtained bespoke open days and transport to the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Leicester, received training on student finance, and obtained bursary places at private summer schools for their children. ̽��ֱ��programme offers opportunities for parents too. Parent leads from other groups have launched a podcast which covers key topics such as resilience and creative thinking, and some have progressed to higher education themselves.

Each group is unique because it is driven by the parents and carers themselves who decide which activities will benefit their local communities. Parent Power Fenland will meet every six weeks over one year, led by a local PhD researcher trained in community organising by Citizens UK. At the end of the first year there will be a celebration event for parents and their families to celebrate their achievements.

Jon Datta, Deputy Head of Widening Participation at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, said:

“We know that parents care about their children and that they have a colossal influence on their future outcomes. However, parents from less advantaged backgrounds often struggle to navigate their child’s complex and daunting educational journey to higher education, particularly if they didn’t go to university themselves or know anyone who did.

“Parent Power Fenland aims to give parents, based in one of the least socially mobile regions in the UK, a say on their children’s futures and involvement in decision-making at critical points in their education. Parent Power works on the basis that each parent is unique, just as every child is an individual, and that we need to work with them as such. Through the project, we highlight what is available to support parents locally and nationally so they can become more knowledgeable and empowered to support their child’s journey to higher education.”

Jimmy Pickering, Head of Communities at ̽��ֱ��Brilliant Club, said:

“Our mission is about supporting students who are less advantaged to access and succeed in university. At ̽��ֱ��Brilliant Club, we know how crucial parents and carers are in their children’s education. Parent Power Fenland is about working with parents and carers so they can support their children to get the opportunities they deserve.”

Sara Basuc, Inclusion Projects Lead for Fenland and East Cambridgeshire Opportunity Area, commented:

“Fenland has been identified as an area of significant disadvantage, meaning children and young people’s chances of doing well in life are particularly low. There are numerous issues facing the area in part caused by its geography, high levels of deprivation, lack of good transport links, digital connectivity that all result in a marked gap in attainment across Fenland.

“By empowering parents and carers, they can influence change that will support not only their child’s future but other children in their community. Parental engagement has a significant and positive impact on children and young people’s learning seeking ways to collaborate and work with parents and carers through Parent Power is a positive way to create change and narrow the gap, improving their life chances.”

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge has been instrumental in establishing a new group to promote opportunities higher education can offer to parents in the Fenland area of Cambridgeshire.

Through the project, we highlight what is available to support parents locally and nationally

Jon Datta

Chris Loades

Fenland Parent Power group visit to UEA

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