Widening access to HE‐family centred summer schools

Abstract

Purpose

The Centre for Community and Lifelong Learning (CCLL) at the University of Wales, Newport has been offering a Summer School Scheme for community based students since August 2008. This, as an intervention strategy within a widening access framework, offers a “university experience”, whereby students and their families are given the opportunity to study and enjoy a short experience on a university campus – some families being offered residential places. The aim of the paper is to introduce data collected which shows how this summer school challenges the barriers that are often associated with campus provision.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper the authors will introduce data collected through an ethnographic, mixed methods approach which shows how this summer school challenges the barriers that are often associated with campus provision, such as perception of academic institutions and personal ability.

Findings

The Summer School also offers many community students a significant opportunity to realise self potential within a campus context but within a supportive and familial framework. What continues to make this event all the more “unique” is that, from the developments of the first event, there is a growing recognition of the importance of the family dimension to the summer school.

Originality/value

Gorard et al. suggest that the early experiences of families can deeply imbed a reluctance to enter into post‐school learning and as such can be transmitted across the family and through generations. This is supported by Chowdry et al. who suggest that “poor attainment in secondary schools is more important in explaining lower HE participation rates amongst students from disadvantaged backgrounds than barriers arising at the point of entry into HE”.

Citation

Richardson, M. and Hunt, J. (2013), "Widening access to HE‐family centred summer schools", Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 118-129. https://doi.org/10.1108/20423891311313153