Supplementary Questions The SUN is also interested in understanding the following :
- Does working collaboratively across university partners increase the provision of attainment-raising interventions for schools ?
- What is the impact of working collaboratively on attainment-raising activity across university partners had on the development and / or delivery of university Access and Participation Plans ? ( Impact / Summative )
Wider reading across the sector can be separated into 5 key areas of interest and focus over the timeline of Phase 3 :
1 . GCSE attainment for SUN region 2 . Lack of knowledge relating to quality , locally available apprenticeships at level 3 and 4 3 . Value for money in education choices from a learner ’ s perspective ( risk ) 4 . Value for money in publicly funded outreach interventions 5 . Aspiration rhetoric reinforces deficit discourses in widening participation policy and practice . Research findings show that expectations of realising aspirations are the core challenge to widening participation
6 . Regional Equality of Opportunity Risk Register to gain an understanding of underrepresented groups and the challenges they face
Commissioned research by the SUN and other stakeholders has produced findings which have the following common elements :
1 . Young people want to access fit for purpose careers advice 2 . Young people want to access quality-assured work experience 3 . Young people and their influencers want to be involved in decision-making processes about provision for them 4 . Young people and their influencers need further bespoke information on the best options for their ambitions . 5 . Aspirations remain high but the knowledge , understanding and confidence in how to achieve these aspirations are paramount . 6 . Young people ’ s confidence in areas relating to decision-making , where to find support and information is low .
From the above , the SUN has drawn together key themes and drivers for the next two years to create the following themes all SUN activity should relate back to .
Attitudes and Knowledge of FE and HE
• A third of Uni Connect learners in Year 9 who took part in our baseline survey knew nothing about their post-16 and post-18 options . From the CFE findings ( 2021-22 ), 72 % of Year 9 students stated they knew little about the subjects they could study at higher education with 57 % saying they knew little about the type of courses on offer
• The SUN Young Researchers survey shows that young people know “ a little bit ” about apprenticeships but want more advice and guidance
• The SUN Young Researchers ’ technical qualifications showed that 42 % of the staff surveyed didn ’ t know about T-levels .
• Interviews with school and college staff suggest that there is a CPD need for increasing knowledge on alternative HE pathways