Date of conference: 19 May 2021 Location: Zoom Virtual Meeting Time: 9:30am – 4:15pm Are you ready to expand your knowledge about what works in widening participation within higher education and why? Join our very own Impact and Evaluation Conference where we will share, consolidate and reflect on our collective local evidence base. This incorporates the work […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire has worked with C&K Careers to explore the impact of Covid 19 on the delivery of Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG). The research, which was funded as part of the OfS Uni Connect programme, also considered how things might look in the 2020-21 academic year. The research, undertaken in […]

What’s was HE Week? In West Yorkshire we’re really lucky – we have 13 Higher Education (HE) institutions right on our doorstep. These include three specialists (a college, a university, and a conservatoire), three University Centres, and a Russell Group university, along with six other top places you can study! There really is something for […]

At GHWY, we are aware that – as well as the considerable effort of supporting current students and staff – our HE provider partners are working hard to ensure fairness and clarity for all applicants. We understand that the current circumstances may present uncertainty: we have therefore developed this Covid-19 web page to provide you […]

In accordance with recent government advice, Go Higher West Yorkshire has decided that our physical events and activities scheduled to take place between now and the end of May will be postponed or delivery moved online where possible. We are looking into alternative methods of achieving activity outcomes, more details will be published when they […]

With the deadline for UCAS applications recently closed, Max Clayton – a Year 13 student at New College, Pontefract – has been inspired to apply for engineering courses at university as a result of taking part in a national initiative. The ‘Fast Trackers’ project was led by Network Rail and Mott Macdonald and ran from […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) is pleased to welcome Dominic House as its new Care to Go Higher Delivery Officer. He has previously worked as a Finance Assistant and Admissions Enquiries Assistant at the University of Leeds. Handling a large variety of queries and helping people with many topics – such as applications, financial support, and routes […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) is pleased to welcome Tahera Mayat at its new Collaborative Outreach Officer. She has most recently worked as an Education Outreach Fellow at the University of Leeds and is currently completing her PhD study. She has spent almost a decade in Higher Education in some capacity as a student and/or […]

Amazing Apprenticeships has launched a new guide for care experienced young people to coincide with National Care Leavers Week (25-31 October 2021).  The free document walks through how apprenticeships are delivered, the level of qualifications available, how to look for an apprenticeship opportunity, careers support, points of contact, and links to external resources. This is complemented […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY), in partnership with Leeds Community Foundation, provided funding to eleven community organisations across West Yorkshire in the second round of Community Grants.  The organisations each received between £1k-£20k to deliver projects that took discussions about Higher Education (HE) out of the education context and into communities and families. They were designed to support young people aged 13-19 to progress […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) is proud to announce the launch of the country’s very first collaborative Stand Alone pledge, which is aimed at students studying without family support. The document raises awareness about what support is available for estranged young people across our 13 member institutions. This includes whether they have named contacts, dedicated […]

The Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) will launch its new Business Start-Up programme on Wednesday, 3 November. The event will feature contributions from Tracy Brabin, West Yorkshire Mayor; Sir Roger Marsh, Chair of the LEP and NP11; and Kamran Rashid, LEP Board Member and CEO of Impact Hub Bradford. The programme aims to nurture […]

GHWY is backing the #ProtectStudentChoice campaign, which is concerned about the Government’s decision to phase out BTEC qualifications.  BTECs are currently a significant route that students from non-traditional backgrounds use to enter HE and there are major concerns that their withdrawal will leave many without a viable pathway after their GCSEs, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.  Sixteen-year-olds in England […]

October marks Black History Month in the UK. First celebrated in 1987, it acknowledges the huge contribution that Black people have made to British society. It recognises the events and people who have shaped and continue to shape our society. Its UK mission statement is: “Dig deeper, look closer, think bigger.”  Many of GHWY’s members are holding […]

GHWY has prepared a short report on the 2021 edition of the Care to Go Higher CPD programme that summarises the key findings from the programme and considers potential improvements for future courses.  The programme brought together key influencers of children in care from across West Yorkshire to take part in six different sessions based […]

Participants of GHWY’s Care to Go Higher CPD programme graduated earlier this month (July) with an online ceremony and certificate.  27 key influencers of children in care from across four different West Yorkshire local authorities successfully completed the course. Now in its second iteration, the six-month programme was run online as a result of the […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) and Uni Connect are set to film a video campaign that will highlight the Unique Selling Points of studying HE in a college-based setting.     The partnership will use a local production company and the film will cover employability and industry links, care leaver support, SEND support, adult learners, facilities, alternative routes. The films and resources will be housed […]

Uni Connect has created a handbook for local Year 10 students that meets the demand for wellbeing materials, bridges the digital divide, and offers something unique to the world of online outreach.  Outreach Officers Eliza Cox (University of Leeds), Laura Bareham (University of Huddersfield) and Sophie Clayton (Leeds City College) produced the resource after the pandemic […]

GHWY has organised an online introduction to military families on Wednesday, 14 July at 11am.  Louisa Dobson, Outreach Hub Officer at Future HY, York and North Yorkshire, will explain who service children are and why they are a designated target group for OfS. She will also share her experiences of setting up a collaborative network […]

In May, West Yorkshire welcomed Tracy Brabin as its first regional metro Mayor.    Her mayoral commitments include the appointment of a new Inclusivity Champion. Further pledges encompass jobs creation for young people and strengthening access to training and skills, particularly digital skills and green jobs creation. Regional economic recovery and support for local businesses are understandably […]

The GHWY Evidence & Impact Conference took place on 19 May, bringing together professionals from across and beyond the education sector to share recent research and evaluation relating to Widening Participation in the West Yorkshire local context.  Hosted online, the conference included sixteen paper presentations from academics, evaluators, outreach practitioners and other stakeholders, as well as […]

Youth Work Unit Yorkshire and Humber (YWU Y&H) is delivering two youth voice projects on behalf of GHWY.  Working with young people who identify as disabled/having a specific learning difficulty and refugee and asylum-seeking young people, it is conducting a youth consultation to explore views on Higher Education (HE). It is also running a social action project, where participants […]

GHWY has submitted a collaborative response to a recent government consultation on Post-Qualification Admissions (PQA) Reform with support from the Access and Participation Strategy Group.  The consultation explored how the system of university admissions might be reformed so that learners complete the application process for Higher Education (HE) once they have received their Level 3 results. Unlike the current system, predicted grades would […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire’s Care to Go Higher CPD programme has been recognised as an example of good practice by the Office for Students (OfS).   The programme equips adults to support the care experienced young people they live or work with to make informed choices about their educational progression. It has been featured as a […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) will improve the connectivity between key influencers of care-experienced young people in the community and higher education (HE) providers with the launch of a brand new newsletter.   The monthly e-newsletter will be targeted at staff in local authorities and virtual schools as well as foster carers, children’s residential home staff and personal advisors. It will […]

In March 2021, GHWY hosted the inaugural Decolonising the Curriculum Network meeting, chaired by the University of Leeds, which offers member institutions a space to share ideas, discuss their related work, and find out more about this agenda.  discussions reflected on a recorded keynote speech and the key themes raised in it, including the difference […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) is delighted to welcome Amy Warriner as its interim Collaborative Outreach Officer.  She has worked in education since graduating in 2015, most recently as an Education Outreach Officer at the University of Leeds. Over the last few weeks she has been in close contact with her predecessor Natalie Aldridge, who […]

GHWY is pleased to welcome Amy Wilson as its interim Senior Project Manager.   Amy (left in photo) has worked in Higher Education and Widening Participation since graduating in 2008, most recently at the University of Leeds as an Outreach Lead Officer. She has just returned from maternity leave and worked closely with Alice Taylor, the former […]

GHWY recently held Addressing race inequality in higher education: a GHWY good practice event as part of a race and education mini-series.  The online session, which brought together delegates from across the partnership, responded to the ongoing sector-wide conversation about race and inequality for students in higher education (HE), particularly in relation to the awarding […]

Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has launched a series of Virtual Work Experience (VWX) resources in partnership with Go Higher West Yorkshire. They will allow students to gain insight to the workplace during a challenging time. The videos, animations and challenges will replace the usual, and currently unavailable, face-to-face work experience offer. They include a range […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) has worked in partnership with four of its higher education providers to produce a brand new programme of online outreach activities for primary aged children in care that will be disseminated through local authorities.  The programme is split into two subjects, Creative Arts and The Science of Humans. Student ambassadors, who are […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire is delighted to present two opportunities for learning and development as part of a  race, inequality and education mini-series.  Both sessions feature  Professor Vini Lander,  Director of the Centre for  Race, Education and Decoloniality in the Carnegie School of Education at Leeds Beckett University.    As a mini-series, the sessions are […]

Over 300 people accessed exclusive resources or live streamed events during GHWY’s Higher Education (HE) Week.    The online event, which ran between 1-7 February, built on the success of last July’s inaugural HE Week. It significantly developed our virtual platform and introduced a brand new on-demand feature, which means that more students can access the materials […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) has published a new report presenting impact and insights from a CPD approach to engaging with key influencers of care-experienced young people.  Care to go higher: Equipping key influencers of care-experienced young people is written for a cross-sector audience across higher education and children’s social care (CSC), making several recommendations for […]

GHWY delivered an information session about the apprenticeship Levy Transfer Service to members on 21 January 2021. The service improves access to funding for smaller businesses to support them with apprenticeships. Larger levy paying companies can opt to transfer surplus levy contributions to smaller businesses in a selected region or sector.  This is facilitated by the West Yorkshire […]

Staff from across GHWY’s member institutions recently came together to develop responses to two consultations by the Office for Students that had a county-wide focus.   The calls, which have implications for GHWY’s work, saw staff from across the partnership contribute to a West Yorkshire picture on the potential impact on our local area. Whilst institutions are best-placed to provide […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) is a delivery partner for the West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges-led, European Social Fund programme Let’s Talk Real Skills. The programme seeks to engage regional SMEs in identifying skill needs, co-designing and accessing pilot provision. It also presents the opportunity for HE, FE, private providers and the regional SME community […]

October saw the inaugural meeting of the Go Higher Strategic Communications Group, which brings together senior and strategic staff from across the partnership to support and disseminate common messages and themes.  A two-pronged approach has been agreed by the group that will support member activity to reduce inequalities in access to, success in and progression […]

Kirklees College, which is one of 13 partners in Go Higher West Yorkshire, has opened a new learning facility dedicated to higher skills and higher education in Dewsbury. The Pioneer Higher Skills Centre will offer a wide range of vocational courses in areas such as art and design, business, computing, counselling, teaching and hair and beauty. […]

An online event to understand and address the care experienced student retention gap, with consideration to the Covid-19 context, was attended by colleagues from local authorities and higher education (HE) members from across Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY).  ‘Turning the curve on care experienced student retention’, which was held in the run up to National […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) is a delivery partner for Let’s Talk Real Skills, a West Yorkshire region–wide programme led by the West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges (WYCC) and funded by the European Social Fund. It aims to improve the regional skills and training system.  Sector specific Collaborative Skills Partnerships have been established to bring together skills and […]

Castleford Academy has been nominated for an award that celebrates success in widening access to higher education (HE). The school, which is part of Go Higher West Yorkshire’s (GHWY) Uni Connect (UC) programme, has been shortlisted in the NEON Awards. This is in recognition of the measures it has in place for pupil premium, academic […]

GHWY is pleased to have an article published in the journal Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning. ‘Reframing widening participation towards the community: a realist evaluation’ draws on data collected from Higher Education Progression Officers (HEPOs), our schools and college based colleagues. It explores the ways in which their roles and their work function to ‘normalise’ widening […]

GHWY’s innovative Care to Go Higher programme is featured in the Office for Students’ topic briefing about care leavers.  The briefing contains the best available evidence that the independent regulator of higher education (HE) is aware of to support students to succeed. It includes examples of how providers have supported outcomes for care leavers and looked-after children that other organisations may find helpful when […]

Over 800 people accessed information or live streamed activities during GHWY’s inaugural Higher Education (HE) Festival Week.   The online event, which ran between 13-17 July, featured a wide range of activities that showed young people what HE options are available in the region. These included tips on making decisions, blogs on different subjects, information about […]

Leeds College of Music has announced a name change that reflects the diversification of its offer.  The institution, which is one of 13 partners in Go Higher West Yorkshire, will be renamed Leeds Conservatoire from 3 August. This follows its decision to launch programmes beyond music, to include drama and performing arts.  Established in 1965 as Leeds Music Centre, it […]

The strength of Go Higher West Yorkshire’s working model is highlighted in the Office for Students’ ninth coronavirus briefing note on outreach activities.   The higher education regulator has released a series of briefing notes over the past few months to help the sector respond to Covid-19. The latest one looks at how universities, colleges and […]

Over 500 works of contemporary art, animation, illustration, graphic design, fashion, textiles, creative advertising and photography will be digitally displayed as part of Leeds Arts University’s undergraduate degree show.  ‘Leeds Arts University Show 2020’, which marks the culmination of three years’ studio-focused creative study by final-year undergraduate students, will be launched on Wednesday, 1 July and […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) is developing a new five-year strategy that will cover the period of the upcoming Access and Participation Plans.  The new agreement, which will run from January 2021 until July 2025, will ensure the consortium’s work remains relevant to its 13 partners. These span many different types of HE, each of […]

As part of our mission to enhance and understand the use and impact of the Care Leaver Covenant in the community, GHWY has developed a pack of reflective resources for key influencers of care experienced young people.  These additional resources are designed to help people who live, work with or support care experienced young people […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire recognises that this is a difficult time for young people, particularly care leavers and estranged students. We have therefore produced a document that signposts those studying without a family network to appropriate guidance and other resources based on mental health / wellbeing difficulties they may experience during lockdown. The resource includes links […]

A £1.8bn devolution deal has been secured for West Yorkshire.   The agreement, which was confirmed by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in this month’s Budget, will devolve a range of powers and responsibilities to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. These will support the region to improve living standards through investment in skills and transport, tackling the climate […]

Leeds College of Building has beaten off stiff competition to be named ‘Apprenticeship Provider of the Year’.  The College, which is one of 13 partners in Go Higher West Yorkshire, scooped the accolade on 3 March at the national FE Week & AELP AAC Apprenticeship 2020 Awards.  Over the last decade the College’s focus on […]

In the latest of our ongoing programme of HE outreach for looked after children, Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) welcomed foster families to the University of Bradford on 14 March to informally explore an environmentally-conscious study and career path.    Focusing on the design and production of renewable energy, academics from within the University’s mechanical engineering department […]

Fourteen foster carers and staff from children’s homes and leaving care teams in Bradford and Leeds graduated from GHWY’s Care to Go Higher pilot CPD programme in February 2020 after successfully completing the series of sessions. GHWY developed the programme in partnership with Leeds City Council, who committed to facilitating the participation of foster carers […]

2019 has been another successful year for GHWY, with our collaborative activities building on and developing our key objective to improve access to, success in and progression from higher education for those from under-represented groups. At the start of last year we welcomed Leeds College of Music into the consortium. Our 13 members now span […]

As part of an increasing focus on evidence-based practice in widening participation, Go Higher West Yorkshire has launched a new opportunity for partners to contribute to and learn from a collaborative evidence base. Together, partners will review and summarise the learning from pertinent academic papers and research reports within a facilitated online structure. Over time, […]

An information leaflet that supports young fathers with HE interests has been produced by Leeds Trinity University and Young Dads Collective North. The booklet is one of the outcomes of a collaborative project between the two organisations called ‘Young Fathers: Higher Education Experiences’. Funded by Leeds ACTS!, researchers investigated the HE experiences and aspirations of […]

Islamophobia Awareness Month takes place every November to deconstruct and challenge the stereotypes about Islam and Muslims. Go Higher West Yorkshire has created a book of case studies that highlight the achievements of British Muslims in a wide range of sectors, whose careers have benefited from progressing into higher education. We firmly believe that higher […]

Research tells us that improved connectivity and communication between local authorities and higher education can improve care leavers’ access to HE and their experiences of transition. On the morning of Wednesday, 11 December 2019 at the University of Leeds, Go Higher West Yorkshire is bringing together representatives from both sectors. This innovative event aims to […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire is participating in Estranged Student Solidarity Week (ESSW) for a second year, which in 2019 runs 25-29 November. We are using a delegated campaign model, providing various refreshed materials for partners to adapt and use on their own campuses and social media during ESSW and beyond. Since the launch of the […]

Leeds City College officially opened its state-of-the-art drama facility at its new Quarry Hill campus with a special performance in partnership with Leeds Playhouse. The 200-capacity theatre hosted ‘Influence’, a new youth driven play by Andy McGregor that showcased the talent of local creatives. The production saw the College’s facilities, students and staff collaborate with […]

Castleford Academy has had an exceptional start to the academic year celebrating being the first secondary school in the country to receive an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ rating under the new and more challenging framework! From September 2019, Ofsted has refocused its inspections of schools, to make sure that learners are receiving a high-quality education that puts […]

Following its initial launch in 2017, GHWY has completed the Care Leaver Covenant’s second update.  This follows input from partners developing their own offer and refining details that will help us to continually improve care leavers’ access to information on their entitlement to support in HE. This year we have seen a number of partners […]

Bradford College is in the running for two awards that celebrate social action, and community and employer engagement. The GHWY partner has been shortlisted for Pears #iwill Award for Social Action and Community Engagement. The award will celebrate an outstanding example of a college’s ability to engage in social action and engagement in their communities. […]

The University of Bradford, one of GHWY’s 13 partners, has been named the UK’s University of the Year for Social Inclusion 2020 by The Times and Sunday Times. The national award recognises the University’s impact on social inclusion which ensures that all students are supported to achieve their potential and achieve success, regardless of their […]

Black History Month takes place in October and Go Higher West Yorkshire is proud to support this celebration of Black achievements in British society. The annual event originated in the United States in the 1920s and nearly 100 years later it is marked worldwide. It was first held in the UK in 1987 and has […]

GHWY’s innovative Care to Go Higher pilot programme has been successfully launched with a group of foster carers and children’s home workers from Leeds and Bradford. The training programme, which aims to equip key influencers to support a care experienced young person to make informed choices about their education, held its first session at Leeds […]

Applications have now closed. Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) is working with Leeds Community Foundation to provide funding to communities as part of a larger programme to increase the number of young people progressing into Higher Education from areas where progression rates are currently low. GHWY is a consortium of 13 Higher Education partners (colleges […]

Students are receiving their exam results this morning, and signing in to UCAS Track to see if their place at university or college has been confirmed. A record 17.3 per cent of 18 year olds (18,900 students, which is also the highest on A level results day) from the most disadvantaged backgrounds (POLAR4 quintile 1) […]

The University of Bradford is participating in a new quality framework pilot project for institutions that work with young care experienced people. The quality mark, which was developed by the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers (NNECL), was launched at the House of Lords on 22 May 2019. Delivered in partnership with UPP […]

New recruits at West Yorkshire Police will study for a degree at Leeds Trinity University from spring 2020, under a new apprenticeship programme. Three hundred new police officers are being recruited by West Yorkshire Police under a new training pathway, which requires all police officers to hold a degree. The trainees will be educated and […]

A new Centre for Social Justice report into the persistent poor outcomes for care leavers highlights the commitment Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) has shown to the group. The ‘12 By 24’ publication makes several recommendations to increase the number of care experienced young people entering higher education (HE). These include developing a ‘Gold Standard’ […]

Thirty-five primary teacher training students at Leeds Trinity University recently benefited from a guest lecture about the education of care experienced children. Jancis Andrew, Head of the Virtual School for Children Looked After at Leeds City Council, aimed to develop an understanding of how the students can play a part in transforming the learning experience […]

Learner Voice Live draws together young people from a range of GHWY NCOP partner schools to share their experiences of taking part in participatory outreach projects. Presented by students themselves and with special performances, we are excited to showcase the highlights from a range of NCOP activities.

Students at Leeds City College will benefit from training initiatives and work experience as a result of a newly signed agreement with Leeds Playhouse. The two organisations will work closely together to help underpin the skills offering in the Cultural Quarter, which will be home to the College’s new £60m School of Creative Arts. They […]

The criteria for the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE) has been widened to encourage more businesses to apply. Grants of up to £2,500 are now available from the LEP for businesses with 249 or fewer employees to recruit an apprentice for the first time. To qualify for the grant: The business must be based within […]

We are delighted to officially welcome our new partner, Leeds College of Music, to Go Higher West Yorkshire. As a leading conservatoire with a strong history of partnership working and commitment to widening participation, it is an excellent addition to our partnership, further broadening the already impressive range of opportunities open to potential Widening Participation […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire’s partners are well prepared to support the growth of a skilled workforce to Channel 4, which recently announced it will be opening its new national HQ in Leeds. The broadcaster will create 300 jobs in the city and will move around 200 of its existing staff to the region. This will […]

Partners are gearing up to deliver an increased number of degree apprenticeships across our region. This has been made possible through the highly innovative and fruitful ‘Driving Social Mobility through Degree Apprenticeships’ project. The Go Higher West Yorkshire collaborative project, led by Leeds Trinity University, was funded from autumn 2017 to spring 2018 through HEFCE’s […]

Employers, educators and policymakers need to collaborate more closely to address skills needs, according to a new Universities UK report.   In order to meet the rapid pace of change driven by factors such as technological advances it will be necessary for them to adopt more flexible partnerships, different modes of delivery, quicker responses, and […]

Go Higher West Yorkshire is a partnership of 12 Higher Education Providers, and we operate the HEFCE-funded National Collaborative Outreach Programme (NCOP) in our region. Across our partners, provision includes a diverse offer of progression opportunities for people of all ages to access Higher Education – including apprenticeships, diplomas and flexible degree programmes alongside more […]