How to aim high (From York Press)

How to aim high

11:40am Wednesday 31st December 2008 in Search By Haydn Lewis, haydn.lewis@thepress.co.uk

Education reporter Haydn Lewis brings news of an initiative which aims to give pupils at state schools a chance to thrive at top universities.

A SCHEME in York that aims to boost state pupils’ chances of getting into top-flight universities has been given a funding boost.

A York-based not-for-profit education programme is celebrating the award of cash grants from two major charitable organisations.

These will enable it to offer local state-enrolled Year 12 students the opportunity to go on a five-day visit to the University of Cambridge, to experience at first-hand the reality and challenges of life at a top academic institution.

Don’t Skateboard In The Hallways, which aims to give sixth-formers in local state schools the same opportunities and advantages as privately educated pupils, has secured funding from UnLtd, a charity which supports social entrepreneurs, and Key Fund Yorkshire, an organisation which offers financial support to social enterprises throughout Yorkshire and the Humber.

The programme offers students encouragement, motivation, inspiration and experiences that will lead them to win places at top universities, and to be successful once there.

There is no syllabus to cover or exam to pass; the group of young people meets once a fortnight to discuss a wide variety of topics from both within and outside the school curriculum, such as law and medicine. Students also take part in an entrepreneurial project that aims to raise funds to support future participants in the programme.

The Cambridge trip, which will run during the February half-term, aims to inform and inspire students by engaging them in a series of round-table discussions, including a debate at the famous Union Society.

They will also carry out research in the university’s libraries, write up a paper and make a presentation at the end of their stay.

Eight places are available, and applications are invited from any Year 12 student enrolled in a state school within Yorkshire and Humberside who is considered to have the potential to study at a leading university.

Don’t Skateboard In The Hallways is the brainchild of Matthew Handy, director of mathematics at Salinger’s College in York, and aims to help students to make informed, confident, responsible choices and to act as leaders among their peers and beyond.

“We focus on the need to be thoughtful in every sense, as demonstrated by our one rule: don’t skateboard in the hallways! Our support reinforces and complements what students learn at school and at home and we actively target those young people who are most likely to benefit from our work,” Matthew says.

“I am really excited at the prospect of taking a group of students to Cambridge and would encourage parents, carers or teachers of any prospective candidates to contact me as soon as possible to have the best chance of winning a place.”

Parents or guardians are invited to make whatever contribution to the costs of the programme they can afford – which may be nothing.

* Anyone interested in supporting the Don’t Skateboard programme or in applying for a place on the trip to Cambridge should contact Matthew Handy on 01423 701 077 or email matthew@dontskateboard.com