Aim Higher – University of Birmingham Visit

Shenley Academy has strong links with the University of Birmingham (UoB), a top 100 Russell group University in the world, with an incredible reputation and a rich and interesting history. It is also known for its outstanding graduate prospects and excellent teaching standards.

In late September, a group of Year 11 students were given the opportunity to explore UoB and all it has to offer as a result of Shenley’s partnership with Aimhigher Plus. The day was designed to inform students about what life would be like as a University student and to help Shenley students think about what grades they might need in those all-important GCSEs at the end of the year, in order to progress to the next stages of their education. The students began the day with a lecture about University, the different courses on offer and also some information about the benefits of studying at UoB.

Afterwards, students were asked to look 10 years into the future and pretend they were at a Shenley reunion! Students began to think about what they would like to say at a reunion, about their jobs, whether they went to college/university, where they had chosen to live and how they felt about the past 10 years. This was a great motivational exercise and a fun way to create long term educational goals and raise aspirations.

One of the current UoB Psychology undergraduates also gave a talk on a “Day in the life of a student” and our pupils loved learning about societies, the differences between lectures and seminars, and student accommodation.

The most popular highlight of the day was the campus tour, where students got to experience life as a student and explore all the buildings and facilities. “Learning about the campus and seeing where I may study in the future was fun” explained one of our students.  As it was Fresher’s week, we also got to observe all the Fresher’s stalls and exciting events taking place. Our students also had the chance to ask current undergraduates about their personal experiences of university life, opportunities to study abroad and work placements.

In the afternoon, students were challenged with creating their own university in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style competition, and to present their ideas to the Dragons (teachers!). Students were really creative and thought about entry requirements, courses, specialisms, campuses and societies in great detail. We were really impressed with the way students answered challenging questions about their ideas, and demonstrated their understanding of university and what they had learnt during the day, while also developing their communication, teamwork, presenting skills and creativity.

What did our students say?

100% of students, who participated in this trip, said that the day gave them a positive insight into university life and 89% of students said that they are considering choosing university or higher education as a post 18 option.

After today, 85% students now understand the types of qualifications required to choose this pathway. Most surprisingly, 24% of students have not applied to Shenley sixth form but are now considering it. “(I want to) improve my grades so I can get into the University of Birmingham”.

Through our links between Shenley, Aimhigher Plus and universities, we can provide a large variety of information about Higher Education, to ensure that students make the best decisions about their future, and are motivated to achieve the best they can.

• 

  University of Birmingham Visit 01

• 

  University of Birmingham Visit 02

• 

  University of Birmingham Visit 03

• 

  University of Birmingham Visit 04

• 

  University of Birmingham Visit 05

• 

  University of Birmingham Visit 06