Nurturing aspirations. How teachers can help all students access university

CONTENTS

1. Strategies for Teacher Support

2. Promoting inclusivity in the university application process

3. Resources and guidance

As educators, teachers play a crucial part in shaping students academic dreams and ambitions. Fostering a sense of possibility that encourages all students to consider university as an option is key. This guide explores strategies to help teachers encourage pupils to access higher education and navigate the university application process successfully.

Strategies for Teacher Support

Introducing the idea of higher education as an option early in a student’s secondary school career will help nurture aspirations. Promoting discussions about career paths, university life and ways to fund university education will create a positive and inclusive atmosphere around this topic. There are a few ways you can do this outlined below. 

Personalised guidance

Every student is unique and will benefit from personalised advice based on their individual interests, strengths, and goals. Spending time talking about these areas will identify and address their doubts, fears, and misconceptions.

Offering a mentoring type of relationship could help students to explore their university options more seriously. Peer mentoring can also have a positive impact.

Identifying and nurturing talent

Teachers have an important role in young people’s lives acknowledging and developing their talents.

Consider establishing nurture groups providing extra support away from mainstream classes. Initially seen in primary school, this approach is being increasingly used in secondary schools with research suggesting this method can lead to improvements in socioemotional functioning. For example, the ‘Towards the Nurturing City’ initiative in Glasgow significantly impacted outcomes for young people and staff well-being.

Involving parents, guardians, and community partnerships, perhaps with local universities for example, allows for a more holistic approach.

Building confidence

Some students lack confidence in their own abilities particularly if they have doubts that university is for them. This might be because they don’t have belief in their academic abilities, or they are part of a community that’s underrepresented at UK universities. Addressing these issues while fostering a growth mindset will help.

Some strategies to adopt when fostering a growth mindset include:

1. Normalising mistakes as a natural part of learning, an opportunity rather than a reason to give up
2. Presenting challenging tasks that require effort and critical thinking
3. Providing opportunities to practice and experiment, giving feedback along the way
4. Highlighting the importance of effort, learning, and continuous improvement rather than suggesting students' abilities are fixed
5. Teaching resilience skills within your lessons, encouraging a sense of agency over their learning

Promoting inclusivity in the university application process

To promote inclusivity properly, it’s important to be self-aware. Do you have unconscious biases that affect your advice and what can you do to educate yourself and change that?

Addressing barriers

Some students might feel that university isn’t for them. For example, research shows that black students, students with disabilities, students from low-income families, and students who would be the first generation to go to university are less likely to apply to university.

Teachers can play an active part in promoting diversity and inclusion by addressing stereotypes and biases and ensuring all students feel welcome and represented in school. You could also advocate for policy changes that address systemic inequalities such as fair admissions processes.

Advocating for inclusive policies

Becoming an advocate for inclusive policies within your educational institution could take many forms. Some practical steps might include:

• Reminding yourself of the legal requirements related to equality, diversity, and inclusion such as the Equality Act of 2010
• Ensuring your school has an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy available on the school website which is regularly reviewed and assessed
• Making sure your resources and examples avoid stereotyping and reflect different cultures, histories and identities
• Creating a classroom environment where all voices are heard and students have the skills to challenge prejudice and celebrate diversity
• Attending workshops, conferences and training sessions related to inclusion and collaborating with colleagues to share best practices
• Joining or establishing diversity committees within your school and collaborating with parents, students and community members to create a more inclusive school culture

Resources and guidance

As a teacher you have various channels and resources you can use to help students access higher education.

Providing information

Help to demystify the university application process by taking time to explain the process and answering questions. You could also offer practical support such as giving feedback on draft personal statements or advising students of their options on results day.

Financing university can often feel like a barrier so discuss the true costs of attending university along with funding options such as scholarships, grants, and student loans. Our guide to student finance and funding is a useful starting point.

Workshops and guest speakers

Consider organising events that help inspire students and bring the university experience to life. You could invite older peers to come back to school and talk about how they are finding or found university. Peer mentors can offer practical advice and are often most relatable to your current student cohorts.

You could also offer practical workshops on writing personal statements, preparing for university interviews, and completing applications.

Creating an inclusive environment within school will help students feel more empowered to consider university as an option for everybody. However nurturing aspirations is not just about helping students get into a university, it’s also important to empower students to envision a brighter future however that might look. By providing guidance, fostering inclusivity, and offering resources, you can help every student develop ambitious learning and career goals for themselves.