Charity number: 1167240 Company Registration number: 10114061 (England & Wales)
Trustees’ Report and Unaudited Accounts For the Year Ended 30 April 2023
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|**Contents**
Universify Education reference and administrative details
Trustees’ report
Independent examiner’s report
Income and expenditure account
Balance sheet
Notes forming part of the Financial Statements|**Page**
3
4
16
17
18
20|
|---|---|
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## **Universify Education reference and administrative details**
## **Trustees during the year ended 30 April 2023 and up to the date of this report**
Ms Mary Nicholson (Chair)
Mr Harry Hortyn
Dr Steve Rayner
Mr Matt Lacey
Mr Robert Phipps (resigned 17th June 2022)
Mr Tibor Gold (resigned 17[th] June 2022)
Miss Katherine Davies (resigned 17th June 2022)
Mrs Kate West (resigned 22nd August 2022)
Mr James Gregory (appointed 17[th] June 2022) Miss Helen Norman (appointed 17[th] June 2022) Mr Marco Logiudice (appointed 17[th] June 2022) Mr Steven Smith (appointed 7 December 2023)
Ms Amy Ellis-Thompson (appointed 7 December 2023)
**Company Number** : 10114061 (England and Wales)
**Charity Registration Number** : 1167240
**Registration Office** : 18 Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2NA
**Bankers** : HSBC 65 Cornmarket Street, Oxford OX1 3HY
**Independent Examiner** : Thomas Bradley ACMA
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## **Trustees’ report incorporating the trustees’ report**
## **1. Introduction**
This report should be read in conjunction with our latest impact report which is published on www.universifyeducation.com/impact. The Impact Report details the impact that Universify Education has achieved and the methodology behind how this impact is measured.
This report was prepared on behalf of the trustees in accordance with FRS102 SORP Accounting and Reporting by Charities guidelines.
## **2. Objectives and activities**
Objectives and aims
Universify Education’s charitable purpose, as set out in the governing document, is to provide equality of opportunity in education in the UK as the trustees see fit.
The charity’s vision is to support young people to realise their potential, regardless of background.
Universify Education aims to fulfil this vision and create a fairer society through social mobility by supporting young people from low-socioeconomic and underrepresented backgrounds to fulfil their potential through education, regardless of their background. Too often, a young person’s background limits their aspirations, GCSE grades and understanding of university (often believing it is not for people ‘like me’) which impacts whether they are able to make and pursue an informed decision about their future, including whether to apply and go to university. This in turn limits their ability to access transformative personal development and further educational opportunities and perpetuates a cycle of underrepresentation both in Higher Education and in society. Underrepresentation in Higher Education limits social mobility and is to the detriment of society as graduates often take up important decision-making roles in society without being representative of that society, reinforcing existing inequalities.
With the input of sector leaders, the charity designed the Universify programme to overcome three major barriers faced by participants from low socio-economic and underrepresented backgrounds to gaining the skills, knowledge and belief to fulfil their potential through education, including successfully applying to highly-selective universities. These barriers are:
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1. Limited academic attainment
2. Limited aspirations
3. Feeling out of place in a university setting
The Universify Education programme aims to overcome these barriers by achieving the following outcomes:
1. Broadening and increasing aspirations
2. Increased attainment at GCSE
3. Increased understanding of university and university admissions
By achieving these aims Universify seeks to provide its beneficiaries with the skills knowledge and belief to make and fulfil a more informed decision about their futures allowing them to thrive regardless of their background.
## The main activities of the charity
The charity undertakes a year-long programme for Year 10 students (aged 14-16) from non-selective state schools. The intervention comprises three elements to equip young people with the skills, knowledge and belief to realise their potential.
1. **A week-long residential summer programme at partner universities** – the
residential programme provides an authentic undergraduate student experience to enable participants to feel at home in a university setting and able to make a more informed decision about their future in education. Participants attend academic classes covering a broad curriculum of subjects to improve subject knowledge and critical thinking, providing an insight into the depth and level of undergraduate study. Sessions on university admissions and university life improve participants’ understanding of universities, their environment, and the admissions process. Participants complete a group work project, building on the university admissions session by designing a university, encouraging participants to consider what they are looking for from university and what it offers.
Additionally, participants take part in social activities to help them feel ‘at home’ at university, to challenge preconceptions, and to form supportive friendships with like-minded students to boost participant aspirations and attainment, as they support each other in a community which they may struggle to find back at school.
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2. **Monthly one-to-one coaching** - Coaching empowers students to be self-directed learners. We pair students with a coach, usually a current/recent undergraduate, with shared interests. Unlike mentors, a coach does not focus on giving advice. Instead, they guide students through the process of reflecting on what they want to achieve and creating a plan to reach their aspirations. This helps students to explore their unique strengths and interests to gain the confidence and problemsolving skills to commit to their chosen path both during and beyond the Universify programme. In the short-term coaching also provides a space for students to set and work towards academic goals to boost their GCSE attainment as the foundation for pursuing future opportunities.
3. **A 3-day Spring revision residential** - participants return to host partner universities during the spring of Year 11 to revise core subjects for their upcoming GCSEs, gaining the tools to attain the best grades. Here participants also look beyond Universify as we aim to create a pipeline of ongoing support for students, by supporting them to engage with further programmes, such as the Sutton Trust Summer School, Multiverse, and UNIQ. Students also complete an employability workshop to improve knowledge of the opportunities and options offered by a degree. After completing the spring residential, remote coaching continues until participants receive their GCSE results.
Following the completion of the year-long programme Universify participants become Universify alumni, receiving a monthly newsletter to share participants’ stories postUniversify and highlight further opportunities on other programmes and career, internship and work experience programmes. This has led to many alumni joining Year 12 programmes such as In2Science, the Social Mobility Foundation programme, and the Sutton Trust Summer school as well as becoming members of the Fair Education Alliance Youth Steering Group and receiving life changing scholarships and employment opportunities.
## Delivering the Universify programme
A Universify Head Office team prepares the courses, trains, and supports volunteer and tutor delivery teams, and oversees safeguarding, with three Designated Safeguarding Leads, of which two are also trained Mental Health First Aiders. The programme and
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coaching are delivered by volunteers, who are all recent or current university students from across the UK. Course Directors, experienced in running residentials, oversee the courses and all volunteers are trained in coaching, health and safety, and safeguarding. Volunteers undergo enhanced DBS checks and two reference checks, are trained by Universify staff in our policies and procedures, and attend regular course catchups to receive support and guidance with remote coaching. The Universify safeguarding team is also contactable outside of formal catchups to support volunteers with any concerns. Seminars are delivered by experienced university tutors and revision classes taught by current GCSE tutors with a strong knowledge of the syllabus. All classes have a volunteer present to support in the delivery of the classes.
The charity works closely with other institutions to deliver its activities. Universify works with secondary schools across the country who send participants on our programme. We partner with colleges at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, working with their link regions and holding our residentials at these colleges. In 2022-23 we partnered with Jesus College, Somerville College, and St Hugh’s College at the University of Oxford and with St Catharine’s College at the University of Cambridge.
Ensuring the charity’s work delivers its aims
The charity measures its impact annually, through pre- and post-course surveys to gather participant feedback. Universify’s impact measurement methodology was designed by our former trustee for impact measurement, Dr George Hoare, and an independent impact evaluator, Ellie Harries, who annually reviews our data and impact report to ensure it is accurate. The charity also reviews its impact measurement approach annually.
The findings of the impact report measure how successfully the charity is providing participants with the skills, knowledge, and belief to realise their potential. We measure this against our three desired short-term outcomes: raising aspirations, academic attainment, and understanding of university and university admissions and our long-term mission of improving social mobility and overcoming underrepresentation at university by increasing the likelihood of making a successful application to university. These findings are used to refine the Universify programme to make sure activities are as effective as possible in achieving the charity’s objectives. In addition, feedback is gathered from Universify participants, volunteers, and staff as part of an annual
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programme review contributing to the development and implementation of an annual improvement plan.
To ensure our work continues to best meet the needs of our beneficiaries, the charity recruits a student council of Universify alumni. Two students from the council act as student representatives attending board meetings. The student council and representatives work with Universify and alumni and are consulted on the charity’s strategy and programme plans to ensure the Universify programme continues to be directed by the charity’s beneficiaries.
## How the charity’s activities deliver public benefit
The activities undertaken further the charity’s purposes for the public benefit increasing social mobility by equipping young people with the skills, knowledge, and belief to realise their potential regardless of their background. As a result these young people are able to access life changing education, employment and training opportunities, such as university.
The trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.
## **3. Achievements and performance**
During the year 2022-23 the charity delivered its programme to 169 participants. The charity also evaluated the impact of the programme on its third cohort who completed the Universify Education Spring residential in April 2019.
A full summary of the charity’s ongoing impact and achievements can be found in its latest impact report - https://www.universifyeducation.com/impact.
## How the charity performed against its objectives
For 2022-23 the charity continued to work towards the following long-term objectives:
1. Achieving a strong delivery record that is demonstrated by robust impact measurement
2. Financial sustainability
3. Develop partnerships to grow the Universify programme
In achieving these two long-term objectives the charity will be in a position to sustainably scale its work and achieve greater impact by reaching more young people with an evaluated and refined intervention.
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To move towards these objectives the charity outlined the following short-term goals:
1. Successfully deliver Universify’s year-long in-person programme across two cities
2. Diversify fundraising within and across income streams to enable financial resilience and future growth
3. Implement a plan to gather detailed, individual destination data for Universify alumni to track our long-term impact and refine our programme to maximise its impact.
4. Approach universities and university colleges to explore partnerships to expand the Universify programme and fulfil a shared access vision
In 2022-23, Universify continued to deliver positive impact while the accounts, included in this report, show that the charity has continued to work within its financial constraints.
The financial review also shows that progress has been made to diversify Universify’s income to increase financial resilience and develop the sustainability required to scale the programme. To help us work towards this goal Universify recruited a part-time fundraiser through the government Kickstart scheme which provided employment opportunities to a young person during the pandemic. The impact of the Kickstarter was significant in securing additional trust and foundation grants. This fundraising success meant we from May 2022 this fundraising Kickstarter joined the organization on a fulltime, permanent basis to enable us to continue to diversify our income streams so we can sustainably scale the Universify programme.
## **Financial review**
The direct resource costs of the Summer and Spring programmes are summarised in the charity’s accounts which have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to small companies limited by guarantee regime and FRS102 SORP Accounting and Reporting by Charities.
- £200,155.00 of income related to donations from charitable trusts and foundations, corporate partners, public fundraising, and private individuals.
- £17,158.71 of income related to grants through the government Kickstart scheme
- £235,714.00 worth of benefits in kind were received in the form of donated office space and services from Oxford Summer Courses Limited and office space from True and accommodation, meals and classrooms donated by partner University
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colleges who host the Universify residentials. The benefits were calculated by conforming to the market value at the time of use.
- There was a surplus generated in this year of £37,869.62, which is due to success in fundraising and running under budget. These funds will contribute to increasing the charity's resilience following the instability of the pandemic and challenging fundraising landscape created by the Cost of Living Crisis as well as allowing the charity to reinvest these funds in sustainably scaling our work to achieve more impact.
In the accounting period May 2022 to April 2023 income came from fundraising activity including private donations, corporate donations and partnerships, successful applications to trusts and foundations and public fundraising.
## Reserves policy and amount of reserves held
Universify Education’s aim is to generate and maintain minimum reserves equal to 3 months’ running costs through fundraising activity. These minimum reserves are built up after considering future costs that are committed to delivering our year-long programme. The financial position of Universify Education at the end of the seventh year of operations is that there is £95,163.35 in reserves. Of these reserves £55,000 meet the three month minimum reserves threshold with the remaining £40,163.35 surplus reserves. Our surplus reserves are any reserves additional to our minimum reserves amount of 3 months operating costs. Trustees review Universify's surplus and minimum reserves position at quarterly board meetings and consider the best use of surplus reserves based on fundraising success, the fundraising landscape and the charity’s long-term strategic objectives.
Despite the forecast challenging fundraising landscape with the ongoing Cost of Living crisis, Universify has reached the targeted level of reserves. With the securing of £65,816.53 of income for 2023-24 the trustees are confident of the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for the next 12 months.
There are no funds or subsidiary undertakings that are materially in deficit.
Principal sources of funds
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In general, the principal funding sources for the charity are through fundraising income from trusts and foundations, public fundraising, private donors, and corporate partnerships.
- For 2022 23, the Charity received £76,969.00 in trust and foundation grants, these included a fourth-year tail off grant from Macquarie Group Foundation following a three-year partnership and grants for participants including those from London and Kent. The charity raised £39,625.00 from corporate partnerships, including the deferred fifth year of start up funding from Oxford Summer Courses. As part of the charity’s work to diversify income and build on the pilot part-funding model with Jesus College, University of Oxford, the charity received £44,600.00 in part-funding from partner colleges. The charity received support for staff costs through the government Kickstart scheme, where Universify supported four young people in receipt of Universal Credit to provide a sixmonth work placement and training to support their future employment. The Government Kickstart scheme allowed us to increase our fundraising capacity which contributed to increased fundraising success as we were able to produce more high-quality applications to trusts and foundations. In addition, the charity continued to maintain consistency in public fundraising income, which increased during the pandemic.
- For 2023 24, the charity has secured £65,816.53 of income for the next financial year through trusts and foundation grants towards the 2023-24 programme, income generated during the 2022 Big Give Christmas Challenge and through renewed and new partnerships, notably with our new partner True.
Plans for future periods
Although we have seen increased fundraising success and a return to in-person delivery in 2022-23, the charity’s aims for 2023-24 are shaped in the context of the cost of living crisis. In this context the charity is aware of the impact this could have on the fundraising landscape. Therefore, fundraising will remain a priority both to diversify the charity’s income to facilitate sustainable scale and to build financial resilience. The cost of living crisis is also likely to increase the growing demand and need for Universify’s work. Therefore, the other major focus for the charity in the upcoming year will be to lay the foundations to meet this growing demand.
Practically this means more partnerships with university colleges and universities outside of Oxford and Cambridge to increase the number of places on the Universify programme.
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The charity also recognizes the importance of expanding beyond the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge to overcome the geographical barriers some participants face to accessing the programmes in these two cities. This approach will seek to fulfil the charity’s long-term sustainability plan of working with Widening Participation Offices at the universities of college partners, becoming part of their Access and Participation Plans, which are funded by the Office for Students. In the next period the charity will seek to build on the part-funded college relationships by approaching more colleges and universities utilising this model for sustainable growth.
The charity recognises that expansion requires the resources to do so and programme growth will always be considered by trustees in line with financial constraints, ongoing fundraising work, and the awareness of the increasing demand for the charity’s work.
## **4. Structure, governance, and management**
Universify Education is a company limited by guarantee incorporated on 9[th] April 2016 and registered as a charity on 20[th] May 2016.
The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which outlined the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association.
## Recruitment and appointment of trustees
The Trustees who served during the period and up to the date of this report are set out on page 3.
The charity uses an annual trustee skills audit to assess whether the board has the appropriate mix of skills. Gaps may be met with training, third party expertise or new trustee recruitment. When recruiting new trustees, the board aims to find individuals who can support the charity’s growth and bring in additional resources, expertise, lived experience and connections to help Universify achieve its goals.
The results of this annual trustee skills audit highlighted gaps that the board chose to fill by recruiting additional trustees. In particular the board sought to add more trustees with recent lived experience of the challenges faced by our beneficiaries and recent experience of the education system to ensure our work continues to best meet the needs of our beneficiaries.
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To ensure a fair and nondiscriminatory recruitment process Universify Education followed the UK Employment legislations and Charity Commission’s CC30 trustee recruitment guidance. No other person or external body is entitled to appoint charity trustees.
## Organisational structure
The role of the Board is to provide oversight of the charity's activities, including planning, approval of annual budgets and review of the charity’s strategy, results, and achievements. The Board also provides general support to the staff. The day-to-day running of the charity is carried out by the staff team, with support from volunteers. During the year to April 2023 the board met four times for quarterly board meetings twice for ad-hoc meeting and once for an annual strategy day.
## Risk management
The Trustees have conducted a review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed. A risk register has been established and is reviewed at quarterly board meetings. Where appropriate, systems or procedures have been established to mitigate the risks the charity faces. Identified risks are minimised by the implementation of procedures for safeguarding staff, volunteers, and participants. These procedures are reviewed annually to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of the charity. The charity is supported in the development of its policies and procedures by Oxford Summer Courses Limited, whose policies and procedures have been accredited by the British Accreditation Council.
## Trustees’ duties
- Act as stewards of Universify Education so that the charity can most fully deliver on its mission to address educational inequality in the long-term. Trustees will consider issues of strategic (rather than operational) importance at quarterly meetings
- Attend at least 75% of the quarterly Trustees meetings that will be held online and in-person in Oxford and London (reasonable transport expenses will be reimbursed), having read any briefings which will be circulated at least 7 days prior to the meeting date
- Trustees will have specific duties related to an area of expertise that is agreed when they are recruited to the board of trustees. Trustees must be clear what
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information they need from staff to carry out their governance role properly, and any required training or resources are provided.
During the period during this year where the infection rates for COVID-19 pandemic remained high and restrictions remained in place board meetings were held online. Following the easing of restrictions and the return to in-person programme delivery board meetings are now run in a hybrid manner allowing trustees to join online or inperson.
## - ’ 2022 23 trustees areas of focus
|**Trustee**|**Date appointed**|**Focus area**|
|---|---|---|
|Harry Hortyn|May-16|•
Brings experience of running accredited academic
short courses as co-founder of Oxford Summer
Courses Limited and 5 years in social investment
•
Supports charity strategy, provides links to key
stakeholders in Oxford and oversees sign-off of
Oxford Summer Courses’ contributions.
•
Previous chair of the board|
|Robert Phipps|May-16
Retired June-22|•
Brings experience of running accredited academic
short courses as co-founder of Oxford Summer
Courses Limited and background in strategy
consultancy|
|Matt Lacey|May-17|•
Brings experience as CEO of surveying company and a
background in acting and media
•
Profile-building through press coverage, speaking
platforms|
|Steve Rayner|Aug-17|•
Brings experience of university admissions, tuition,
and governance
•
Providing advice on programme development and
approaches to colleges or universities, and
partnershipwith Somerville college|
|Mary
Nicholson|Jun-18|•
Brings experience of risk and financial management
from background in risk and sustainability in the|
|||
finance and banking sector
•
Current Chair of the board|
|Tibor Gold MBE|Dec-18
Retired Jun-22|•
Brings experience in IP law and over a decade of
trusteeships
•
Providing advice on fundraising and approaches and
introductions to corporatepartners|
|Kate West|Jun-19
Retired Aug-22|•
Brings fundraising experience, offering insight and
guidance on Universify’s fundraising strategy|
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|Kathryn Davies|Jun-19
RetiredJun-22|•
Brings experience working within the sector and of
impact reporting to help Universify continue to
robustlycollect and report on its impact.|
|---|---|---|
|Helen Norman|March-22|•
Brings recent lived experience of the education
system and challenges faced by beneficiaries to fulfil
their potential in education
•
Brings experience workingin the sector|
|James Gregory|Jun-22|•
Providing teacher insight to school and student
recruitment and programme design
•
Brings safeguardingexperience|
|Marco
Loguidice|Jun-22|•
Brings recent lived experience of the education
system, experience as a former Universify volunteer
and experience of the challenges faced by
beneficiaries to fulfil their potential in education
•
Brings fundraisingand strategic experience|
To ensure the charity continues to best meet the needs of its beneficiaries Universify Education appoints a Student Representative who is a member of the student council and a recent Universify alumnus. The Student Representative attends trustee board meetings but does not hold legal responsibility for the charity in the same way as the other trustees.
The report of the trustees was approved by the trustees on 7 December 2023 and signed on their behalf by:
Signature:
Print name: Mary Nicholson
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## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF UNIVERSIFY EDUCATION**
The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Charities Act”) and that an independent examination is needed
It is my responsibility to:
- examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act,
- to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and
- to state whether particular matters have come to my attention
## **Basis of independent examiner’s statement**
My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
## **Independent examiner's statement**
In connection with my examination, no material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
- the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
- the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed: Date: 5[th] January 2024 Name: Thomas Bradley ACMA Relevant professional body if any: CIMA Address: 16, Rue Adam Roberti, Luxembourg-Merl, L-2429, Luxembourg
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||**Income and Expenditure Account Universify Education 1 May 2022 to 30 April 2023**|**Income and Expenditure Account Universify Education 1 May 2022 to 30 April 2023**|**Income and Expenditure Account Universify Education 1 May 2022 to 30 April 2023**|**Income and Expenditure Account Universify Education 1 May 2022 to 30 April 2023**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Income**||**2022-23**|**2021-22 **|**Notes**|
|Unrestrictedincome||85,486.00|59,322.90||
|Restrictedincome||101,169.00|85,948.11|1|
|Incomefromcharitable activities||13,500.00|7,579.04|2|
|Grantincome||17,158.71|15,830.25|3|
|**Total donation income**||217,313.71|168,680.30||
|**Benefits in kind received**
College accommodation and meals
Otherbenefitsin kind||||4
5|
|||214,314.00|80,248.00||
|||21,400.00|14,175.00||
|**Total income**||453,027.71|263,103.30||
|**Programme costs**|||||
|Coachplatform||2,083.92|498.00|6|
|Head OfficeRecruitment||755.00|0.00||
|Head Office staffengagement||287.30|0.00||
|Kitinventory||1.10|0.00||
|Oncourse- Activities||2,958.16|2,852.26||
|OnCourse-Staff Training||425.80|819.68||
|OnCourse-Staff Travel||3,665.65|1,865.03|7|
|Tutorcosts||7,173.70|5,152.46|8|
|Volunteer engagement||720.31|224.50||
|College accommodation and meals
Otherbenefitsin kind||214,314.00|80,248.00||
|||21,400.00|14,175.00||
|**Total programme costs**||**253,784.94**|**105,834.93**||
|**Net income lessprogramme costs**||**199,242.77**|**157,268.37**||
|**Expenditure**|||||
|Advertising &Marketing||248.50|831.26|9|
|Bank Fees||60.00|25.00||
|Charitable andPoliticalDonations||0.00|51.50||
|EmployersNationalInsurance||6,561.30|4,669.96||
|Fundraising costs||1,081.25|427.87||
|GeneralExpenses||55.03|19.27||
|IndependentEvaluation||4,600.00|2,000.00|10|
|Insurance||536.78|335.20||
|ITSoftware and Consumables||4,070.35|2,735.39|11|
|OnCourse-Staff Recruitment||587.00|1,071.20||
|Pensions Costs||2,866.09|2,229.98||
|Pleo default account||27.05|0.00||
|Postage,Freight & Courier||24.59|142.55||
|Printing & Stationery||0.00|8.90||
|Registrationandfiling costs||13.00|13.00||
|Salaries||136,878.12|110,077.27|12|
|Staff Training||1,307.56|238.00|13|
|Subscriptions||35.00|35.00||
|Telephone &Internet||30.00|36.00||
|Travel- National||1,570.57|854.32|14|
|TrusteeExpenses||72.85|98.80||
|Depreciationexpense||748.11|0.00|17|
|**Total Expenditure**||**161,373.15**|**125,900.47**||
|Current year funds
Retained funds||37,869.62|31,367.90|15|
|||57,293.73|25,925.83||
|**Total funds carried forward**||**95,163.35**|**57,293.73**|**16**|
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||**Balance Sheet Universify Education as at 30 April 2023**|**Balance Sheet Universify Education as at 30 April 2023**|**Balance Sheet Universify Education as at 30 April 2023**||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Fixed Assets**||**Apr-23**|**Apr-22**|**Notes**|
|**Tangible Assets**||||
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|
|Computer Equipment||2,992.43|2,992.43||
|Less Accumulated Depreciation on Computer Equipment||(748.11)|-||
|**Total Tangible Assets**||**2,244.32**|**2,992.43**||
|**Total Fixed Assets**||**2,244.32**|**2,992.43**||
||||||
|**Current Assets**|||||
|**Cash at bank and in hand**||||
18|
|Expenses account||128.29|1,090.39||
|Universify Education||161,599.90|
93,557.40||
|**Total Cash at bank and in hand**||**161,728.19**|**94,647.79**||
|Prepayments||293.75|345.49||
|**Total Current Assets**||**162,021.94**|**94,993.28**||
||||||
|**Liabilities: amounts falling due within oneyear**|||||
|Accruals||810.00|2,506.91|
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|
|Deferred income||65,816.53|
35,750.00||
|NIC Payable||607.78|802.77||
|PAYE Payable||1,042.20|928.80||
|Pensions Payable||763.55|680.75||
|Student Loan Deductions Payable||20.00|
-||
|Unpaid Expense Claims||42.85|22.75||
|**Total Liabilities: amounts falling due within oneyear**||**69,102.91**|**40,691.98**||
||||||
|**Net Current Assets**||**92,919.03**|**54,301.30**||
||||||
|**Net Assets**||**95,163.35**|**57,293.73**||
||||||
|**Funds of the Charity**|||||
|Unrestricted income funds
Restricted income funds||95,163.35
-|57,293.73
-|
20
|
|**Total funds of the Charity**||95,163.35|57,293.73||
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Within this financial period there are no new fixed assets, all income during this accounting period was in the form of donations, donated facilities and services.
The company was entitled to exemption from audit under s477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.
These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to small companies subject to the small companies regime and in accordance with FRS102 SORP.
Approved by the directors and authorised for issue on 7 December 2023.
Signed by ________________ on behalf of all the trustees/directors
Print Name: Mary Nicholson Date: 2 January 2024
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|**Notes forming part of the Financial Statements**
**1) Restricted income usage**
**Amount**
Project
£ 56,969.00
Partner University college part-funding
£ 44,200.00|**Detail**
Funding for participants
from specific regions
including London and Kent;
Funding for student places
on our year-long
programme; Funding for
long-term impact
evaluation work|
|---|---|
||Part-funding of participant
places from a partner
college to fund cohort
expansion|
|**Total**
**£ 101,169.00**||
2) Income from Charitable activities refers to income generated providing support to partners to deliver activities contributing to our shared missions, for example recruiting students from underrepresented backgrounds for a STEM day
## 3) Grant income refers to income through the government Kickstart scheme
4) Benefits in kind - accommodation, meals, and classroom space from partner university colleges. In 2022-23
|In 2022-23||
|---|---|
|**Benefit in kind breakdown**||
|Accommodation|£ 150,552.00|
|Meals|£ 50,112.00|
|Teachingspace|£ 13,650.00|
|Total|£ 214,314.00|
## 5) Other benefits in kind includes office space and staff time donated by Oxford Summer Courses
|and True||
|---|---|
|**Item**|**Cost**|
|Donated office space|£ 18,000|
|Oxford Summer Courses staff time donation|£ 3,400|
|scheme*||
|Total other benefits in kind|£ 21,400|
*Staff time donation scheme involves Oxford Summer Courses matching volunteer time by with time at work up to a day a month.
6) With the return to in-person delivery the cost of annual Zoom licenses have been moved from the 'On-Course - Activities' account to 'Coaching platforms' account.
7) The return to in-person delivery for both the Summer and Spring residential explains the increased On-course staff travel (from £1, 865.03 in 2021-22 to £3,665.65 in 2022-23).
20
8) The return to in-person delivery for both the Summer and Spring residential explains the increased tutor costs (from £5,152.46 in 2021-22 to £7,173.70 in 2022-23)
9) Reduction in marketing costs due to no photography being shot during the 2022-23 financial year
10) Increased independent evaluation costs (from £4,600 in 2021-22 to £2,000 in 2022-23) due to additional consultant support as part of long-term impact research work.
11) Increase from 2021-22 due to ongoing investment in Salesforce development to create resilience, efficiencies and scalability in digital systems (from £2,735.39 in 2021-22 to £4,070.35 in 2022-23). The development will mean that we have more efficient systems for volunteer, student and school recruitment and management and coaching management.
12) Increase in Salaries due to increased headcount as the team expanded to 5.8 FTE from Nov 2022
13) Increased staff training cost part of developing staff through government Kickstart scheme and upskilling fundraising expertise as part of objective to create diversified income streams.
14) Increased travel cost (from £1,570.57 in 2021-22 to £854.32 in 2022-23) a result of the easing of restrictions from the pandemic allowing more in-person meetings and staff travel to residential programmes.
15) The increase in surplus funds (from £31,367.90 in 2021-22 to £38,666.53 in 2022-23) was a result of running underbudget and increased fundraising success. These funds will contribute to increasing the charity's resilience following the instability of the pandemic and more importantly allow the charity to reinvest these funds in sustainably scaling our work to achieve more impact.
21
16) In accordance with our reserves policy of the total funds carried forward on 30[th] April 2023 (£95,163.35) we have £40,163.35 of surplus reserves. Our surplus reserves are any reserves additional to our minimum reserves amount of 3 months operating costs, which is £55,000. Trustees review Universify's surplus and minimum reserves position at quarterly board meetings and consider the best use of surplus reserves based on fundraising success and strategic objectives.
|17) Computer equipment*||
|---|---|
|**Assets at 30tht April 2023**|**Computer equipment**|
|Cost at 1st May 2022|£ 2,992.43|
|Additions|£ -|
|Disposals|£ -|
|At 30th April 2023|£ 2,992.43|
|Depreciation||
|At 1st May 2022|£ -|
|Charge for the year|£ (748.11)|
|Disposals|£ -|
|At 30th April 2023|£ (748.11)|
|||
|**Net book amount at 30th April 2023**|**£ 2,244.32**|
|||
|**Net book amount at 30th April 2022**|**£ 2,992.43**|
*Computer equipment depreciation policy is straight line over four years
18) Prepayments cover expenditure incurred in 2022-22 for 2023-24 expenses, such as insurance cover, ICO subscription, our coaching platform subscription, and website hosting
19) Deferred income includes funding for 2023-24 programme cycle
20) Following a review of Universify's Reserves Policy in 2022-23, Universify ringfences a minimum reserves equivalent to three months as a guarantee for the next year's programme, which is £55,000. Trustees review Universify's surplus and minimum reserves position at quarterly board meetings and consider the best use of surplus reserves based on fundraising success and strategic objectives.
22
.*
1111
2023
IMPACT
REPORT
Universify
Education
## Impact Summary
OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS WE HAVE WORKED WITH
**----- Start of picture text -----**
890 154 343
participants partner schools volunteers
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INCREASED SUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS TO UNIVERSITY COMPARED TO A TAILORED BENCHMARK
**We have contributed to improved GCSE attainment and understanding university.**
Almost double the number of students reached higher education than expected based on their background
**----- Start of picture text -----**
70%
66%
60%
50%
40%
35%
29%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Achieved 'Disadvantaged' - Expected Expected
result progression taking both progression
Pupil Premium and FSM based on
status into account POLAR4
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**----- Start of picture text -----**
86%
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Universify benefitted student attainment at GCSE
**----- Start of picture text -----**
97%
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Significantly high applications
to Oxbridge and the
Participants agreed that the course gave them a better understanding of university
Russell Group universities
**2**
## Foreword
As the Covid-19 crisis gave way to a cost of living crisis the challenges for many young people only increased. These challenges are to the ongoing detriment of their education and their futures. Another year of positive impact from the Universify programme for these same young people provides an opportunity for optimism.
It is encouraging that teachers continue to agree that Universify’s programme benefits student GCSE attainment following the return to exams for the first time since the pandemic. The progress of Universify students to universities at a rate twice as high as students from similar backgrounds gives me confidence that our continued impact on GCSE attainment will contribute to more long-term success for future cohorts of students.
It is not just university access and GCSE attainment where we can see the impacts of Universify’s work. Observing the first in-person summer residentials since the pandemic, I saw new, supportive friendships forged among young people who grew in independence and developed skills – like teamwork, communication, and leadership – that will be invaluable for future success.
In these challenging times the need for programmes like Universify is only growing. As the impact of the cost of living crisis makes hosting our programme challenging for some partners, we will explore hybrid in-person and online programmes that allow us to continue to grow our work. I am therefore also excited by Universify’s plans for partnerships with new universities, other social mobility organisations, and businesses to meet that need so that we can not only expand our programme but maximise our long-term impact.
## Contents
|Contents||
|---|---|
|**EXECUTIVE SUMMARY**|**4**|
|||
|||
|**WHO ARE WE**|**6**|
|||
|**WHAT WE DO**|**7**|
|||
|**WHO WE SUPPORT**|**9**|
|||
|**UNDERLYING EDUCATIONAL**|**12**|
|**EQUALITY**||
|||
|||
|**OUR IMPACT**|**14**|
|||
|||
|**REVIEWING OUR**|**26**|
|**PROGRAMME ACTIVITIES IN**||
|**2022**||
|||
|||
|**OUR FUTURE PLANS**|**27**|
|**ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS**|**29**|
Finally, I am immensely grateful to the Universify team, volunteers, tutors, our university college host partners, and our lead teachers at partner schools who all make our programme possible. So, while we may be faced with another crisis, this year’s impact and plans fill me with optimism to see the successes of future Universify students in the coming year.
**3**
**Mary Nicholson, Chair of Trustees**
IMPACT REPORT 2022-23 - UNIVERSIFY EDUCATION
## Executive Summary
## INCREASING ACCESS TO TOP UNIVERSITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE FROM DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS
## CREATING A FAIRER SOCIETY THROUGH EDUCATIONAL EQUALITY
## UNDERSTANDING OUR IMPACT
Universify Education is a charity which aims to reduce educational inequality. We support young people from backgrounds who are less likely to apply or consider applying to university – a decision which could drastically affect their future income, career and opportunities. Universify aims to equip young people with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to make successful applications to university, regardless of their background. In doing so, we aim to help these individuals break away from systemic cycles of poverty and inequality, which attaining highly academically and going to university can achieve.
## Universify students progress to university at more than double the expected rate.
By aged 19, students who had participated in our programme:
- Were significantly more likely to apply to Oxbridge and to Russell Group universities according to UCAS. Progressed to high-tariff university at twice the rate of other students from similar backgrounds. [1]
## Progression to High Tarriff HE by FSM status
**----- Start of picture text -----**
30%
25%
25%
20%
15%
10%
10%
5%
0%
**----- End of picture text -----**
With a return to in-person delivery this year, we have focused on the direct impact of the programme on our students, considering how we contribute to increased aspirations and attainment as well as helping students to make an informed decision about whether to go to university:
- 85% of teachers agreed that their students were more likely to apply to university because of participating in the programme.
- 86% of teachers agree that taking part in Universify benefitted their students’ attainment.
## **Universify benefitted student attainment at GCSE**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
86%
**----- End of picture text -----**
Expected progression rate to high tariff universities based on whether students are eligible for FSM
## Achieved - lower bound
[1] High-tariff universities are the top third of universities ranked according to their entry tariff points score by UCAS. They represent the universities which are most selective.
**4**
IMPACT REPORT 2022-23 - UNIVERSIFY EDUCATION
## THE VALUE OF IN-PERSON AND ONLINE PROGRAMMES
## A YEAR TO DEVELOP NEW WAYS OF CREATING IMPACT
In 2020 and 2021, our programmes enabled students to develop academic passions and make a better decision about whether to go to university despite being delivered online. [2] But a fundamental element of our programme has returned since delivering in person again: this summer, almost half of participants mentioned meeting new people or making friends as the best part of the course.
The experience significantly helped my confidence, academically by showing me that I had the potential to get into a top university but also socially by building a network of peers who also had high ambitions which I stay in touch with and who continue to inspire me.
Katende, Cohort 6 student (2022 Spring residential)
As Katende says, these networks of students, who share similar goals, ultimately continue to help each other succeed beyond the end of the programme.
In 2023 we aim to meet the growing need and demand for our work by developing ways to maximise our impact. Firstly, we want to expand the reach of our year-long programme by partnering with more universities to help them to fulfil the Office for Students’ new priority that universities must work with schools and organisations to increase attainment at GCSE. [3]
Secondly, we want to pilot a hybrid programme - combining the impact of our online and in-person programmes - so that we can support more young people alongside our flagship year-long programme. This hybrid programme will enhance our existing work by providing additional places where capacity is limited on our residentials.
Finally, we want to maximise our long-term impact by creating a pipeline to Year 12 programmes, partnering with businesses to provide employability and educational opportunities, and develop additional longterm support for participants after the year-long programme.
> [2] 2020 Impact report, 2021 Impact report - https://www.universifyeducation.com/report
[3] Office for Students, ‘Our approach to access and participation’ https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-andguidance/promoting-equal-opportunities/our-approach-to-access-and-participation/. Article accessed 24th January 2023.
**5**
IMPACT REPORT 2022-23 - UNIVERSIFY EDUCATION
## Who Are We?
WE BELIEVE IN EDUCATIONAL EQUALITY AND A SOCIETY WHERE EVERYONE HAS THE CHANCE TO FULFIL THEIR POTENTIAL, REGARDLESS OF THEIR BACKGROUND
## WHY DO WE EXIST?
A young person’s background often determines their educational outcomes, rather than their potential. Students from certain geographical, ethnic and economic backgrounds are less likely to apply successfully to highly-selective universities and high-demand courses. [4] These young people, therefore, miss out on the benefits university has to offer for professional and personal development, and the increased employment opportunities associated with it. [5]
Underrepresentation in the country’s top academic institutions limits social mobility and is to the detriment of everyone, as graduates disproportionately take up decision-making roles in society. Without graduates who are truly representative of our society, existing social inequalities are perpetuated.
**Universify aims to empower young people to overcome these barriers through our annual programme.**
The young people we work with face key barriers to higher education such as low aspirations, a limited understanding of higher education, lack of support and reliable information, and feeling out of place in the university environment. Low aspirations, confidence and motivation can impact students’ attainment, meaning that they are less likely to achieve the high GCSE grades required to reach highly-selective universities and other future opportunities, and are at risk of falling short of their potential.
> [4] The Sutton Trust, ‘Access to Advantage’, 2018. https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/access-to-advantage-universityadmissions/. Article accessed 3rd February 2023.
> [5] The Sutton Trust, ‘Elitist Britain’, 2019. https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/elitist-britain-2019/ Article accessed 3rd February 2023.
**6**
IMPACT REPORT 2022-23 - UNIVERSIFY EDUCATION
## What We Do
## OUR INTENSIVE, TRANSFORMATIVE YEAR-LONG PROGRAMME
## OUR PROGRAMME CONSISTS OF THREE ELEMENTS
We run a year-long programme to improve access to university by increasing students’ aspirations, GCSE attainment and knowledge of higher education, helping them to challenge any belief they might have that university isn’t for ‘people like me’.
Our intensive, year-long programme is for students from non-selective state schools starting in the summer of Year 10 until the end of Year 11.
The programme has three main aspects:
- A week-long summer residential at a highly-selective university. Monthly 1-to-1 coaching with trained volunteers.
- A three-day GCSE revision weekend in the spring of Year 11.
## WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT
Universify works with students at this early stage, before they sit their GCSEs, to enable them to make more informed decisions about their futures and improve their chances of success if they apply to university. For many highly-selective universities and courses, higher grades at GCSE make applications more competitive. [6] Higher GCSE grades also open up additional pathways to other post-16 opportunities, affecting access to existing Year 12 outreach programmes, sixth form colleges, and certain careers. By intervening sooner to help raise aspirations and attainment, we provide more young people with the chance to fulfil their potential through education. Our programme combines the experience of university with individual ongoing support through coaching.
## SUMMER PROGRAMME
## MONTHLY COACHING SESSIONS
## SPRING PROGRAMME
**----- Start of picture text -----**
The summer programme Monthly coaching sessions Participants return in
introduces participants to bridge the gap between spring for
university through our summer and spring GCSE revision classes
Academic taster sessions residentials. Participants Additional academic
University Q&As develop the goal-setting taster sessions
Group project to design a and problem-solving skills Careers fair and post-16
dream university they need to pursue their programmes
Confidence building and chosen path. Self-reflection and
team games group activities
**----- End of picture text -----**
[6] ‘GCSE results do also help the admissions team whittle down applications to really competitive courses. If, for example, they need to choose between two applications, where predicted grades, personal statement and references are equally good, then the application with the slightly better GCSEs is more likely to receive an offer.’ University College London, ‘How important are your GCSEs when applying to UCL?’ https://www.ucl.ac.uk/culture-online/ask-expert/your-questions-answered/how-important-areyour-gcses-when-applying-ucl. Article accessed 9th February 2023.
**7**
IMPACT REPORT 2022-23 - UNIVERSIFY EDUCATION
The residential trips to top UK universities provide participants with increased knowledge of university life and the admissions process, and the feeling of being ‘at home’ at university. They also allow participants to explore subjects beyond their GCSE syllabus, while improving their GCSE attainment and critical thinking skills. One-to-one coaching provides students with personalised ongoing support to sustain aspirations and develops the autonomy and self-esteem needed for young people to achieve their goals. Together, these elements equip participants with the skills, knowledge and belief to make and implement more informed decisions about their future, including overcoming the barriers to accessing higher education.
## WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE FOR US
Success for Universify is achieved when a participant gains the knowledge and confidence to make an informed decision about their future as a result of experiencing the programme, as well as the qualifications and skills needed to pursue their aspirations.
## HEAR FROM ONE OF OUR VOLUNTEERS
_I find volunteering with Universify to be one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve undertaken – that is why I’ve volunteered for 3 years in a row!_
Being able to assist the students in building their confidence and knowledge around university is one of the main reasons I enjoy it so much. Students tend to arrive with us nervous about attending University in the future and often believing that University is not for them. When they leave, they know that they are absolutely the type of students that would flourish in higher education. By giving the students a safe space to explore their future, we get to see them start to believe in themselves and their peers, building friendships and connections that will last a lifetime and that is a wonder to witness.
As a volunteer, I have gained a multitude of skills that have carried over into my student and professional life. I now work in widening access at a Scottish University because I fell in love with showing young people that they can achieve their dreams. It gave me the relevant experience and skills to secure a job I love before finishing my master’s degree.
_Niamh, Course Director_
**8**
IMPACT REPORT 2022-23 - UNIVERSIFY EDUCATION
## Who We Support
## WE WORK WITH STUDENTS WHO ARE UNDERREPRESENTED AT HIGHLY-SELECTIVE UNIVERSITIES
## COHORT 6 AND 7
In 2022, the 182 participants from Cohort 6 rejoined us for their spring residential. In August 2022 we also welcomed our seventh cohort of 165 participants at the summer residential.
## FROM UNDERREPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS
We work with participants whose backgrounds are underrepresented at highly-selective universities to address the systemic inequalities these students face.
## PRE-GCSE AGE
Our participants begin the programme aged 14-15 in the summer before Year 11, which is earlier than most university outreach programmes. This allows us to help young people at risk of underachieving at GCSE which would limit access to university, careers and other programmes.
We select participants from low socioeconomic backgrounds, using Free School Meals as a proxy to identify low family income. [7] Students receiving Free School Meals (FSM) are half as likely to progress to university than students not receiving FSM, a gap which has remained significantly large in the past decade. [8] In Cohort 7, 65% of our participants were eligible for FSM and 78% received Pupil Premium. [9]
The backgrounds of our participants show they are less likely to access Higher Education
**----- Start of picture text -----**
National
Average
**----- End of picture text -----**
[7] FSM is a means-tested benefit that can indicate a student comes from a low-income family.
[8] UCAS End of Cycle data 2022 https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucasundergraduate-sector-level-end-cycle-data-resources-2022. Article accessed December 2022.
[9] Pupil Premium includes young people who are or have been eligible for FSM in the past 6 years, care-experienced young people and young people who are looked after by the local authority. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupilpremium/pupil-premium.
**9**
IMPACT REPORT 2022-23 - UNIVERSIFY EDUCATION
Additionally, we prioritise applicants who would be the first generation in their family to attend university. Evidence shows that young people's aspirations, knowledge of the system and how to apply to university can be limited when they have no family members who have been to university. [10] Over 80% of Cohort 7 would be the first in their family to go to university.
## HOLISTIC APPROACH
As well as considering applicants’ socioeconomic background, we also consider more holistic assessments of disadvantage which could impact an individual’s likelihood of fulfilling their potential and reaching university.
Teachers are asked to outline other challenges applicants may face, including being a young carer or care-experienced (Looked After Children) and other personal circumstances.
Many of our participants also face geographical barriers to accessing opportunities in education. [11] Over half of Cohort 7 (55%) came from areas with postcodes in the three most deprived deciles, according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). When considering geographical participation in higher education, 31% of participants came from areas with the lowest participation rates in higher education (POLAR).
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Over 80% of Cohort
7 would be the first
in their family to go
to university.
Over 55% of Cohort
7 came from areas
with postcodes in
the three most
deprived deciles.
**----- End of picture text -----**
> [10] CFE Research for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Understanding progression into higher education for disadvantaged and under-represented groups, p13
> https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/474269/BIS-15-462understanding-progression-into-higher-education-final.pdf Article accessed 3rd February 2023.
> [11] Young people on FSM from the highest participation neighbourhoods are over twice as likely to enter higher education than those from the lowest participation neighbourhoods. https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-and-events/blog/tacklingthe-geographical-disparities-in-higher-education.
**10**
## Our Participants
Initially, schools are selected from the priority areas of our partner colleges in Oxford and Cambridge. For Somerville College these are Hounslow, Buckinghamshire, the West Midlands, and Staffordshire.
For St Hugh’s College, it is Kent, Bexley, Bromley, and Greenwich; for Jesus College, they are Lambeth and Wandsworth; and for St Catharine’s College, it is North Yorkshire and Suffolk.
**11**
IMPACT REPORT 2022-23 - UNIVERSIFY EDUCATION
## Underlying Educational Equality
## UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT FOR THE IMPACT WE AIM TO CREATE: EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITY AND ITS LINK TO LIFE OUTCOMES
As with many interventions, Universify aims to create individual change while operating within a societal system of entrenched inequality. It is important to understand the systemic factors which affect our students and how, by focusing on creating small but important changes at a crucial stage of education, Universify helps individuals break out of negative systemic cycles. These small changes are the measurements we prioritise to evaluate how our programme creates positive individual change, before ultimately reducing the systemic inequalities and underrepresentation at play. This section explains the context for the impact we aim to create.
Social Determinants of Health (SDH) are ‘the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes’ which impact on our lives. [12] Education is one such Social Determinant of Health. It is well established that the potential impacts education can have on a person’s life are linked to improved health, wealth and increased happiness.
The 2022 IFS report, ‘The UK education systems preserve inequality,’ also suggests it should be a way out of poverty for young people who are from deprived backgrounds. [13]
Recent findings from the 2019 Deaton Review reports that children in the UK from the poorest and most disadvantaged backgrounds have worse outcomes throughout their education and indeed, in England it is reported that this is the case at every stage of their school lives. [14][15]
## DIFFERENCES IN GCSE ATTAINMENT FOR THOSE FROM LOW SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS
There is a significant gap in attaining good Maths and English GCSEs for those who are eligible for FSM and those who do not qualify.
[12] World Health Organization, ‘Social Determinants of Health’, n.d. [accessed 7 January 2023].
[13] Tahir, I., ‘The UK Education System Preserves Inequality’, Institute for Fiscal Studies, 2022 [accessed 8 January 2023].
[14] Tahir, I., ‘The UK Education System Preserves Inequality’, Institute for Fiscal Studies, 2022 [accessed 8 January 2023].
[15] Over recent decades, socio-economic status (SES) has been used as a proxy (way) of assessing educational attainment. One such proxy is free school meals which has subsequently become a proxy used as a mechanism for school funding and as a proxy linked to educational attainment. Tahir, ‘The UK Education System Preserves Inequality’.
This additional funding scheme was initiated in 2011, through the Pupil Premium. This meant for every pupil eligible for free school meals the school received additional funding. In 2015-2016 this equated to £1320 for every FSM pupil (primary schools) and for those in England £935 and for Wales, £1050 for those eligible for free school meals in secondary schools. Tahir, I., ‘The UK Education System Preserves Inequality’, Institute for Fiscal Studies, 2022 [accessed 8 January 2023].
**12**
IMPACT REPORT 2022-23 - UNIVERSIFY EDUCATION
Approximately 40% of students eligible for FSM attain good Maths and English at GSCE versus nearly 70% of all other pupils.
Approximately 35% of students eligible for FSM have two or more A levels at age 19 compared to 60% for all other pupils.
_Snapshot of the GCSE/A Level and FSM attainment Gap (as of 2019, reported in 2022) Adapted from the UK Education System Preserves Inequity – New Report, 2022_
Other datasets show a large, but less marked, difference at other stages. At aged five, approximately 55% of pupils eligible for FSM reached a good level of development compared to approximately 73% of all other pupils.
## BARRIERS TO EDUCATION
There are a number of recognised and well documented barriers to education which in particular affect and negatively impact young people who come from poorer backgrounds. [16] In an educational context social mobility is referred to as, ‘providing or facilitating equal opportunities to succeed academically…regardless of their socioeconomic background.’ [17]
Factors that create these barriers include geographical areas in particular, where social mobility may not be as accelerated.
Understanding the cumulative impacts of poverty, it is important to recognise they can have such an impact on students’ ‘educational outcomes health and personal well-being.’ [18] Within the picture of barriers for this demographic group, affordability and the associated cost of attending university is a significant barrier and concern, and encompasses a number of elements which impact on the equal opportunity to succeed. [19]
The Universify programme aims to address some of these barriers in particular the geographical reach, and social mobility by offering a range of experiences and a positive and safe environment which sets them up to succeed and have newfound aspirations and increased self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is seen as a person’s own belief in their ability to attain their own goals.
It is not uncommon for this age group to have the beliefs that they have little to no control over their lives and, for some young people, difficult life events can lead to lower aspirations and potentially result in a reduced commitment to their studies. [20] Work by Durrington Research School gave insight into self-efficacy and how it can be directly related to disadvantaged young people. They note that self-efficacy can change in an instant, between lessons for example, so can be difficult to capture a full picture. What the Universify programme does is offer the experience that will support the building of self-belief and confidence. [21]
[16] Forsyth, A., and Furlong, A., ‘Access to Higher Education and Disadvantaged Young People’, British Educational Research Journal, 29/2 (2003), 205–25.
[17] Burges Salmon, ‘Social Mobility and Education’ [accessed 12 January 2023].
[18] Tierney, S., ‘Developing Confidence, Self-Esteem and Self-Awareness in Disadvantaged Students’, Humanutopia, 2019 [accessed 19 January 2023].
19] Such costs include accommodation and living costs, as well as the cost of tuition fees. McCabe, C, et al., ‘Barriers and Facilitators to University Access in Disadvantaged UK Adolescents by Ethnicity: A Qualitative Study’, Journal of Further and Higher Education, 46/10 (2022), 1434–46.
[20] Tierney, S., ‘Developing Confidence, Self-Esteem and Self-Awareness in Disadvantaged Students’, Humanutopia, 2019 [accessed 19 January 2023]. [21] Runeckles, C., ‘Educational Disadvantage and Self-Efficacy’, Durrington Research School, 2022 [accessed 19 January 2023]. [21] Runeckles, C., ‘Educational Disadvantage and Self-Efficacy’, Durrington Research School, 2022
[accessed 19 January 2023].
**13**
IMPACT REPORT 2022-23 - UNIVERSIFY EDUCATION
## Our Impact
OUR PROGRAMME INCREASES STUDENTS’ ASPIRATIONS, GCSE ATTAINMENT AND KNOWLEDGE OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HELPING THEM TO OVERCOME THE POSSIBLE BELIEF THAT UNIVERSITY ISN’T FOR ‘PEOPLE LIKE ME’
This report presents the impacts from two Cohorts – 6 and 7 – and focuses on the three main barriers that the Universify programme concentrates on supporting students to overcome:
- Low educational aspiration Low educational attainment Low self-belief, leading to the assumption that university is not a place for ‘people like them.’
By overcoming these three barriers, we aim to put students in a good position to make an informed decision about their future pathway, including whether they apply to university.
For Cohort 6 there were 182 students who took part in the programme and in Cohort 7 there are 165 students. For Cohort 3, who applied to university from 2021 onwards, there were 122 students.
Universify is a wonderfully supportive programme, which encourages and coaches students to maximise their abilities. The Universify programme has allowed our students to grow in confidence and experience university life via the residentials. In particular, Maggie has been able to ask her teachers for support and found the residential to be an excellent opportunity and she is looking forward to the Easter residential weekend.
I would recommend Universify as a supportive and sustained programme for GCSE students who may not consider higher education.
**Jordanna Riches, Lead Teacher, The Bicester School**
**14**
IMPACT REPORT 2022-23 - UNIVERSIFY EDUCATION
- Increased access to university and
- **1** increased aspirations: changing students’ knowledge and perceptions of university to impact whether they apply to university.
## Students apply to university at significantly high rates after taking part in the programme.
Students begin applying to university three years after they take part in the Universify programme. We track our students’ applications to university at aged 19 to see whether students’ participation in our programme leads to an increased number of applications to universities. [22]
Cohort 3 began their Universify programme in 2018. The majority entered university in September 2021, with an additional 13% beginning university in September 2022.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Very significantly
high applications
to Oxbridge and
the Russell Group
universities.
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Data from UCAS shows that 78% of Cohort 3 applied to university, which, statistically speaking, is very significantly high compared with UCAS’ benchmark of similar applicants (78% vs 60%). This was particularly marked for high- and medium-tariff universities – universities with the highest entry requirements which are associated with greater social mobility. In particular, applications to Oxbridge were statistically very significantly high, which we believe our programme, hosted at Oxford and Cambridge, contributes to.
[22] We have updated our methodology this year to track university destinations at age 19, rather than age 18 as in our previous reports. This helps us capture data about students who choose to take a gap year before applying to university, which amounted to 15% of those who applied to university for Cohort 3.
**15**
## % of students expected to reach higher education based on background
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70% 66%
60%
50%
40% 35%
29%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Achieved 'Disadvantaged' - Expected
result Expected progression progression
taking both Pupil based on
Premium and FSM POLAR4
status into account
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We can compare Cohort 3’s progression to university with national rates of progression. Overall, 66% of Cohort 3 reached higher education. [23] Compared with a benchmark assessing ‘disadvantage’ (FSM and pupil premium metrics), Cohort 3 progressed to university at a rate two times higher than expected (66% vs 29%), and almost double the rate based on geographical metrics (POLAR4 35%). [24]
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Almost double the
number of students
reached higher
education than
expected based on
their background.
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Progression to High Tariff
HE by FSM status
30% 25%
25%
20%
15%
10%
10%
5%
0%
Expected UE progression rate Achieved - lower bound
based on whether students
are eligible for FSM
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When we assess Cohort 3’s entry to high-tariff universities, more than double the number of students reached a high-tariff university compared with national averages when considering FSM eligibility (25% vs an expected 10%). [25]
Our students’ long-term data indicates that they are reaching university at higher rates than expected despite the barriers which they face and may point to the Universify programme helping them to overcome these barriers.
[23] UCAS rounds their data to the nearest 5 to protect student anonymity. Our figures are therefore estimates, and represent the lower bound of this estimation, meaning that an even greater percentage of students may have reached than we have reported university.
[24] We chose to use two benchmarks to account for the variety of indicators which impact progression to Higher Education. For our tailored disadvantage benchmark, we used two national data sets to work out our participants’ expected progression rate based on their socio-economic disadvantage criteria in Year 10. We used data from UCAS’ End of Cycle report for progression rates for those eligible for FSM. We used data from the Department for Education for progression rates for those who received Pupil Premium. For our second benchmark, we looked at participants’ likelihood of reaching university based on the progression rates to university in the area they lived in (POLAR4). We have used data from UCAS’ End of Cycle report 2022 to calculate this benchmark. [25] High-tariff universities are the top third of universities ranked according to their entry tariff points score by UCAS. They represent the universities which are most selective.
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## INCREASED ASPIRATIONS TO UNIVERSITY DURING THE PROGRAMME
Our programme gives students a greater understanding of what university can offer them. Through the summer and spring residentials, we challenge misconceptions that university is ‘not for people like me’ and students see that university is attainable. This section considers both cohorts from different stages of their programmes and looks at long-term university destinations data.
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97%
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97% of participants agreed that the course gave them a better understanding of university
## INCREASED POSITIVE ASSOCIATIONS WITH UNIVERSITY TO ENABLE A GREATER LIKELIHOOD OF APPLYING
Students were asked what one word they associated with the idea of studying at university both pre- and-post summer. The biggest increase was the change in the number of students who thought university would be fun, with an increase of 25 uses of the word ‘fun’, or a similar word ('exhilarating', 'cool beans', 'sick' and 'exciting'), up from just two uses before the summer. In addition, a new theme of words associated with ‘independence’ emerged after the summer course. Other words used included ‘interesting’ and words associated with determination, passion and education.
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?
?
?
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University
is...'fun',
'exhilarating',
'cool', 'exciting',
'independent'
and 'interesting'.
'I'm inspired to
go to Uni!'
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In contrast, the number of students who referred to university using words associated with it being ‘hard’ or ‘hard work’ remained consistent across the summer. There was a small change post course (increase of four) in the associated words referring to university being smart/intelligent, which could show a positive attitude to an improved self-belief. These were the second and third highest word associations across the survey both pre- and-post summer.
This was mapped by adopting survey structures used in the DofE's Longitudinal Study of Young People in England. [26] The measure looks at whether students change their mind about statements like ‘People like me don’t go to university’. This summer’s statistically significant increase in aspirations indicates that the in-person residential is very likely to have contributed to our students changing their minds to feel that they want to go to, and do belong at, university.
The single most positive change was the number of students who associated studying at university with ‘fun’. It shows that students attending appear to have experienced a particularly positive time during the summer residential which helps students feel that university is place they can choose to be a part of.
Universify was a course I had no knowledge of before being put forward to apply by my school, but this is something I am immensely grateful for as the course enabled me to think more widely about my future academic prospects and become excited about the possibility of going to university and enriching my ambitions.
**Amy B - Student**
## SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO STUDENTS' ASPIRATIONS TO EDUCATION
## STUDENTS REPORT THAT THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO APPLY TO UNIVERSITY
Cohort 7 students were asked in a pre- and post-course survey whether they were likely to apply to a highly-selective university preand post-summer when they attended in person in August 2022. The results indicate there is a very positive response to the summer school regarding applying to highly-selective universities, shown by a combined change from 61% (pre-course) opting for ‘very likely’ and ‘fairly likely’ to apply, to 77% post course with a combined increase of 16% points. Overall, 32% of students answered this question more positively after the Universify course. In particular, four students went from saying they were ‘not very likely’ to apply to university to being ‘fairly likely’ after the course.
In total, 49% of students changed their mind about whether they were likely to apply to university. The most noticeable change was in those students who started the summer saying that it ‘depends’ whether they would apply to a highly-selective university, which accounted for 31% of students.
In 2022, for the first time, we saw a statistically significant increase in students' aspirations to education before and after the in-person summer residential.
> [26] Our survey includes the Department for Education’s Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) survey’s fivequestion Educational Aspirations module and the one-question University and Higher Education module to measure whether there is a change to educational aspirations.
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By the end of the summer course, 74% of students who had opted for the ‘depends’ category had reconsidered, which is significant as it shows that students had been able to reflect on whether they wanted to apply to university after experiencing the summer residential. Overall, 34 students changed their minds to feel they could apply to a highly selective university with eight students changing their minds from ‘depends’ to ‘very likely’ and 22 students changing their minds from ‘depends’ to ‘fairly likely’. Eleven students showed a change of thinking, opting for ‘not very likely’ to apply to a highly selective university after the summer residential.
This indicates that students have gained the confidence to consider their futures along with a clearer understanding of university and are able to change their minds.
For Cohort 6, who have completed the yearlong programme, aspirations to university in the medium-term increased drastically from the start of the programme in August 2021 to the Spring residential in April 2022. This saw a 25%-point change from before summer to after the spring residential of combined, ‘fairly likely’ and ‘very likely,’ to apply to a highly selective university.
## Participants were more likely to apply to University after completing the summer programme
Percentage of students likely to apply before summer residential
Percentage of students likely to apply after summer residential
The following student testimonials show how the programme impacted whether Cohort 6 students would apply to university.
**Before Universify, I was at a small school where university seemed so far away and I was unsure of what to do or how to take the next big step. However, looking back on my experience now I can confidently say that I have a new outlook and that path is far more accessible than I had previously realised. Harriet - Student**
**19**
## Then...
I took part in the Universify programme as part of the 2021/2 cohort, the programme consolidated my want to attend university and to aim higher for what type of school I wanted to attend to achieve hopefully getting into a top university. The experience significantly helped my confidence, academically by showing me that I had the potential to get into a top university but also socially by building a network of peers who also had high ambitions which I stay in touch with and who continue to inspire me. Universify was one of the first times I felt seen as a real academic which drastically helped me going into GCSEs. Most distinctly, the subject sessions offered as part of the programme helped me realise about really interesting courses that I wouldn’t have a clue about without Universify, which in turn impacted my IB choices. After completing the Universify programme I found that what had been a personal interest in Politics was something I wished to place a much stronger focus on. This inspired me to apply to the United World Colleges whose aim is ‘a global movement that makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.’
## Now...
I am now studying the International Baccalaureate at Lester.B Pearson United World College, one of the top international schools in Canada and know that in part, I owe this to the influence of the Universify programme impacting my goals and achievements.
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## **Increased attainment: students 2 gain the grades to apply to higher education and other future opportunities**
Low educational aspirations and motivation, as well as insufficient support to overcome individual challenges, can lead to low attainment, closing off options to young people at the age of 16. By providing support through 1-to-1 coaching and improving aspirations to education (see previous section), our programme has had an impressive positive influence. We have seen improvements in the students’ attained GSCEs indicating raising students’ aspirations and motivating them, with some achieving notable improvement on their teacher predicated grades. For this impact, the majority of the data is gathered from teacher surveys focused on Cohort 6.
It is worth noting that there are likely reasons based on the impacts from the pandemic as seen in analysis of learning loss and widening inequalities due to Covid-19 school closures. [27] Cohort 6 are the students who started their GSCE journey in Year 9 based much online and remotely. This cohort also is the first cohort to be assessed by examination since before the pandemic, as opposed to the previous two cohorts where the assessment was different due to Covid (teacher-assessed grades (2021) and centre-assessed grades (2020)).
Despite this, teachers stated that they either agreed or strongly agreed that 86% of students had benefitted from being involved in the Universify programme.
## THE UNIVERSIFY PROGRAMME BENEFITS GCSE ATTAINMENT
Overall, 74% of students did better or attained their predicated grades, of which 30% improved on their predicted grades and 44% achieved their predicted grades. This includes a marked increase at grade 9, the highest grade, with an increase of 97 counts compared to their predicted grades. For the 26% who did not achieve their predicated grades, 60% of teachers strongly agreed or agreed that engaging in Universify’s programme still benefited the student’s GCSE attainment.
There has been a downward trend in attainment over the last three cohorts, from 91% of Cohort 4 (2020) attaining or doing better than their predicted grades, to 83% of Cohort 5 (2021), to 74% of Cohort 6 (2022).
Coaching is an important part of the programme to support students to build on their academic goals in the run up to their GCSEs. From the student’s perspective 77% stated they either strongly agree or agree that the coaching has helped towards their academic goals.
Universify benefitted student attainment at GCSE
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86%
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> [27] Jenna Julius, ‘GCSE data reveals Covid’s impact on disadvantaged schools’. https://www.nfer.ac.uk/news-events/nferblogs/gcse-data-reveals-covid-s-impact-on-disadvantaged-schools/ Article accessed 3rd February 2023.
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The coaching was incredibly helpful, allowing me to ask questions to someone who had the experience to answer, and there was strong support for my GCSE’s – they helped me set goals to work on such as creating a timetable for revision. I was also able to develop my confidence in public speaking, and with this help I achieved a scholarship to my current college. Harriet - Student
## STUDENTS ARE IN A GOOD POSITION TO APPLY TO UNIVERSITY
Following students’ GCSE results in August 2022, we surveyed teachers about how the programme has affected their students.
Teachers strongly agreed or agreed that 69% of students were in a good position to apply for a highly-selective university. For the 15 students (8%) where teachers did not think students were in a good position to apply, they still stated that taking part in the programme had benefitted attainment for 64% of students.
85% of teachers also ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ that students are more likely to apply to a highly selective university after completing the year-long programme.
Students are more likely to apply to a highly-selective university after completing the year-long programme
**85% agree**
## **Increased skills and self-belief to consider future pathways**
## **3**
We work with students in Year 10 to help build their confidence to achieve their potential at GCSE level and to ensure that decisions about their futures are not hampered by low self-belief, whether due to a lack of opportunities or role models. This section shows how students’ experience of the programme impacted their confidence and ability to make decisions for their futures.
## IMPROVED COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND RESPONSES TO CHALLENGES
Each student is offered up to 10 coaching sessions over the period of the programme. The purpose of these sessions is to encourage participants to become proactive and independent, by developing the goalsetting and problem-solving skills that they will need to pursue their chosen path beyond Universify.
Volunteer coaches are asked to measure three outcomes:
**1** Communication
**2**
## Attitude
**3** Students’ response to challenges
For Cohort 6, the three measures were examined in two different ways. Firstly, those students who had engaged and received 10 or more coaching sessions and secondly, those who had engaged in five or more coaching sessions. For the first group, the results indicate an increase in scores for communication along with an increase in response to challenges, and a slight decrease in scores for attitude.
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The second group showed an increase across all three measures. This would show that the coaching overall is having a positive impact in helping students build skills to pursue their future pathway.
## QUALITATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO STUDENTS' SELF-EFFICACY
While we saw a medium effect to our students’ scores of self-efficacy, these were not statistically significant which may be caused by the small sample size. [28] Instead, we can see qualitative change in students through their testimonies.
The following list shows some notable words, phrases and excerpts from students’ testimonials from Cohort 6, highlighting how much being part of the programme has offered support from illustrating what they can get out of attending university on all aspects, from living away from home, gaining independence, having the confidence to face their own negative perceptions and fears so they can achieve their newfound goals as well as new life skills.
- **Previously isolated academically from peers.**
- **Walked away with grades I am proud of. Learnt more about myself and my aspirations.**
- **Learnt not to limit my options and open my mind.**
- **Coach talked through many barriers and guided me through year 11 with more organisation. Alleviated anxiety. Helped me realise that university was a place for people like me.**
- Despite Covid, the week of online activities was unforgettable and showed me subjects which I had never seen - it introduced me to Art History which I now do for A-level!
- I especially enjoyed trying out my own dorm room and the independence that came with it.
- Residential trip was the favourite part of the course.
- Amazing adventures like punting and going to an ice-cream parlour.
> [28] We measure our impact using robust statistical test wherever possible. However, we acknowledge that our small sample size can mask noteworthy changes and are mindful of reporting on these data even when statistical significance is not reached. As seen in further research, "underpowered studies should be interpreted cautiously and the ‘absence of evidence’ in these studies should not be taken as ‘evidence of absence’." From Barun Kumar Nayak , ‘Understanding the relevance of sample size calculation’,https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2993974/. Article accessed 3rd February 2023.
**23**
**The following student testimonials show the positive impact the programme has had on their own self-belief that they not only can apply to university, but a highlyselective university. They have gained confidence in themselves and embraced the experience, which appears to have given them some control over the decisions they make for their educational journey.**
Before Universify I did not have much selfbelief academically. I did not know much about university life or how to learn in a way that suited me and I was very unsure of myself. Universify really helped me realise that university was a place for people like me. I am dyslexic and come from a non-academic background, but through Universify I have gained confidence socially and academically. Universify has given me invaluable advice, self-confidence and friendships. I am very grateful and I hope to apply to a university course I wouldn't have even thought about before Universify.
Jess
As a student fascinated with performing arts, I had always felt estranged from my peers because I seemed to lack the type of confidence that they had. I often shied away from new things and hardly ever believed in myself or my choices. I was always stressed and tired about school, however, this all began to change when I started my journey at Universify.
During my time on the course, I had learned so many new things about myself and how to handle certain situations. Firstly, my coaching sessions were super helpful, they had helped me realise that even if I did not achieve the grades that I had wanted at GCSE, I would still be able to take the A-levels that I wanted. For me, this was a major eye-opener and managed to take a great deal of stress off my shoulders.
Melody
**24**
## Volunteer Testimonial
The following testimonial also shows the positive impact the programme has had according to the volunteers who are directly involved with the programme. The Universify programme provides a wide range of activities and experiences whilst navigating and addressing the inequalities within the educational system.
As the product of widening participation and access programs myself, Universify is doing an indispensable job in helping young people not only to develop skills that will help them for years to come in their GCSEs and beyond, but also to have the confidence and drive to think constructively about their goals and know their worth. The education system in the UK isn’t perfect and Universify is doing its part in promoting a fairer world; where everyone has an equal chance to achieve their potential, regardless of what background they come from.
I think one of the great strengths of the course is the mix of activities the students receive: from academic sessions delivered by professionals in their field and one-on-one coaching; to museum trips; to fun activities and teamworking challenges organised by the volunteers. By the end of the summer course they’ve met new people, had new experiences, and made friends for life- all while learning about higher education in a safe and open environment. Being a Group Leader on the course, I have learned a lot of skills that I will take forward with me as I continue my degree and my work in access with the university, which Universify was my first introduction to.
**Alex Lowrie, Group Leader, St Hugh’s programme**
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## Reviewing Our Programme Activities in 2022
In 2022, Universify returned to delivering residential summer programmes drawing inspiration from previous residential programmes and our recent experience of curating and adapting online timetables. The response from participants and volunteers remained very positive, with 98% of participants and 100% of volunteers agreeing or strongly agreeing that they enjoyed the course.
Participants revelled in the social aspect of a residential course with 46% of participants saying that meeting new people/making friends was the best part of the course, a notable increase from 33% of participants last year. Activities in our residential timetable such as going punting and exploring the city during the scavenger hunt were extremely popular with 63% of participants listing them as their favourite activity on the course.
This is not to imply that the academic work was a lesser part of the course with 92% of participants agreed that there was a good balance between academic work and activities. Feedback for the academic sessions remained consistent with previous in-person courses, with 28% of participants mentioning academic sessions as their favourite activity of the week, or the best part of the course. As our network of academic tutors grows, we continue to encourage tutors to return to teach with us with the confidence that their prior experience with Universify will provide high quality academic sessions.
## 99%
## 98%
of participants agreed that staff were friendly and helpful
of participants agreed or strongly agreed that they enjoyed the course
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## Our Future Plans
In **2023** we want to take advantage of the operational and financial stability we achieved in **2022** to maximise our impact. In particular, we want to address the growing need for more effective support for students whose education - and future opportunities - have been so severely impacted by the pandemic. [29] Our plan has three goals not only to increase the number of students we work with but also to maximise the impact of that work.
## Tackle low GCSE attainment by expanding our year-long programme in partnership with more universities
One of the Office for Students' 5 new priorities is for universities to partner with schools and organisations to raise the attainment of young people. [30] With 6 years of consistent impact on GCSE attainment, we want to support universities to fulfil this priority through partnership. We aim to partner with additional universities to help them tackle one of the major barriers to university while expanding the number – and geographical range – of Universify students.
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Expanding
partnerships with
more universities
Reach more
students through
new programmes
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## Grow our impact and meet increased demand by reaching more students through new programmes
Developing partnerships to host our yearlong programme takes time. We want to meet the growing need for our work now by providing an additional, impactful programme that we can launch sooner alongside our flagship year-long programme. Therefore, with excellent feedback from our online programmes delivered during the pandemic, we aim to pilot a hybrid programme, combining online academic sessions with workshops at universities. [31] This new programme will also allow us to work with students who require the greater flexibility of online learning, such as young carers, while still maintaining the benefit of taking part in a sustained programme.
[29] Fair Education Alliance, ‘Report Card 2022. Achieving a fair education in England’,
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/543e665de4b0fbb2b140b291/t/63ce85df00392666493d4446/1674479078611/Report+C ard+final.pdf. Article accessed 24th January 2023.
[30] Office for Students, ‘Our approach to access and participation’ https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-andguidance/promoting-equal-opportunities/our-approach-to-access-and-participation/. Article accessed 24th January 2023. [31] Link 2020 or 2021 impact report programme section.
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## Maximise our long-term impact through increased Alumni support
We aim to maximise our long-term impact in three ways:
- Create a pipeline to programmes
- **1** after Universify – Universify was created to complement the Year 12 programmes which increase access to higher education. We aim to create a pipeline to these programmes from the Universify programme to improve access to these opportunities for our students.
- Increase the number of
- **2** opportunities through corporate partnership – in 2022, pilot schemes with corporate partners offered alumni access to more employment and educational opportunities. In 2023, we aim to increase our corporate partnerships to offer more opportunities for our alumni while supporting Universify to scale and helping businesses fulfil their social mobility vision.
- Refine our understanding of our
- **3** long-term outcomes – we will analyse trends in our long-term impact data to ensure students are sufficiently supported after they complete the programme and to identify, what, if any, additional support Universify can provide to sustain impact beyond the yearlong programme.
Our plans for the future are ambitious and their success rests on continued operational resilience and long-term sustainability. We will therefore continue to develop a growing team, to refine our operational processes, and to continue to increase our fundraising income through diverse income streams.
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## Acknowledgements
WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE AND INSTITUTIONS FOR THEIR SUPPORT, HELP, AND GUIDANCE
## **UNIVERSITIES**
## **Somerville College, Oxford**
Steve Rayner, Senior Tutor Dave Simpson, Millie Packer and Ambika Sarkar, Conference Office
## **St Hugh’s College, Oxford**
Elena Sorochina, Outreach Officer Thea Crapper, Academic Registrar James Hatherly, Gemma Sedgwick, and Julia Jedrzejczak, Conference Office
## **St Catharine’s College, Cambridge**
Liza Zhabina, Schools Liaison & Outreach Officer Thomas Williams, External Partnerships & Outreach Officer
## **Jesus College, Oxford**
Matthew Williams, Access Fellow
## **FUNDERS AND DONORS**
Macquarie Group Foundation The Manak Family Kent Community Foundation Drapers Walcot Foundation
SENSE Foundation Worshipful Company of Carmen Benevolent Trust International Bankers Merton College, Oxford Clifford Chance SurveyTech The Kusuma Trust UK Four Acre Trust Crux
## **THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS FOR THEIR SERVICES**
Ellie Harries, Independent Impact Evaluator Jasmine Choice, Impact Report Design Laura Haigh and Alina Kiradjieva, HR and Finance team, Oxford Summer Courses Guillermo Tirelli and George Mermeklis, Web Design and Development
Lisa McCarthy and Steph Kruger, Tutor Recruitment Tom Bradley, Independent Accountant Chris Tomlinson and Nicola Webb, The Co-op Academies Trust
## **UNIVERSIFY TRUSTEES**
Mary Nicholson Harry Hortyn Tibor Gold Nick Lawrence Shirley Mazeli, Student Representative
Steve Rayner Matt Lacey Robert Phipps Kate West
Kath Davies James Gregory Helen Norman Marco Logiudice
## **OUR PARTNERS**
True
Oxford Nanopore Technologies Oxford Summer Courses Co-op Academies Trust
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## Acknowledgements
WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE AND INSTITUTIONS FOR THEIR SUPPORT, HELP, AND GUIDANCE
## **UNIVERSIFY VOLUNTEERS**
Adam Kavanagh Charlotte Smith Adan Khan Craig MacKenzie Aimee Burrus Cris Pham Aisha Toorawa Elizabeth Olabode Alex Whitton Ellie Ground Alex Lowrie Ellie Saxby Alexandra Haslam Emily Nixon Amool Raina Erika Stefanidi Anja Hollowell Gabrielle Beglan Anna Wray Georgia Hammond Annabel Hall Humairaa Parveen Beatrice Fanti Immy Creavin Bini Fatima Josh Qiao Britney Hamersley Jude Taylor Cat Tickell Kate Matheson Cecilia Shi Khama Gunde
Kirsty Hardwick Ollie Rennison Laura Wales Richmond Dias Lauren Williamson Saffron Pougher Lewis Timms Sara Vitaldurand Maddie Clark-Jones Shireen Obalim Meg Luk Sibylle Brochard Murshed Shahriyar Socheat Nhip Nancy Tran Stephen Darby Natalia Wcislo Susana Justham Bello Niamh Stolvoort Suzanne Voyce Niamh Townend Talia Rabinowitz Noah Crook Tess Newton Noaman Malik Wren Talbot-Ponsonby Nuria Arbesu Yueyi Huang Oghale Erikigho Zelin Sun Olivia Tan
## **LEAD TEACHERS**
All our Lead teachers and schools who help set up the programme at each of our partner schools and support their students throughout the programme.
## **UNIVERSIFY TUTORS**
All our Universify GCSE tutors and academic taster tutors who have taught on our courses.
Special thanks to the tutors who volunteered their time to teach on our programme:
|Arthur Hicks|Joannah Fergusson|Stelios Manganis|
|---|---|---|
|Craig MacKenzie|Lena Sorochina|Steve Rayner|
|Garry Reuben Sutrisno|Lisa McCarthy|Steven Smith|
|Jill Campion|Matt Williams||
## **STUDENT COUNCIL 2021-22**
Shirley Mazuri (Student Representative), Anisa, Bradley, Deborah, Fardip, Hudeyna, Josh, Khadija, and Maria
And finally we would like to thank all the students that have applied and taken part in the Universify programme, who continue to inspire and amaze us with their successes. We are immensely proud of the incredible achievements you have accomplished and will continue to do so.
Written by Sophie Grinnell and the Universify team 2022
**30**
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JI
With special thanks to our partners, supports and collaborators.
## How to get involved
We believe universities should be open to all students, based on their academic ability and regardless of their background. If you would like to work with us, please get in touch at info@universifyeducation.com
Published May 2023. Registered Charity Number: 1167240. Company Registration number: 10114061 (England & Wales). www.universifyeducation.com