Impact Report Academic Year 2015-16

Kiara Germaine-Morris, Lister Community School, tutored by Antonia Gold, Olswang

* The control group was created by UCAS by sampling students from the National Pupil Database (NPD) such that the proportion of pupils with socio-demographic characteristics and attainment levels in the control groups reflect those observed amongst students on The Access Project.

Students with The Access Project are significantly more likely to apply to, and receive offers from, top third universities.* In 2015-2016:

The Access Project StudentsUCAS Control Group

You are six times less likely to make it to a top third university* if you are from one of the UK’s least affluent households (UCAS 2015). We believe this is unfair, and significantly affects the life chances of less affluent young people by restricting access to a key vehicle for social mobility. This Access Gap is caused by two things:

2. Making a good application

The pathway to a top third university can be very hard to navigate without support. Less affluent young people lack the support networks they need to make the best GCSE, A level, degree, and university institution choices for them, and to prepare the best applications they can.

1. Getting the grades

There is a well-documented attainment gap between the most and least affluent young people that begins at primary school and reaches its peak at age 18. This means the least affluent young people are significantly less likely to achieve the A*, A and B grades at A level required to attend a top third university.

University applicants who put in an application to a top third university

Applicants who received at least one offer from a top third university

The Access Gap An academic tutor

We provide our students with academic tuition from a trained volunteer for an hour each week to improve their grades.

A university mentor

We deliver an intensive programme of university support from age 14-18. The programme helps students understand the pathway to one of the UK’s top third universities, from choosing the most suitable subjects at GCSE, through to application, interview and placement at university.

Volunteers

2014/152013/142012/13

925

548

319

2015/16

962

Students

2014/152013/142012/13

891

530

300

2015/16

938

The more tutorials they attend, the bigger the impact. Students who attended more than 20 tutorials in Year 11 made half a grade more progress than their peers.

At GCSE, tutored students made an average of a third of a grade more progress than their peers in their tutored subject.

Students with The Access Project

Students not with The Access Project

* Top third universities are the most selective institutions based on the academic results of their enrolled students.

The Access Project students make more academic progress than their peers

“ The Access Project has helped me grow in confidence and my tutors provided me with tailored help with the things I was struggling on. I started year 12 with a D grade in French, at the end of the year I got a B in the general exam!”

“ I come from a background where my family couldn’t afford to provide me with extra tuition. My parents didn’t go to university, my brother went this year – I am now the second person from my family to go to university.”

The Access Project students are 15 percentage points more likely to be placed at a top third university than a matched control group

The Access Project Students UCAS Control Group

+30% of a grade

+50% of a grade

6x less likely

BarriersEducation is not a level playing field – many students face a range of socio-economic barriers both to their life prospects and to fulfilling their academic potential.

SolutionsOur programme addresses these barriers head on.

ReachOur growth during the past academic year means we are able to reach more students than ever before.

ImpactMeriam Benhaj-Otham, from Clapton Girls’ Academy partnered with Linklaters, has been tutored in French by Linklaters’ volunteers for the past two years. She now holds offers for The University of Law and the University of Sussex.

Why We Are Needed

The Access Project

Impact Report 2015-162 Impact Report 2015-16 3

The Access Project

Percentage of students who applied to university and placed at a top third institution.

54% 39%

The Access Project

ForewordI entered the classroom in 2006, with the optimistic aim of improving life chances for young people in a tough part of outer London. Ten years on, our society remains deeply unequal in many ways. Against what can seem a bleak backdrop, I’m so proud that The Access Project has reached some huge milestones in the last year. Our causal impact on student attainment has been verified by Nesta, and analysis by UCAS shows that we have had a statistically significant impact on our students’ university outcomes in both of the last two years. This success has been achieved through the hard work of so many different groups of people. I would like to thank all of you: every one of our 962 volunteers who provided one-to-one academic tuition this year; each of our 18 inspirational partner schools; all of our financial supporters, including Impetus-The Private Equity Foundation; and every one of my wonderful colleagues who demonstrate such commitment to our young people every day. Despite this hard work, much remains to be done. I want to outline the challenges we face in making access to top third universities fair, why it matters, and our vision for the future.

Impact Report 2015-164

The Access Project

3Impact Report 2015-16 5

Our Vision

This is a critical time for all of us who are committed to improving social mobility by making a difference to young people’s life chances. In this report we share conclusive evidence that The Access Project can and should be a part of the solution to the growing Access Gap. Our goal is to work with 2,500 young people in the areas of highest need by 2020 – and in time to work with all of the 400 schools in England that meet our eligibility criteria. By achieving this goal, we would support an additional 1,400 pupil premium-eligible young people to top third universities each year. Getting there will not be easy – and will require us to work with more partners than ever before. Whether you are reading this as a leader in education, business, charity, or government, we need your support to realise our vision to close The Access Gap and make a real and lasting difference to our young people’s lives. I hope you will join us.

Why this matters

This Access Gap matters. On one hand, it’s an issue of fairness. Not everyone should go to university at age 18. However, we believe it cannot be right that if you’re poor you are far less likely to go to university, and six times less likely to go to a top third institution. This segregated system does not reflect the talent of our young people, and is deeply unfair. The Access Gap is also an issue of life prospects. Young people leaving education today face an increasingly complex labour market. Reviewing all of the available evidence, it is clear that going to a top third university remains the most reliable vehicle for less affluent students to be socially mobile and achieve financially secure, high status employment. We believe all young people should have the opportunity to access this. This is emphatically not the case today.

The situation is worsening

The Access Project focuses on improving access to top third universities for young people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. There is good news: more young people from less affluent backgrounds are going to these universities than ever before. However, the bad news is that – like in so many other areas of our economy – the gap between rich and poor is growing year on year. There is a yawning gulf – an Access Gap – between the number of less affluent young people going to our top third universities and those from more affluent backgrounds. In 2010, this ‘gap’ was 36,900 students. By 2015, it had grown to 39,600 young people, an increase of 2,700. This Access Gap is driven largely by the continued gulf in attainment between the most and least affluent young people. The barriers to attainment for less affluent young people are numerous. This is exacerbated by a booming private tuition industry that provides intensive one-to-one support for those who can afford it – whilst state schools across the country are facing real-terms cuts in funding.

Average earnings over a lifetime

£1,385,260£1,597,610

Non Russell GroupRussell Group*

From the Sutton Trust 'Levels of Success' report in Oct 2015

2010 2015Andrew BerwickDirector, The Access Project

The Access Gap

The past five years has seen a widening gap between the number of poor young people and those from wealthier backgrounds who go to our top universities.

36,9

00

39,6

00

* Pupil premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils of all abilities and to close the gap between them and their peers.

* The Russell Group represents 24 leading UK universities.

Source: UCAS, 2016

“ We are committed to improving social mobility by helping poorer young people to reach selective universities. In this report we share conclusive evidence that The Access Project can and should be a part of the solution to the growing Access Gap.” Andrew Berwick

Director, The Access Project

Our goal is to work with all of the 400 schools in England that meet our eligibility criteria.

Working at this scale would allow us to support an additional 1,400 pupil premium-eligible* students to gain places at top third universities each year.

Our Goal

How we workThe Access Project works with high-potential students from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing in-school support and personalised tuition to help them gain access to top third universities. Our programme is founded on a unique and highly effective collaboration between our community of students, schools, volunteers, individual supporters, grant makers and business partners.

Our businesses encourage their employees to train as volunteer academic tutors to our students. Businesses, grant makers and individual supporters provide matched funding for our work with these students, or fund key projects critical to achieving our vision to work with 2,500 students in areas of highest need by 2020.

The Access Project provides in-depth support to students, schools and volunteers through a dedicated member of staff who works on site at our partner schools, programme coordinators and an office-based team who give support behind the scenes.

Students Businesses Programme Coordinators

Schools Volunteers

The Access Project

Impact Report 2015-1666

2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2020

200

0

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

2,000

2,200

2,400

2,600

Year

Nu

mb

er

of

Acc

ess

Pro

ject

Stu

de

nts

Business

Number of businesses engaged with

2014/152013/142012/13

313

230

131

Programme Coordinators

The Access Project

Impact Report 2015-167Increase in hours of tuition

2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

3,310

8,16012,727

Volunteers

2015/16

“ Following a young person through their journey to realise their aspirations is both fulfilling and humbling. I am so lucky to be able to support students to make these decisions as well as guide them along the way – by far the most rewarding part is A-Level results day – seeing all that hard work pay off!” Tracey Beech Programme Coordinator at Moseley School and Ormiston Forge Academy, West Midlands

“ The Access Project doesn’t just give young people from disadvantaged backgrounds access to high-quality tuition, it exposes them to work environments and jobs that they are very unlikely to encounter otherwise – I’ve found this can be as motivating as the tuition itself.

“ I would recommend businesses get involved with The Access Project both financially and in providing volunteer tutors, to support a charity that delivers tangible results towards tackling inequality and expanding opportunity.” Suneil Setiya

Co-founder, Quadrature Capital

2015/16

299

The Access Project

Students

The Access Project students are 15 percentage points more likely to be placed at a top third university than a matched control group*

Percentage of students who applied to university and placed at a top third institution 2014/15

2015/16

West Midlands (£23 per hour)

London (£29 per hour)

Hours of tuition delivered in academic year 2015-16 in working years

7 Years 6 Months

Impact Report 2015-168 3Impact Report 2015-16 9

“ The Access Project’s support means that some of our students are the first in their entire family to consider further education. But the greatest benefit is the resilience the programme offers our young people – attending tutor sessions away from the academy means our students have to be independent way before entering work or higher education. This preparation is key in an area where there is very little mobility of any kind.” Andrew Burns

Headteacher, Ormiston Forge Academy, West Midlands

Schools

Help choosing subjects, universities and courses to apply to

In-depth personal statement support

University visits, specialised programmes and subject-specific societies

Clearing support

Detailed guidance on the application process

£20,884

£342,751

£35,673

£356,729

Hours of Tuition

12,727 hours

13,852hours

The Access Project Students UCAS Control Group

Humanities

GCSE grade improvement by The Access Project students in comparison to peers by subject

Science

+0.58 of a grade

Maths Languages

+0.27 of a grade

+0.26 of a grade

+0.25 of a grade

13,852

* The control group was created by UCAS by sampling students from the National Pupil Database (NPD) such that the proportion of pupils with socio-demographic characteristics and attainment levels in the control groups reflect those observed amongst students on The Access Project.

“ Tutoring is a fantastic and very convenient way to contribute the wider community – it’s rewarding knowing that you are making a contribution towards a young person fulfilling their potential. As you are directly sharing your skills and knowledge, it feels very personal. It’s also great that tutoring keeps that academic knowledge fresh in your mind if it doesn’t crop up in your career.” Phil Hurt

Assistant Director, Corporate Communications, Rothschild

54% 39%

“ A-Levels are a big jump from GCSEs and having somebody to help you through parts of the course you don’t understand is extremely helpful and an aspect of The Access Project I’m most grateful for – I feel tutoring has really boosted my confidence in Chemistry. Alongside tutoring, being able to go to your tutors’ workplace gives you first-hand insight into your prospects after university which is really motivational.” Danyaal Hussain

Moseley School, Birmingham, Tutored by Henry Hopcroft, Barclays

Impact Report 2015-16 11

We deliver impact for our students by addressing their two key barriers to accessing a top third university: getting the grades and making a good application. Academic year 2015-16 saw major successes in both of these crucial areas. At GCSE, students made an average of a third of a grade more progress in their tutored subject than their peers. For students who attended at least 20 tutorials in Year 11, this increased to half a grade more progress than their peers who were not on our programme.

But gaining a place at one of the country’s top universities isn’t just about getting the grades; it’s also about making a good application. To do this, our students need to have the aspiration and confidence to apply. A unique aspect of our programme is that our students are tutored by volunteers from some of the country’s leading employers. This simultaneously boosts their confidence and hones their soft skills, which are crucial to successful university applications. This has a resounding impact on our students’ aspirations – in academic year 2015-16, 90% of students on our programme applied to university.

All of this is underpinned by a framework of targeted, high-quality university support. From guidance on how to write personal statements, to specialised mentoring for Oxbridge entrance exams, our students are given expert support on how to navigate the university application process.

This year we have powerful evidence showing how the elements of our programme come together to radically improve our students’ access to top third universities. We compared the university outcomes of our students against a control group specially developed for us by UCAS.* We found, of our students who applied to university, 69% secured a firm offer from a top third university, compared to 54% of students in the control group.

What’s more, our growth during the past academic year meant we were able to deliver our impact to more students than ever before. We now tutor 938 students across London and the West Midlands, up from 300 students in academic year 2012-13.

* The control group was created by UCAS by sampling students from the National Pupil Database (NPD) such that the proportion of pupils with socio-demographic characteristics and attainment levels in the control groups reflect those observed amongst students on The Access Project.

Students

Impact Report 2015-1610

The Access Project

London School C

Two years beforeThree years since

SchoolsThe programme we offer our students not only increases their chances of attending a top third university, it also raises the aspirations of students throughout the schools in which we work. It thus transforms our schools’ overall post-18 student destination profiles.

This is illustrated by the growth in the total number of students who go on to study at a top third university following a partnership between their school and The Access Project (see opposite).

We’ve mapped the outcomes from year 10 to year 13 that we believe students need to achieve to study at a top third university, and we place one of our programme co-ordinators in school to deliver a programme of high quality university support to enable students to meet these outcomes. This ranges from guidance on which GCSEs to pick if you’re aspiring to become a vet, to preparation for engineering degree admissions interviews.

Further, our schools tell us we provide an invaluable addition to their teaching expertise: we’re able to connect their students with trained volunteers, who have an A-Level or degree-level qualification in the subject their students themselves identify they need most support in. This allows the schools we work with, which all serve disadvantaged communities, to offer weekly one-to-one personalised academic support in the subject where it is needed most, for their high-potential students who need it the most.

What’s more, these connections allow us to provide further support to our students. This includes the opportunity to join our Medicine and Dentistry society, our Steps to Law programme (supported by Linklaters and Clifford Chance), and our Oxbridge society (delivered in conjunction with interview preparation sector-leaders, Oxbridge Interviews, through their social enterprise, Oxfizz). These programmes offer students who are keen to apply to the most competitive courses extra support, including mock interviews, admissions tests, networking events and tailored personal statement support.

For many schools, their partnership with The Access Project helps them to send students to Oxbridge for the very first time. It frequently means that their students are the first in their families to attend university. In academic year 2015-16, five of our students were invited to interviews at either the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge. The overall result is heightened aspiration in a school’s community and the creation of a high achieving, inspirational school alumni body.

London School B

Three years before

Six years since

In my tutorials my tutor addresses anything I do not understand

London School A

Three years before

Four years since

Rise in numbers of students gaining Top Third places at schools before and since the introduction of The Access Project’s programme

“ Tutoring has given me targeted support on particular topics within my A-Level Mathematics syllabus. Jamie and I go through questions together and he encourages me to explain how I got to my answers; this consolidates my learning and boosts my confidence.” Armando Karafili Lilian Baylis Technology School, partnered with the Golden Bottle Trust. Tutored by Jamie Gossage, Private Bank.

342

18

54

1

7

In my tutorials I learn a lot

The choice of topics reflects my individual needs

The Access Project

“ The Access Project has raised aspirations – focusing pupils and staff’s minds on the most competitive universities. The pupils’ independence in arranging, travelling to and engaging with one-to-one tutorials with inspirational graduates has been transformational. In addition, the Oxbridge preparation programme has been of the highest quality.” Max Haimendorf

Secondary Headteacher, King Solomon Academy, partnered with OxFizz

The more tutorials they attend, the bigger the impact. Students who attended more than 20 tutorials in Year 11 made half a grade more progress than their peers.

At GCSE, tutored students made an average of a third of a grade more progress than their peers in their tutored subject.

The Access Project students make more academic progress than their peers

+30% of a grade

Student survey responses Percentage of students who agreed with the statements

+50% of a grade

Students with The Access Project

Students not with The Access Project

Impact Report 2015-16 13Impact Report 2015-1612

VolunteersOur community of volunteer tutors are at the very heart of the work we do to support students on The Access Project. Tutors work with a student for one hour per week, providing academic support and guidance in a particular subject area to enable the student to develop their knowledge and skills and, ultimately, to raise their attainment.

In 2015-16, volunteer tutors delivered 13,852 hours of free tuition to students across London and the West Midlands, an increase of 1,125 hours compared to the previous academic year. Tutors who volunteer their time to support The Access Project are passionate about our mission and understand the very real impact their support is having – 94% see volunteering with The Access Project as an opportunity to help a young person secure a place at a top university.

This passion has resulted in an increase in average hours delivered per tutor, from 13.7 hours per tutor in 2014-15 to 14.3 in 2015-16. As tutors can see their weekly tutorials are having a tangible impact, they are motivated to invest more time. Tutors tell us they notice improved ambition, confidence, and positivity among their tutees over the course of their tutorials, in addition to the academic progress made.

Tutors realise the importance of one-to-one tutoring in creating a strong foundation on which to work with a student, and they value the relationship they build with their tutee. One tutor said: “I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to work energetically with students. Regular one-to-one sessions result in good student progress and positive tutor-student relationships.”

The responses to this year’s tutor survey demonstrated a high level of satisfaction among tutors with 98% of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement: “I would recommend volunteering for The Access Project to friends or colleagues”. This is reflected in the number of new tutors who credit “word of mouth” as the reason they chose to volunteer – from our current tutors, almost a quarter fall into this category.

Ninety four percent of tutors also agree that The Access Project is an excellent place to volunteer. We are proud to consider our volunteers as advocates for our students, the programme we deliver, and the importance of tackling The Access Gap.

The Access Project

“ KPMG is proud to have been a long-standing supporter of The Access Project. As well as the pride that comes from helping a student to achieve their full potential, our volunteers also develop their own skills, making it a real win-win.” Corrine Harms

Corporate Responsibility Manager, Corporate Affairs, KPMG LLP, partnered with City Academy Hackney

of volunteers from our business partners agree the opportunity to volunteer for The Access Project makes their company a more attractive place to work

of senior managers who we surveyed said they would look favourably on a candidate for promotion who had volunteered with us

agree they are able to use their skills and abilities in a meaningful way in their tutorials

of tutors agree that The Access Project is an excellent place to volunteer

of respondents agree or strongly agree with the statement ‘I would recommend volunteering for The Access Project to friends or colleagues.’

73%

84%

98%

94%

94%

Volunteer survey responses

Business survey responses

The Access Project

BusinessesThe Access Project could not deliver its impact without the generosity of our business partners. As well as financial support, they encourage their staff to volunteer: 41% of our volunteers heard about us through their employer. And it doesn’t stop there. From sharing their skills pro-bono, to hosting events, our business partners make The Access Project work. The impact flows both ways: our partners can see their measurable impact on making university access fairer in their local communities and the positive impact our volunteering has on employees.

Diversity, inclusion and social mobility

In the UK, your likelihood of progressing to high status employment is mainly determined by your parents’ income. We believe this is unacceptable, and so do our partners. Our partners want to make their own workplaces more diverse and more inclusive for students like ours. The Access Project allows our partners to address this challenge directly and measurably.

“ The Access Project has facilitated our award-winning Key Project since 2011. This is Slaughter and May’s flagship social mobility project.”

Kate Hursthouse, Corporate Responsibility Manager, Slaughter and May Employee engagement

Employee engagement

Our volunteers care about social mobility too: 94% of surveyed volunteers see volunteering with us as their opportunity to help a young person from a disadvantaged background secure a place at a top university. As a result, 73% of volunteers from our business partners say that being able to volunteer with us makes their company a more attractive place to work.

Skills-based volunteering opportunity

94% of volunteers from our business partners say that tutoring means they can use their skills in a meaningful way. We train volunteers to use their academic qualifications and skills to make a difference to a young person’s academic attainment. Our students have neither the networks nor the money to get such support elsewhere.

“ This is a way for our volunteers to use their skills, knowledge and experience in a meaningful way and make a real impact. It sounds obvious to say, but opportunities like this can be difficult to find”

Linda Zell, Head of Corporate Responsibility, Olswang

Skills development

Our partners know that their volunteers benefit too. 67% of surveyed volunteers say tutoring has helped them coach more junior colleagues and 85% say it has helped them communicate with a wide variety of people. This impact is also seen by volunteers’ managers. 84% of senior managers who we surveyed said they would look favourably on a candidate for promotion who had volunteered with us.

“ The students don’t lack aspiration or ambition, but I think a bit of encouragement and support, from those who have been there before them, can help them to understand how to get to where they want to go. One of the best aspects of the project is that the students have to arrange the meetings and come into our offices and generally get a bit more familiar with the norms of office life.” Isabel Taylor

Partner, Slaughter and May, partnered with Central Foundation Boys’ School

Business partners

BarclaysClifford Chance LLP

EQ FoundationGolden Bottle Trust

KPMG LLP Linklaters Olswang

Oxfizz Quadrature Capital Slaughter and May

Worshipful Company of Founders The Boston Consulting Group

The Buzzacott Stuart Defries Memorial Fund

Major funders

Fidelity UK Foundation Impetus – The Private Equity Foundation Stavros Niarchos FoundationThe Careers & Enterprise Company

Schools

Ark Globe Academy Central Foundation Boys’ School

City Academy Hackney Clapton Girls’ Academy

Haverstock School Highbury Grove School

Holte School Hornsey School for Girls King Solomon Academy

Lilian Baylis Technology School Lister Community School

Moseley School Oasis Academy Enfield Oasis Academy Hadley

Ormiston Forge Academy St Aloysius’ College

St George’s Catholic School Waverley School

With thanks to our:

The Access ProjectBastion House140 London WallEC2Y 5DN

@theaccessp

0207 601 1939

info@theaccessproject.org.uk

Registered charity: 1143011

www.theaccessproject.org.uk

bwa.designAll images by Robert Logan Photography

Supporters

Aimia AKT II Ashurst LLP Aspect Capital Bloomberg Coco Ferguson Credit Suisse Frazer-Nash Consultancy Fulcrum Asset Management Gowling WLG (UK) LLP Independent Franchise Partners, LLP Mercer Neil Cosgrove Nesta & The Cabinet Office Newington Communications LimitedNorthern Trust Parthenon-EY Peter Brett Associates LLP PJT Partners (UK) PSESimon Hillary TalentPool Teach First Treebeard Trust The Boston Consulting Group The Clothworkers’ Foundation The Girdlers’ Company Charitable Trust The Ironmongers’ Company The Hiscox Foundation The Key Support Services ltd

The Access Project’s Impact Report supported by: