Widening Participation

We want to encourage as many students with our WP outreach to help inspire young people across London who would not traditionally consider university.

Widening Participation

Here at KCLSU we believe that your background shouldn’t stop you from applying to university, unfortunately, at the moment access to university is not a level playing field:

Just 12% of care-experienced young people progress onto Higher Education, compared with 45% of the general population.
In one academic year, five elite schools got the same amount of students into Oxbridge as 1,800 state schools combined.
Just one in 50 students receiving free school meals gets a place at a Russell Group.

We want to encourage as many King’s students to deliver WP outreach to help inspire young people across London, who would not traditionally consider university, to believe that Higher Education could be a future pathway for them.

The best way to do this is to give potential students a hands-on experience of university life and to meet people like themselves who have gone onto study at university.

Running your projects effectively

If you already have an existing Widening Participation project or you are running a society who has WP and school engagement at its core - this is the area for you.

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Here we have all the things you need to ensure your project runs smoothly. From Funding to Discolsure and Barring Service (DBS) Checks, training and workshops it's all here.

You want your projects to be outstanding and so do we and this section of the website should contain everything you need! If you have any questions or want to set up a project please get in touch ([email protected]). All our guidance on the processes and support for setting up and delivering Widening Participation Projects can be found here.

Create a new Widening Participation Project

There are loads of ways that your society, activity group or sports club could spread the message that university is for everyone. The more creative your idea the better! All our guidance on the processes and support for setting up and delivering Widening Participation Projects can be found here.

Find out more

If you’d like help putting together a new Widening Participation programme email our Widening Participation Co-ordinator ([email protected]) to arrange a meeting and head to this page.

Your programme could include:

Interview session workshops
Mentoring opportunities
Homework clubs
Master classes in your subject
Advice sessions on the University application process
Talks or workshops on study skills

How To Guide

Supporting you during your journey: What is the Buddy Scheme?

The Buddy Scheme is a friendship scheme that eases the transition to university life for incoming students who have been part of a Kings progression programme (K+ & RO) or have been sent a link via the Bespoke Induction event.

Find out more

You’ll be matched with an experienced student who can provide information, advice, and signpost services offered by King’s and our Union. You'll also be a friendly face that can help the students settle and feel like they are a part of the King's community.

Alternative Prospectus

Kings of King's: Supporting future King's students

Kings of King's is a new project aimed at children who are care experienced or care-leavers within four boroughs (Lewisham, Croydon, Southwark and Lambeth).

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Students who are in year 7-9 will be invited onto the King's campus to take part in one of three strands of the program. Each strand will aim to raise aspirations and help students make informed decisions about GCSEs, A-Levels and University.

If you are Virtual School who is interested in this programme please contact us today ([email protected]) or have a look at our pages below.

Programme Information