2018 Yearbook: Social Mobility & Widening Participation Department

We’re serious about social mobility

Social Mobility & Student Success

Yearbook 2018

What does social mobility mean to you?

Here’s what social mobility means to the King’s community

‘King’s Scholars is eye-opening and inspiring. It has shown me what I can and want to achieve when I grow up.’

Shane King’s Scholars participant

‘Everyone should have the opportunity to achieve what they want to, regardless of any obstacles they face. For me, it’s important that the playing field is properly adapted – not just levelled – so that all people can access opportunities regardless of where they started or what life has thrown at them along the way. This can only be done by actively removing barriers and supporting people to succeed.’

Debbie Peel

Social worker and King’s Advocate Award participant

‘I didn’t hear the word university until I left school. My son and I now discuss university as a natural step in his education. Cambridge is his goal. Parents coming together as part of Parent Power has helped us realise that top universities are not just for the rich and privileged and there is a real path for our children to get there. That is social mobility.’

Daniel Bennett

Parent and member of the Parent Power programme

‘For me, social mobility is encouraged by giving every young person the confidence to go wherever their talent and enthusiasm takes them. In English, we strive to inspire young people to use creative and cultural activity to help us understand our own and others’ lives, and we’re delighted when they take that understanding into their chosen field of work.’

Professor Janet Floyd Professor of American Literature & Culture, King’s College London

Welcome

e-opening and insiring.

‘Social mobility is not just my job; it is my life story. I attended an outreach programme aged 17 and it opened a world of higher education and opportunity for me. I’m proud to work for a university that takes social mobility seriously. This yearbook is a taste of the strategies, activities, and people involved in delivering social mobility and student success at King’s College London.’

Anne-Marie Canning MBE Director of Social Mobility & Student Success

‘For me, social mobility is a core part of a university’s purpose. If we do not provide ladders of opportunity through education, then we are not fulfilling our role as a university in society.’

Professor Edward Byrne AC President and Principal

Introducing the Social Mobility & Student Success Division

King’s College London has a dedicated division for social mobility and student success, drawing together widening participation, student success, academic support and a ‘what works’ approach to evaluation.

This means we can take a joined-up approach to helping people access university and thrive whilst they are studying with us.

From primary school to labour market

WHAT WORKS

The objectives of the Social Mobility & Student Success Division are a core part of King’s Strategic Vision 2029.

We aim to:

Lead the Russell Group in terms of social mobility and widening participation.

Care about students on an individual basis and design mainstream interventions that remove all forms of inequality in learner engagement, retention and success.

Build a community of learners.

The What Works Department makes sure all King’s widening participation and student success initiatives are evidence-based, informed by cutting edge behavioural insights and data analytics, and robustly evaluated.

WIDENING PARTICIPATION

Key Stage 3

We encourage local students to participate in higher education, raising their aspirations through activities. Our outreach programmes provide impartial guidance, helping students to make informed choices.

STUDENT SUCCESS AND ACADEMIC SUPPORT

STAGE 5

Successful graduates

Our tailored support improves the employability and career outcomes of students involved in our programmes.

Key Stage 5

Our outreach work targets students in London and beyond to improve access to King’s and other universities. The activities help them to prepare for higher education and enhance their attainment.

Equality of access

Our recruitment, selection and admissions processes are fair and transparent, identifying the talent and potential of students from all backgrounds.

Empowering students

We provide excellent student support and education services to address the on-course needs of students from underrepresented backgrounds.

STAGE 1

STAGE 2

STAGE 4

STAGE 3

What’s next for social mobility?

We believe that people from every background have the right to a great education. Over the past five years, we have worked to make our student body more diverse than ever before. 77 per cent of our students are now from state schools, 47 per cent are from BAME backgrounds and we have the fastest growing population of low-income students in the Russell Group.

Through philanthropic giving by 2029 we will:

Close the attainment at GCSE for 5,000 of the poorest children in London.

Give low-income undergraduates at King’s access to postgraduate courses.

Boost employment outcomes for students from less privileged backgrounds at King’s.

Lead the sector in an evidence-led innovative approach.

Create a movement of senior people working on this issue.

Our university is greater when people from all backgrounds study and work at King’s. As we approach our 200th anniversary, we have committed to leading the Russell Group universities in social mobility and widening participation.

Social mobility is one of our strategic priorities because the UK is facing a deep and pressing social mobility problem. The most disadvantaged 20 per cent of young people are still 6.8 times less likely to attend highly selective universities than the most advantaged 20 per cent (OFFA, 2016). Even when students from less advantaged backgrounds do get into university, they face poorer prospects on average than their wealthier peers. As a nation, we are missing out on the valuable contributions of millions of individuals.

We are taking an innovative approach to turn this story around. With new

philanthropic funding, we will develop three new areas of work to build on our current offer. This funding will enable us to extend our reach from pupils in secondary school education through to postgraduate study.

Getting in

The biggest barrier to accessing the most selective universities is missing out on the top grades. We have successfully boosted the attainment for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 learners.

Expanding Seven+ will help us support thousands of students at Key Stage 4 and 5 to reach their full academic potential. Through intensive evidence-led programmes, we will work with bright students across London to help them gain access to top universities.

Getting on

The story does not end at university. Access to funding, career opportunities and support networks are essential for students to thrive during their studies and after graduation.

The Civic Leadership Academy is a brand-new way of equipping students with the skills and experience to accelerate their careers whilst improving local communities. They will gain 300 hours of meaningful work experience with a London charity, a £3,000 bursary to support their time commitment, leadership training and access to a powerful network of civic leaders in business, government and the third sector. The programme will be rigorously evaluated to measure impact and scale its success.

Getting up

The cost of postgraduate study still prevents many talented students from low-income backgrounds from accessing further study.

Our Master’s Scholarship programme will help the brightest students to achieve a postgraduate qualification, regardless of their financial situation. This will enable more students from disadvantaged backgrounds to access top professions than ever before.

WIDENING PARTICIPATION

Raising attainment

Key Stage 3

We believe a student’s academic potential should not be hindered by their circumstances. When they begin primary school, students from the least well-off backgrounds are already 4.3 months behind in academic attainment compared to their more well-off classmates. By the time they begin secondary school (Key Stage 3), this gap is as large as nine months.

Our impact

KING’S SCHOLARS

100% OF TEACHERS BELIEVE THEIR ATTENDING STUDENTS LEARNED NEW SKILLS

Raising GCSE attainment

27,000

FAMILY DAY

98% OF PARENTS WOULD ALTER THEIR PARENTING AS A RESULT OF ATTENDING THE KING’S SCHOLARS FAMILY DAY

INTOUNIVERSITY SCHOOL LEAVERS

75%ACHIEVED A UNIVERSITY PLACE

25%PROGRESSED TO A TOP THIRD UNIVERSITY

GAMEPLAN

VISITS TO GAMEPLAN.AC.UK

King’s Scholars

This scheme works with over 900 underrepresented year 7-9 pupils from 13 local schools in Lambeth, Southwark and Westminster. 100 per cent of last year’s cohort are either eligible for pupil premium or live in a deprived postcode (according to the Acorn 4/5 measure).

We encourage the students to apply to highly selective universities through our intensive three-year initiative, which includes:

a 60-hour timetable

eight on-campus visits

11 after-school sessions

four parental engagement events.

The innovative teaching includes metacognition skills, a person’s awareness and understanding of their thought processes in learning. The teaching of metacognition skills with King’s Scholars raises their attainment.

King’s Scholars in Schools

www.kingsscholar.org.uk is our open access website, which aims to raise the attainment of disadvantaged learners and improve their knowledge of how to get into university. It features six lessons for underrepresented year 6-9 pupils on university access and metacognition.

Gameplan

King’s College London designed www. gameplan.ac.uk, a free games-based website giving 10-14-year-olds (and their parents) advice and guidance on how to access top universities.

Born to Be

www.borntobe.org.uk engages with first generation families in university. It offers a guidance pack for parents, online chat with a current King’s student and a university open day. After a six-week pilot in the Hastings Social Mobility Opportunity Area in spring 2018, 83 parents requested packs.

King’s College London Student’s Union –Student Outreach

KCLSU helps its student groups to deliver outreach workshops and after-school clubs, all created and run by the students. There are currently 11 groups delivering 13 different events in local schools and colleges.

McFadzean Scholars

This scheme equips year 10 and 11 white working-class boys with the skills and knowledge they need to go to university. This year, the initiative welcomed 32 boys from across London for three days of university exploration, followed by targeted support and online guidance from current King’s students. Before the event, 67 per cent of them wanted to attend university; afterwards, this increased to 81 per cent.

IntoUniversity

King’s is a long-term supporter of IntoUniversity, a nationwide education charity which promotes high aspirations for underrepresented young people. The charity works with schools and colleges to deliver workshops designed to encourage ambition and enhance attainment. We are proud to be the lead sponsor for the Lambeth IntoUniversity Centre in Kennington.

WIDENING PARTICIPATION

Raising attainment Key Stage

5

K+

We believe a student’s academic potential should not be hindered by their circumstances. When leaving Key Stage 5, students from the least well-off backgrounds are 19.3 months behind in academic attainment compared to their more well-off classmates. No student should enter higher or further education or the labour market at an academic disadvantage based solely on their background.

Our impact

K+ SHORTLISTED FOR WIDENING PARTICIPATION OR OUTREACH INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR IN THE 2017 TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION AWARDS

1,400+

APPLICATIONS TO JOIN THE SCHEME IN 2018

Raising A-Level attainment

KING’S MATHS SCHOOL IN THE TOP

0.5%

OF SCHOOLS IN THE UK FOR VALUE ADDED: STUDENTS PERFORM, ON AVERAGE, ONE GRADE BETTER IN EACH SUBJECT THAN PREDICTED BY THEIR GCSES

78 K+ STUDENTS ENROLLED AT KING’S THIS YEAR

100% OF STUDENTS RECEIVED AN A*- B GRADE IN MATHEMATICS

93%GAINING AN A*

Spotlight programme

K+

This two-year initiative is our flagship widening participation scheme for post-16 learners. We recruit 300 students from underrepresented groups to the scheme each year (with over 1,400 applications). Participants take part in activities focusing on academia, culture, careers and society, gaining insights into university life whilst building transferable skills for the future. Students who complete K+ are entitled to get a reduced offer at King’s and are further supported once they arrive at university.

KEY STAGE 5

K+ Raising Attainment Project

In 2018 we supported 45 students with topics they were struggling with in their Chemistry and Biology A-Level work, offering eight weeks of Saturday lessons with two qualified teachers. There was a five per cent improvement in Biology attainment and a 12 per cent improvement in Chemistry, and 100 per cent of the students said they felt more confident in these subjects at A-Level because of the project.

King’s College London Maths School

Sponsored by King’s College London, the school supports motivated students with an aptitude and enthusiasm for maths. 100 per cent of this year’s students received an A*, A or B grade in Mathematics, including 93 per cent gaining an A*. Progression to university is exceptional, with 20 per cent of applicants progressing to Oxbridge and every single student confirming a place at a Russell Group or Sutton Trust 30 university. The school also runs a range of outreach programmes, including Seven+. This is three days of problem solving and exam preparation over the Easter holidays to help students achieve a very high GCSE grade.

The Brilliant Club

The Brilliant Club recruits, trains and places PhD students in schools to deliver programmes of university-style tutorials, encouraging able students and preparing them for higher education. Many PhD researchers from King’s have been involved in leading these programmes, which include a launch event at a university and a graduation ceremony.

WIDENING PARTICIPATION

Raising attainment Sigourney’s Story (K+)

My name is Sigourney, and I am currently in the second year of my Physics degree at King’s College London – something that still gives me butterflies to think about. My journey to higher education is unconventional, as I am first in my family to attend university. This came with challenges, trials and tribulations, but with the help of the K+ programme I was able to overcome them all.

I first realised I had potential when I received my GCSE results after what was a very stressful and strenuous exam period. However, I still lacked the confidence to envision myself in an excellent university and the strength to work towards it. I always had a passion for learning, but as I got older I realised that it was not shared by those around me. As a result, my passion burned out.

Luckily, I came across the K+ programme in Sixth Form. K+ was a bridge that helped me take not a leap, but a journey of faith. Looking back, it induced and contributed to my academic, professional and personal development.

During the programme, we were given countless opportunities to gain a taste of what

being a university student was like. Many of our activities and challenges took place on campus where we could interact with worldrenowned professors and lecturers, meet with undergraduates or postgraduates and talk to other members of staff to answer all our questions.

K+ gave me the chance to make life-long connections and cultivate comfort outside my comfort zone. It also gave me the daring belief that higher education was for me as much as it was for anyone else. It acted as an extra pillar of support in many ways during my journey to higher education, far beyond my academic success.

In my second year of A-Levels I was working tirelessly to improve my grades in preparation for my final exams. When I was at a ‘preparing for university’ K+ event, the staff took the time to ask how I was and if I was coping well, which still means a lot me to this day. I greatly valued the support they gave me as it uplifted and motivated me.

I gained so much from K+! At the Science Museum I learned the scale of the resources that London makes available to us as students

K+ gave me the chance to make life-long connections and cultivate comfort outside my comfort zone. It also gave me the daring belief that higher education was for me as much as it was for anyone else.

every day. At the Academic Day we studied Parkinson’s Disease and I learned how much influence we could have on society as students and researchers. At the top of the Shard I learned that no dream or goal is too big to conquer. We, in the end, are our most significant barriers.

Even now as an undergraduate, I still use and apply the many lessons I learned on the programme. If you are faced with an opportunity as fruitful as K+, I say grab it with both hands!

WIDENING PARTICIPATION

Equality of access Working with vulnerable groups

Vulnerable groups are hugely underrepresented in higher education, with around six per cent of care-experienced students progressing to university. These students often face unique challenges when accessing degree study. We offer one to one support throughout the student lifecycle to help them navigate these challenges and make informed decisions about their future.

Our impact

STUDENTS FROM CARE-EXPERIENCED AND ESTRANGED BACKGROUNDS

100%

HAVE RECEIVED FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THEIR STUDIES

11 SANCTUARY SCHOLARSHIPS

STUDENTS CURRENTLY STUDYING AT KING’S THROUGH THESE SCHOLARSHIPS

DONATION TO KING’S

£3m

STUDENTS FROM VULNERABLE GROUPS

49 7 1% GIVEN EXPERT PRE-ENTRY SUPPORT

OF STUDENTS WHO APPLIED TO KING’S WERE GIVEN AN OFFER

TO COVER TUITION AND LIVING COSTS FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE NO ACCESS TO MAINTENANCE SUPPORT AS A RESULT OF THEIR IMMIGRATION STATUS

AN INCREASE FROM 2017 OF

170%

Sanctuary Scholarships

These scholarships offer full tuition fee support and a £11,354 living cost grant per academic year of an undergraduate programme.

They are offered to students who cannot access Student Loans Company support because they are seeking asylum or because they have a temporary form of leave.

WORKING WITH VULNERABLE GROUPS

Forced migrants, care-experienced and estranged students

Students from a number of groups (forced migrants, care-experienced and estranged) are eligible for one-to-one support when applying to King’s. This includes help with navigating UCAS and course choices, personal statement feedback, interview skills and student finance guidance.

They also receive additional admissions considerations to recognise the considerable achievement of succeeding academically whilst balancing difficult circumstances.

King’s hosted the Article 26 Conference for forced migrants and practitioners and the StandAlone conference for estranged students, helping to share best practice on supporting vulnerable students.

Mature students

Mature and vulnerable group offer holders can speak to current students from similar backgrounds to themselves. This programme gives them an opportunity to ask questions, helps them build a connection to King’s, and offers a realistic view of the student experience.

Equality of access Sharon’s story (Sanctuary Scholarships)

I faced various barriers before I joined university, but the greatest barrier came on my Year 13 results day: 13 August 2015. This was the day my dreams were to be realised, but instead I received the harrowing news that I was not eligible for student finance despite my lawful residency in the UK.

I had lived in the United Kingdom since the age of eight, but my immigration status disqualified me from accessing student finance. I felt betrayed by a system that painted success as being the preserve of those with a university degree. Inevitably, I was lost. While my friends headed off to the universities of their dreams, I took an involuntary gap year without knowing when it would end.

This was a very demoralising experience, especially because I had defined success as coming through my education. But in my gap year, I learned that to progress through any obstacle you have to detach from the things you cannot control and focus on the things

The Sanctuary Scholarship changed mine and my family’s lives! It removed the heaviest burden I ever carried. The scholarship validated my desire to be educated and made me feel worthy of an education.

that you can control. Armed with the knowledge that sometimes the only thing you will be able to control is your attitude, I persevered.

Although I was affiliated with King’s College London Widening Participation Department through the K+ programme, I did not expect them to come through for me again in my time of need – but they did. I often like to say I am a testament to their work, as they have played a key role in where I am today.

The Sanctuary Scholarship changed mine and my family’s lives! It removed the heaviest burden I ever carried. The scholarship validated my desire to be educated and made me feel worthy of an education. I am now in my final year of my undergraduate degree; three years ago, I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to say that.

Today I still pinch myself when walking through the Strand corridors or sitting in a lecture theatre, because I still cannot believe that I am a King’s College London undergraduate. I am sure that I am not the only Sanctuary Scholarship recipient that testifies to this. Lives are truly changed through this scholarship.

WIDENING PARTICIPATION

Equality of access Working with students

According to the Sutton Trust, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are still far less likely to attend university. Students from the poorest households are 55 times less likely than independent school students to attend Oxford or Cambridge. We believe a person’s background should have no influence on whether they are the best and brightest student.

Our impact

MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY

100% OF TEACHERS THOUGHT THE MEDICAL ACTIVITY DAYS PROVIDED THEIR STUDENTS WITH:

Insight into university life.

Insight into a subject or study area, knowledge relevant to the school curriculum.

Skills development relevant to progression to university.

Increased confidence in their knowledge and abilities.

53% OF ATTENDEES ARE MORE LIKELY TO GO ON TO LEADING UNIVERSITIES THAN THEIR PEERS

60%INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS TO THE SUMMER SCHOOL

MEDVIEW AND DENTVIEW HEALTHCARE TASTER PROGRAMMES

75 STUDENTS ATTENDED

83% OF STUDENTS SAID DENTVIEW HELPED THEM MAKE A DECISION ABOUT STUDYING AT UNIVERSITY

SUTTON TRUST SUMMER SCHOOL

WORKING WITH STUDENTS

Sutton Trust Summer School

This is a collaboration between The Sutton Trust and 11 partner universities to demystify ‘elite’ universities. Students stay with us residentially for one week to experience every aspect of university life, including academic sessions, social life and information and guidance. This year we hosted 150 students from across the UK; in 2019, we will significantly expand our programme to allow more eligible students to benefit.

Realising Opportunities

Leading research-intensive universities are working together to promote fair access and social mobility for students from underrepresented groups in higher education. Realising Opportunities helps them develop the skills to be successful at university during their post-16 studies.

The students follow a programme that equips them for university life, as well as benefitting from increased information, advice and access to some of the country’s leading researchintensive universities. Those who successfully complete the programme receive a reduced offer at all partner institutions.

Outreach for Medicine and Dentistry

These dedicated teams within the Widening Participation Department at King’s College London work with students from nonselective state schools in London. Through a selection of on- and off-campus programmes, they encourage and enable students to access a career in medicine and dentistry. Their comprehensive range of activities includes an evening lecture series, intensive Medview and Dentview programmes, primary school outreach and after school clubs. Please follow @outreachformed and @dentaloutreach for more information.

Seren

Seren was set up to increase the progression rates of Welsh pupils to top selective UK universities. Since 2015, King’s has supported the Education Achievement Service (EAS) Seren hub with information, advice and guidance sessions in schools, as well as sending researchers to facilitate academic taster sessions.

This year King’s also invited hub students to take part in a summer residential event, featuring academic workshops across three subject streams and giving them insights into university.

WIDENING PARTICIPATION

Equality of access Working with influencers

Parents, carers, teachers, social workers, and school governors are key influencers on a child’s education. We believe every individual involved in a young person’s journey to higher education should be empowered with the skills and knowledge to give expert advice and encouragement.

Our impact

PARENT POWER

200 PARENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS SUPPORTED

35 RECRUITED AS LOCAL PARENT POWER LEADERS

100% OF PARENTS RATED PARENT POWER AS ‘EXCELLENT’ OR ‘GOOD’

THEY ALL SAID THE PROGRAMME HAS INCREASED THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF GETTING THEIR CHILD TO UNIVERSITY

KINGS ADVOCATES

32 TEACHERS AND SOCIAL WORKERS ENGAGED IN THE ADVOCATE AWARD

£500

GRANTS MADE AVAILABLE TO THE TEACHERS AND SOCIAL WORKERS TO RUN THEIR OWN SOCIAL MOBILITY PROGRAMMES

SCHOOL GOVERNORS NETWORK

48

MEMBERS OF KING’S COLLEGE

LONDON STAFF APPOINTED AS GOVERNORS IN LONDON SCHOOLS

WORKING WITH INFLUENCERS Parent Power

This parental engagement project is run in partnership with the charity Citizens UK. It uses community organising methods to mobilise and train local underrepresented parents, turning them into university access experts in their communities and giving them the tools to start campaigns against educational inequality. These tools, used by the American Civil Rights Movement and the Living Wage Campaign, include 121s, house-meetings, listening campaigns, and collective action.

The project has already engaged over 200 parents and recruited 35 Parent Power leaders. They meet once a month to campaign on issues of educational inequality, such as the unaffordability of summer schools and private tutoring.

So far, they have:

Won bespoke open days to the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Leicester. Received training on tutoring, student finance and university access.

Won bursary places at private summer schools. Met with the Metropolitan Police and others to demand better local education for their children.

King’s School Governor Network

Our School Governor Network is a staff development programme for colleagues who are school governors or are interested in the topic. It offers innovative training opportunities, online resources and networking to empower governors to make a real difference at their school.

King’s Advocate Award

Our flagship teacher and social worker engagement project is the King’s Advocate Award, which supports and empowers these professionals to work on widening participation and social mobility issues for a year. They also receive a professional development training calendar, funding for projects and networking opportunities. New teachers or social workers receive an additional £500 start-up bursary and can access funds to run activities for children.

STUDENT SUCCESS

Empowering students Getting the best start

Students from underrepresented backgrounds may start university without knowing how to get the best out of their experience. Making friends, feeling part of a community and having access to the right level of support and guidance is critical to ensuring that all students thrive. Through a comprehensive package of institution-wide and bespoke activities, we ensure that students are welcomed to the King’s community and empowered to transition into university life. Our impact

WIDENING PARTICIPATION

60 STUDENTS WERE GIVEN BESPOKE SUPPORT IN THEIR TRANSITION FROM A-LEVEL TO UNDERGRADUATE

WELCOME TO KING’S 150+EVENTS HAVE BEEN DELIVERED IN 2018

WELCOME LETTER

700 UK HOME MATURE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WERE SENT A WELCOME LETTER FROM ANNE-MARIE CANNING MBE

4,000 STUDENTS ATTENDED 17,000+

DOWNLOADS OF THE WELCOME TO KING’S APP TAKE PLACE EVERY SEPTEMBER

Spotlight programme

Welcome to King’s

Each year we welcome students to King’s College London through a series of events and a comprehensive communications campaign. Working with our partners in each Faculty, a high-quality induction and orientation sets the tone for a positive student experience.

We instil a sense of community within the institution, help students make friends, and signpost them to the services, opportunities and activities that will help them settle in to university life and make the most of it.

At key points before and during Welcome to King’s, students receive tailored emails to help them prepare for university life. For the first time this year, the email campaign was complemented by additional channels such as the Welcome to King’s App. This helped students to discover what King’s offers and plan their activities during their first weeks on campus.

GETTING THE BEST START

Officially King’s

This bespoke welcome event gives students from K+, ROP, Sutton Trust Summer Schools, IntoUniversity and vulnerable groups a positive start to their student life. The programme was co-created with a group of our Widening Participation (WP) student ambassadors, who shared their top tips with incoming first year students on the Countdown to King’s Facebook group. In 2018, students also received welcome calls from the ambassadors.

Mature Learners Welcome Programme

This year we developed a pilot welcome programme to support our mature undergraduate student population in transitioning to life at King’s. 700 of them were sent a welcome letter and a handbook for mature students, including contributions from colleagues across King’s professional services. They were also invited to attend a special welcome event to meet each other and take part in tailored workshops.

STUDENT SUCCESS

Empowering students Supporting students to succeed

Our work with students goes much further than their first year of university, extending throughout their experience to graduation and beyond. We empower students to handle the highs and lows of university life through a range of programmes, providing them with opportunities to engage with staff, their peers and senior cohorts. This support network provides expert knowledge, real-world experience and insights which help students on their journey through university and into work or further study.

Our impact

GRADUATION

8,000+STUDENTS GRADUATED IN 2018 22 CEREMONIES

20,000+ OF THE STUDENTS’ GUESTS WERE HOSTED AT

BUDDY SCHEME

71.4% OF WP LEARNERS THOUGHT THAT HAVING A BUDDY HELPED THEM TO SETTLE INTO UNIVERSITY LIFE

88.3% OF VOLUNTEERS THOUGHT THE SCHEME SUPPORTED STUDENTS WELL OR VERY WELL

KCLSU Buddy Scheme

Our Buddy Scheme pairs an incoming widening participation student with a current student at King’s. It aims to help new undergraduates settle in to university, navigate their first year, and have someone to answer their questions about wellbeing, socialising, work and support services.

Support for bursary recipients

The What I Wish I’d Known programme gives bursary recipient students support with university life, providing advice and guidance throughout their first year. This year, the two programme presidents have been co-creators of the programme. Additionally, the King’s Living Bursary newsletter goes out to 2,000 bursary recipients. This connects them to support and targeted opportunities, including some from external partners.

Thriving Not Surviving Lecture Series

These lectures are open to staff and students, inspiring the King’s community to make positive changes in their own lives by engaging with the topics covered. The series also focuses on creating connections between members of the King’s community through the post-event activities and receptions, encouraging attendees to talk to people outside of their usual social circles.

Wellbeing Coaching

Our Wellbeing Life Coaches help students to find their way through university life, empowering them with strategies for success through one-to-one wellbeing coaching. There are also workshops, courses, campaigns and events throughout the academic year. The coaches partner with colleagues across King’s to create opportunities for students to reflect on their wellbeing, especially at key times of the year (such as Welcome to King’s and the summer exam season). This year, Wellbeing Coaches met with 150 students for a total of 367 sessions.

Raising Awareness, Raising Aspiration

This project is funded by the Office for Students and aims to redevelop personal tutoring to tackle attainment gaps in higher education. It focuses on fostering feelings of belonging and highlighting the support available throughout a student’s academic studies. In summer 2018, King’s staff working on the RARA project recruited three student interns from the Dental Institute to work on resources about personal tutoring, including a student-made video. This promoted the support available in the Faculty and the wider university, as well as helping personal tutors to deliver more engaging tutoring sessions.

SUPPORTING STUDENTS TO SUCCEED

On course support for vulnerable groups

King’s offers a holistic support package for students who have limited support from their family, including estranged and care-experienced students. We provide an annual bursary, priority for our subsidised accommodation scheme and eligibility for a UNITE scholarship.

We also have a Specialist Adviser who is their first point of contact, supporting them and advocating for them throughout their time at university. Soon we will be starting a bespoke coaching programme for these students to enhance their overall wellbeing.

STUDENT

Empowering students Building belonging

BUILDING A RELATIONAL CULTURE ON CAMPUS

Organisations with a relational culture value the strength of the relationships between individuals. They aim to build trust through reciprocal relationships, support wellbeing and build collective resilience by being open to developing more relationships. It is imperative that universities foster this attitude to build a sense of community and belonging.

North Star

In Summer 2018 we piloted North Star. We trained 15 senior staff leaders at King’s in community organising techniques so they could reach out to students in their community and hold relational one-to-ones. The programme gave participants the tools and skills to:

Have quality conversations and build powerful relationships with students.

Foster meaningful connections with students.

Help students feel part of the university community and generate social capital. Practise authentic leadership when talking about the student experience.

‘At the end of the conversation, the student thanked me for taking an interest in her story. She said she was so happy that someone at King’s really cared about her story and her experience. It was amazing to hear that the programme is really making a difference in the life of students.’

Sofia, Campus Conversations Ambassador

‘The conversation left me feeling inspired. I feel really encouraged and excited to have more conversations like this with people both as part of the scheme and in my personal life more generally as I could really see the positive effect they have on individuals.’

Monica,

Campus Conversations Ambassador

Campus Conversations

In the 2017 KCLxBIT pulse survey, 27 per cent of widening participation students surveyed stated that ‘It has been difficult for me to meet and make friends with other students’. In addition, 37 per cent of them believed that ‘few of the students I know would be willing to listen to me and help me if I had a personal problem’.

Campus Conversations is a programme designed to change these statistics, using community organising techniques to build a relational culture at King’s. In partnership with Citizens UK, the pilot programme trained 16 King’s students in spring 2018 to have meaningful conversations with their peers. In the following three months, over 120 conversations took place. Unlike other student engagement initiatives, the primary aim of these conversations was to give students a relational experience.

Empowering students A focus on student outcomes

Attainment gaps are a challenge across the higher education sector. The biggest differences are between ethnic backgrounds, but they also exist for disability and age. None of them are explained by learner ability. Addressing these gaps is vital to ensuring all students have an equal opportunity to thrive during and after their student journey.

Over the past four years, the gap between our BAME and non-BAME students achieving a first or 2.1 dropped from 11.1 per cent in 2011–12 to 5.9 per cent in 2016–17. The Student Outcomes Service will build on this to eliminate attainment gaps by ethnicity, age and disability. The Student Outcomes Service will partner with the academic community to focus on four key strategic areas: data analysis and visibility; institutional processes; student belonging and confidence; and training and development. We will also deepen our understanding of differential outcomes in attainment through data analysis, research and testing student interventions. This knowledge will then be shared with the wider King’s community and used for equitable approaches and processes.

We are piloting three key interventions during the 2018–19 academic year. The first is a randomised-controlled trial (RCT) led by What Works. This will investigate whether there are psychological factors influencing BAME attainment gaps and whether behavioural interventions can reduce them. Students will receive role model videos and/or self-reflective tasks related to personal tutors, belonging and study skills to test whether this can increase perseverance and boost confidence.

The second will test a study supporter model which has already achieved considerable success in further education. First year students will nominate a trusted individual to receive advice on how to support the student at key moments in their journey. This will increase and leverage the knowledge of the student’s informal network. An RCT will measure the impact.

The third intervention will pilot a high intensity peer support programme in selected faculties, co-designed by academic staff and students. This will test whether the peer network and student role models can foster confidence to succeed in higher education.

All of this sits alongside wider institutional and structural changes, maximising the impact of our initiatives to reduce attainment gaps including our work to support access for underrepresented students, work to make our curriculum more inclusive and the Race Equality Charter mark’s focus on diversifying our academic and professional services community.

Introducing What Works

The What Works Department was established in November 2017 to drive evidence-based approaches to enabling students from underrepresented backgrounds to succeed at university. It leads the sector in using robust evaluation for widening participation and student success initiatives and in providing internal and external training, advocacy and thought leadership. It is the only department of its kind in a UK university.

What Works builds on a successful two-year collaboration with the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), the world’s first institution dedicated to improving public services through insights from the behavioural sciences. Through the KCLxBIT project, we gained insight into student perceptions and behaviour and had a positive impact on the student experience.

This included doubling the take up of study skills modules from widening participation students and promoting the King’s Connect alumni mentoring scheme: without this intervention, no widening participation students would have signed up for the scheme in their first year. What Works has also run internal training and workshops with external stakeholders to promote robust evaluation methods.

Students differ in how much they know about the unwritten rules of university (social capital) and how much they feel they ‘fit’ with university life (sense of belonging). Both factors are key for student retention and attainment, which is why What Works has focused its first year on understanding how they can be improved. One way that we did this was by

using a text message trial to encourage students to attend welcome events.

Welcome events are a great opportunity for students to join societies, which helps them to build networks and gain the soft skills that are prized by future employers. Evidence suggests that WP students are less likely to join societies, and so may be unknowingly missing out on a significant chance to build their social capital and affirm their feeling of belonging to King’s.

For September 2018, What Works continued to innovate by inviting incoming students to join small online groups and encouraging them to build friendships by joining a scavenger hunt. This aims to help them create a broad support network and increase their social capital. The department will be evaluating this project to see if it works and will share its findings with the sector.

Our mascot, the What Works wombat.

Nasima’s story

Over the summer, the Social Mobility & Student Success Division welcomed 15 student interns from across the university. The internships give students like me the opportunity to gain valuable skills, providing vital experience and professional development for our future careers.

As a King’s postgraduate student fascinated with how cognition and environmental architecture translate into behaviour, I applied for the behavioural insights internship with the What Works Department. I hoped this experience would increase my understanding of the real-life applications of behavioural insights and how we think and behave.

The What Works Department does high-profile work and is unique in its links to the original Behavioural Insights Team and its commitment to evidence-based practice. As much as this was a great opportunity, I was worried about whether I would be a good fit with the culture and the team. Eleven weeks on, I have stayed with What Works as a Research Associate. I can firmly say this experience

has not only boosted my confidence, but that I have also been made to feel welcome and supported since my very first day.

The best thing about the internship has been seeing my skillset grow. I had never written a blog before, but with the support and guidance from the team I was able to write a blog and co-author another. This is something which I am very proud of. I also learned about the many aspects involved in making an educational video, which I thoroughly enjoyed. My perspective of research and writing has positively changed, as knowing my work will be used to underpin interventions for the betterment of students is simply an amazing feeling.

Gaining experience in the working environment can be difficult and somewhat daunting. By offering opportunities to King’s students, SMSS is giving students the opportunity to work somewhere where you know that you will be supported and guided by passionate, enthusiastic individuals who are driven to help you succeed and ensure you get the most out of your experience.

My perspective of research and writing has positively changed, as knowing my work will be used to underpin interventions for the betterment of students is simply an amazing feeling.

Our supporters

Amos Bursary

ARK Globe Academy

Article 26

Bacon’s College

Bank of China

Barclays

Behavioural Insights Team

BG Mag

Bloomberg

British Dental Association

British Museum

Buttle UK

Calverts

Champion Agency

Citizens UK

City Heights E-ACT Academy

Dr Alison Stenton, Senior

Tutor, Green Templeton

College, Oxford

Drive Forward

Evelina London Children’s Hospital

Fair Education Alliance

FixUp

Florence Nightingale Museum

Frontline

Future Leader’s Magazine

Gowling WLG

Guidebook

Guy’s Hospital

Harris Academy Peckham

Harris Girls’ Academy East

Dulwich

HOST UK

HSBC

International Space School

Education Trust

International Students House

IntoUniversity

James Aidoo

JOLT International

Just For Kids Law

Keystone Aspire

King Solomon Academy

King’s Archives

King’s Careers and Employability

King’s Commercialisation Institute

King’s Cultural Institute

King’s Global Mobility Office

King’s Health Partners

King’s Modern Language Centre

King’s College London Dental Institute

King’s College London

Students’ Union (KCLSU)

King’s Health Partners

King’s Library Services

King’s Student Advice Service

Lambeth Academy

Learning Performance

Lilian Baylis Technology School

LKMCo

Maggie Alphonsi MBE

Mayer Brown

Michael Dapaah

Museum of London

National Centre for Citizenship and Law

National Maritime Museum

Nightline

Notre Dame Roman Catholic Girls’ School

Oasis Academy South Bank

On Purpose

Penguin Random House

Powerful Media

Proudly King’s, King’s College

London LGBTQ Staff Network

RARA (Raising Awareness, Raising Aspiration) –

University of Sheffield &

University of Portsmouth

Reach Society

Researchers in Schools

Roche

Royal Courts of Justice

Royal Observatory

Saint Gabriel’s College

Santander

Science Gallery London

Seren

SGOSS

Small Axe

Southwark Law Centre

Splinter Design

St Michael’s Catholic College

StandAlone

Steve Beckles-Ebusua

Student of Life

Supreme Court

Teach First

The BE Group

The Brightside Trust

The Brilliant Club

The Champion Agency

The Courtauld Gallery

The Gordon Museum

The Key for School Governors

The Shakespeare Globe Trust

The Sutton Trust

Tougher Minds

Trinity Academy

TSB

UNITE Foundation

upReach

Wellcome Collection

Worshipful Company of Barbers

Worshipful Company of Bowyers

Join us

There are many ways to work with us in supporting more young people from underrepresented backgrounds to access highly selective institutions and succeed in their studies. Contact us on outreach@kcl.ac.uk for further information about the opportunities below.

King’s College London staff

We believe every member of staff at King’s has an important role to play in social mobility at our university and in wider society. Staff can get involved in several ways:

Becoming a school governor gives you the opportunity to contribute to the strategic direction of a school in your local area or Greater London.

The WP Grant Scheme provides funding for widening participation activities using the expertise of King’s staff. Bid holders will also receive support from the Widening Participation Department, including help with evaluation, engaging schools and young people and space for activity on campus.

In addition, staff can collaborate on and support activities such as Welcome to King’s and graduation ceremonies; participate in our North Star scheme; attend our termly open forums and our Thriving, Not Surviving lecture series; and lead workshops for students

as part of the Civic Leadership Academy and other social mobility programmes.

Students

Our ambassadors and mentors are a key part of supporting our pre-university students to make informed choices and successful applications to university. They also provide guidance and advice once the new students arrive.

We offer a range of paid summer internships within the division. We also pay PhD students to lead short courses within our programmes, and support pre-university students on assignments.

Lastly, we work closely with KCLSU to support student-led outreach and societies. Volunteers can contact the KCLSU WP coordinator to get involved.

Alumni

King’s alumni have the power to inspire and open doors for underrepresented learners.

There are plenty of opportunities to support them, including mentoring on King’s Connect, being a guest or a speaker at an event, or by brokering a collaboration between our department and your employer.

Parents and guardians

Parents of King’s Scholars can join the 100 others who are already involved in our Parent Power group. Over the last year, our peer-parent networks have proven to be powerful: they have already gained a visit to the University of Oxford. We are also looking for parents to share their story with other families to encourage them in their own journey to support their child to progress to higher education.

Corporate supporters

We are proud of the support and sponsorship provided by our key corporate supporters and sponsors. Opportunities to support our work include hosting visits and careers days, providing work experience placements for students and sponsoring our programmes.