Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, has written to local schools in the area to encourage their pupils to apply for the Sutton Trust’s UK Summer Schools programme.
The Sutton Trust is a charity which promotes social mobility, while their summer programme is designed to help young people make more informed choices about what they want to do after leaving school.
It is open to all state school students in Year 12, with online applications closing on 3rd March. Successful applicants are notified in late April, and they will get the chance to experience living away from home and explore new subjects – from archaeology to veterinary medicine.
Partnering with 13 leading universities which host the summer schools, including the University of Cambridge and UCL, the programme gives pupils in Beverley and Holderness the chance to experience university life for the first time while meeting new people, exploring new cities and developing essential life skills – acting as an opportunity to see what options are available beyond the local area.
Over 20,000 students have attended a summer school since 1997, with participants being 4 times more likely to receive an offer from a top university. 62% of participants between 2006-16 went on to study at a Russell Group university.
Graham said, “I’d encourage all eligible schools in my constituency to share this fantastic opportunity with their pupils. These summer schools are a great way for students to discover new passions for subjects beyond the school curriculum that they might have never known about otherwise.
“The chance to experience undergraduate-level teaching at these summer schools also stands out on personal statements for those planning on going to university and gives anyone who’s unsure the chance to see whether Higher Education is for them.
“Living with other students from across the UK, meanwhile, helps to boost confidence and the programme as a whole can give students the confidence to apply to university when they might not have done so otherwise.”
More information about the programme can be found at summerschools.suttontrust.com.
