“In a city where disparities run deep,
schemes like Uni Connect have always
been vital to reducing the gap in higher
education participation between the
most and least represented groups
across the capital. And after a year
where the COVID-19 pandemic has
undoubtedly exacerbated disadvantages
for the city’s poorest, the need for schemes
which reduce inequalities is greater now than ever.”
In response to the national lockdown rules introduced on 5 January, AccessHE has launched the Unlock your Future in Lockdown platform.
This bank of free online content gives young Londoners access to higher education (HE) advice and guidance, bringing the campus to their doorstep whilst they are required to stay at home. It also supports schools in meeting the DfE’s remote learning guidance, offering interactive content ranging from 15 minutes to 2 hours in length that can be set as part of the online curriculum.
The Unlock your Future in Lockdown package contains high-quality videos, worksheets and subject taster sessions that cover various aspects of HE study and develop the all-important transferable skills required for life after secondary education, whether that is work or study. Learners can spend one day honing their resilience and independent study skills before discovering what it is like to study Photography at HE level the next. Several of the sessions include quiz elements so that teachers can assess progress and receive reports on engagement levels.
AccessHE will be working with our membership of Higher Education providers across London to create further resources over the coming weeks, so make sure you bookmark this page for updated resources!
In the meantime, we encourage teaching staff, careers advisers, parents and learners to search existing resources using the table below. Options can be filtered by topic, year group, audience, content type and length of activity.
If there are specific activities you would like to provide for your learners that are not listed in the table, please get in touch as we can create bespoke virtual content to meet your needs. Some examples of activities we have delivered in recent months include:
To submit any requests, please contact AHEuniconnecthub@londonhigher.ac.uk. We look forward to hearing from you.
| Name | Description | Year groups / Audience | Format | Category | Estimated completion time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AccessHE Creative | AccessHE Creative offers a unique insight into applying for, studying and making a career in the creative arts. The short online courses are free to use and can be embedded as part of your curriculum or offered as homework assignments. For more info please see our Teacher's guide. | Year 11, 12, 13 | Online short courses | Information, advice and guidance for students | 10-30 minute per module; an average of 2.5 hours for the full course |
| Posters, leaflets and links to send to creative students interested in the AccessHE creative courses | Teachers | Posters, social media links | Information, advice and guidance for students | N/A | |
| AccessHE Creative flyer | Teachers | Flyer | Information, advice and guidance for students | N/A | |
| Choose Your Own Adventure | These short courses will equip your students with the skills and knowledge needed to pursue HE level study. It covers topics such as revision tips, decision making, career pathways and mindfulness. Students can access the courses from a phone, tablet or laptop. It's free and simple to register - students can sign up directly via this link. | Year 9 upwards | Online short courses | Information, advice and guidance for students | 5 - 10 minutes per module. Approx 1 hour 30 minutes to complete the full course. |
| Subject tasters | Short courses developed by our partner universities, including an introduction to law, mathematics, photography and linguistics. The subject tasters have been carefully developed by several of our partner universities, to provide an authentic feel of what it's like to study these subjects at HE, and help develop their subject knowledge in each area. | Year 9 upwards | Online short courses | Subject tasters | 2 hours - 2 hours and 30 minutes per course |
| Psychology subject taster | Year 10 upwards | Video | Subject tasters | 30 minutes | |
| Computer Science subject taster | Year 10 upwards | Video | Subject tasters | 25 minutes | |
| Character Design subject taster | Year 10 upwards | Video | Subject tasters | 40 minutes | |
| Business Studies subject taster | Year 10 upwards | Video | Subject tasters | 30 minutes | |
| Graphic Design & Portfolios Building subject taster | Year 10 upwards | Video | Subject tasters | 30 minutes | |
| Bio-medical Science subject taster | Year 10 upwards | Video | Subject tasters | 20 minutes | |
| Medicine subject taster | Year 10 upwards | Video | Subject tasters | 30 minutes | |
| Know Before You Go | A guide for Year 13 students leaving school preparing for university, employment or apprenticeships. This guide was created in collaboration with Enfield council and local employers. | Year 13 | Booklet | Information, advice and guidance for students | 15 - 20 minutes |
| Resilience | Worksheet to support students to develop resilience, including coping strategies and exercises. | Year 10 upwards | Worksheet | Information, advice and guidance for students | 30 minutes |
| Workshop to support with resilience building whilst navigating exams, and future decision making. | Year 10 upwards | Video | Information, advice and guidance for students | 1 hour | |
| Top tips for studying at home | Year 9 upwards | Animation | Information, advice and guidance for students | 2 minutes | |
| Personal Statements | Worksheet for students to practice writing personal statements, including getting used to the structure and types of things to include in a personal statement. | Year 12, 13 | Worksheet | Information, advice and guidance for students | 30 minutes |
| Personal Statement workshop that teaches students the STAR method, how to structure your personal statement, and how to make it stand out. | Year 12, 13 | Video | Information, advice and guidance for students | 15 minutes | |
| Interviews | Mock interview activity for practicing at home. | Parents and students in years 11, 12, 13 | Worksheet | Information, advice and guidance for students | 30 minutes |
| Online University Interviews - Top Tips | Year 11, 12, 13 | One-pager | Information, advice and guidance for students | 5 minutes | |
| Top tips to help students prepare for a university interview | Year 11, 12, 13 | One-pager | Information, advice and guidance for students | 5 minutes | |
| How should you prepare for an interview? | Year 12, 13 | Video | Information, advice and guidance for students | 20 minutes | |
| Parent Guide | This booklet includes everything you need to know about higher education. It offers tips along the way on how you can support your child. | Parents | Booklet | Support for parents | 30 minutes |
| Parents Stories | Parents frequently asked questions about Higher Education. | Parents | Video | Support for parents | 10 minutes |
| Parent and carer stories about HE | Alma tells us her daughter's experience of HE, and her experience as a parent. | Parents | Video | Support for parents | 5 minutes |
| Lorna talks about the benefits of HE, that she has observed as a parent. | Parents | Video | Support for parents | 5 minutes | |
| The Attitudes of Young Londoners to HE: New Insights and Trends | New research undertaken by AccessHE and YouthSight. The research is based on polling of year 12/13 pupils during Summer 2020, and looks at the impact of lockdown learning, and the pandemic's impact on young Londoner's attitudes towards HE. | Teachers | Video presentation | Research | 15 minutes |
| Student Stories | How did other students find the transition to higher education? | Year 11, 12, 13 | Information, advice and guidance for students | 5 minutes each | |
| Hear from London students about their experience of University and listen to answers to questions about higher education. | Year 11, 12, 13 | Video | Information, advice and guidance for students | 1 hour | |
| Degree Apprenticeships | Degree Apprenticeships Live, with Pearson College London and Amazing Apprenticeships | Year 11, 12, 13 | Video | Information, advice and guidance for students | 2 hours |
| University vs. Degree Apprenticeship debate - our student advocates explore the pros and cons of each route | Year 12, 13 | Video | Information, advice and guidance for students | 30 minutes | |
| Degree Apprenticeships ‘Cheat Sheet of resources’ | Year 11, 12, 13 | Worksheet | Information, advice and guidance for students | 20 minutes | |
| Top 10 Questions about degree apprenticeships | Year 11, 12, 13 | Worksheet | Information, advice and guidance for students | 15 minutes | |
| University Applications | Application workshop with University of Roehampton | Year 10 upwards | Video | Information, advice and guidance for students | 1 hour |
| Choosing a Higher Education Course | Top tips for choosing a course | Year 12, 13 | Video | Information, advice and guidance for students | 7 minutes |
| Hear from STEM, Humanities and creative students on how they picked their course. Try and see if you can guess what they went on to study from their important choice factors. | Year 12, 13 | Video | Information, advice and guidance for students | 25 minutes | |
| Choosing a University | Middlesex University help to explain how you can choose a university that is right for you. | Year 12, 13 | Video | Information, advice and guidance for students | 1 hour |
| Listen to the pro’s and cons of moving away from home for university from Sussex university and Queen Mary University of London Students. | Year 12, 13 | Video | Information, advice and guidance for students | 25 minutes | |
| Student Finance | Hear from current students and how they manage their money at university. | Year 12, 13 | Video | Information, advice and guidance for students | 35 minutes |
| University of Middlesex explain student finance, bursaries scholarships and more. | Year 10 upwards | Video | Information, advice and guidance for students | 1 hour | |
| Teacher CPD | Virtual coffee mornings where presenters discuss outreach opportunities for students, best practice, and top tips for continuing career's education in unprecedented circumstances. | Teachers | Video | Support for teachers | 1 hour |
| To attend the next Virtual Coffee Morning, register here. | Teachers | Events | Support for teachers | N/A | |
| Year 12/13 YouTube series | Advice on choosing university vs. apprenticeship, student finance, choosing a course, studying at home or away, personal statements, and university interviews. | Year 12, 13 | Videos | Information, advice and guidance for students | 15 - 30 minutes per session |
Please note the AccessHE Online Privacy Policy has been updated and can be found here. Existing users can update their profiles by logging in here. If you have any queries then please email us at AccessHEOnline@londonhigher.ac.uk.