Teachers and careers advisers
Helping learners access and succeed in higher education
We offer a wide range of support and activities for learners, from primary school age through to those thinking about returning to education.
We want to help learners to get a full picture of what life in higher education could be like for them and the opportunities that it could offer.
Our Outreach team supports learners from Year 3 upwards and focuses on widening participation by supporting those from backgrounds that are under-represented in higher education.
Our School and Colleges team supports post-16 students through the higher education process; from the initial research stage to preparing students to start life at university through finance and budgeting sessions. These activities can be delivered at schools and colleges as well as on campus.
I felt very comfortable promoting the Saturday Club to younger students who may lack confidence, knowing they would be well supported by adults within their community who could provide positive role models as well as opportunities.
Widening participation target criteria
We focus on supporting learners who come from under-represented social groups in higher education, who may miss out on the opportunity to progress their education, so some of our activities are aimed at learners who meet at least one of the following widening participation eligibility criteria:
- Young people from a working class background
- learners eligible for free school meals
- disabled learners
- mature learners – anyone 21 or over who is interested in studying for an undergraduate degree
- care leavers and looked after children
- young and adult carers
- learners with no parental/carer history of higher education in the UK
- learners from the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller backgrounds
- refugees and asylum seekers
Find out how we monitor and evaluate our activities.
Find out more about our targeted activities and access work in our Access and Participation Plan via our Policies and Regulations page.
Take part
We organise a range of activities to connect learners to the opportunities that are available to them through higher education. Find our more about our:
Activities for primary school students
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Storytelling programmes and workshops
What is oral storytelling?
Oral storytelling is the art of spoken stories. Storytellers skilfully use language, movement, and voice to immerse listeners of all ages in folktales and mythology from around the world. Oral storytelling is an accessible and engaging artform which empowers students to:
Stretch their language, literacy, and performance skills
Embody rich, “living” and historical texts
Grapple with moral dilemmas and life experiences through metaphor
Connect with their own cultural heritage and many cultures around the world
What do we offer?
Storytelling Programmes (3 to 10 sessions)
We offer storytelling programmes to develop confidence, literacy, and performance skills. We delve into mythology and folklore to explore different story structures, age-old language techniques, and other tricks of the trade. Most importantly, we get students telling stories!
Delivered by an experienced teacher and storyteller
Choose from 3 to 10 sessions
90-minute sessions delivered in your school
Small groups or whole classes
Upper KS2, KS3 and KS4
Storytelling Workshops (whole days and half days)
We offer one-off storytelling days (and half days) for groups and classes from Years 5 to 11
Small groups, whole classes and year groups
Experienced teacher and storyteller
Upper KS2, KS3 and KS4
Parent Storytelling Workshops
We offer a parent workshop either during the school day or after school. Participants will learn about the programme, experience quality storytelling for themselves and discover some ways to use storytelling to improve literacy at home.
Who delivers the programmes and workshops?
Our storytelling programmes are delivered by our Outreach Officer, Jordan.
Find out more about our Outreach and Schools and Colleges teams
If you would like to make a booking or have any questions, please contact Jordan at jordan.campbell@uwl.ac.uk.
Activities for secondary school students
The process of using something mundane such as K’nex, and converting that into all of the skills you need for STEM was a very useful eye opener.
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Storytelling programmes and workshops
What is oral storytelling?
Oral storytelling is the art of spoken stories. Storytellers skilfully use language, movement, and voice to immerse listeners of all ages in folktales and mythology from around the world. Oral storytelling is an accessible and engaging artform which empowers students to:
Stretch their language, literacy, and performance skills
Embody rich, “living” and historical texts
Grapple with moral dilemmas and life experiences through metaphor
Connect with their own cultural heritage and many cultures around the world
What do we offer?
Storytelling Programmes (3 to 10 sessions)
We offer storytelling programmes to develop confidence, literacy, and performance skills. We delve into mythology and folklore to explore different story structures, age-old language techniques, and other tricks of the trade. Most importantly, we get students telling stories!
Delivered by an experienced teacher and storyteller
Choose from 3 to 10 sessions
90-minute sessions delivered in your school
Small groups or whole classes
Upper KS2, KS3 and KS4
Storytelling Workshops (whole days and half days)
We offer one-off storytelling days (and half days) for groups and classes from Years 5 to 11
Small groups, whole classes and year groups
Experienced teacher and storyteller
Upper KS2, KS3 and KS4
Parent Storytelling Workshops
We offer a parent workshop either during the school day or after school. Participants will learn about the programme, experience quality storytelling for themselves and discover some ways to use storytelling to improve literacy at home.
Who delivers the programmes and workshops?
Our storytelling programmes are delivered by our Outreach Officer, Jordan.
Find out more about our Outreach and Schools and Colleges teams
If you would like to make a booking or have any questions, please contact Jordan at jordan.campbell@uwl.ac.uk.
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National Saturday Club
The University of West London's Outreach team delivers a National Saturday Club programme each year, giving young people aged 13-16 (school years 8-11) the opportunity to study a creative subject every Saturday morning. Working towards an overarching theme, the young people contribute self-portraits to a national exhibition, take part in masterclasses and develop new skills at their local university.
This year, we will focus on food to explore relationships between community, well-being and nature in West London. This three-part programme will be delivered at UWL’s St Mary’s Road campus on Saturdays between 10 am and 2 pm:
In ‘Food Justice’ (12 November – 10 December), we will work with local organisations and experts to learn about their efforts to address food waste and food poverty.
In ‘Food as Art’ (21 January – 11 February), we will work with chefs, PhD students and artists to make delicious foods from around the world.
In ‘Food as Medicine’ (25 February – 1 April), we will learn about community gardening, mental health support and how plants have been used to create medicines across history and cultures.
Please get in touch if you would like to recommend any individual young people. This is a great way for young people to meet others, try something new and explore university life.
Limited spaces are available so get in touch ASAP.
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Discovery days
Classes visit campus for the day for practical informative workshops with students and staff. Each day includes an activity with Student Ambassadors, a tour around campus and two workshops designed to develop practical skills in public speaking, teamwork and problem solving, alongside university topics such as interview techniques and choosing a course.
- Subject: General careers and university
- Gatsby: 1, 2, 4, 7
- Age/year range: Years 7-11
- When: Throughout the year, dates requested by school
- Frequency: 1 day per school
- Duration: 4-4.5 hours, usually 10am-2.30pm
- Group size: 1 class per visit, minimum 20 participants
- Location: West London campus, Ealing or Brentford sites
- Eligibility: Schools must have at least 30% of the cohort eligible for free school meals
- Data requirements: Form for parents/carers to complete (Y7-8) or online form for participants (Y9-11)
To find out more please contact: outreachteam@uwl.ac.uk
I found the presentations useful as I don't get to do a lot of presenting at school – Year 8 learner
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Career workshops in schools
A member of the Outreach team spends the day in school delivering 50 minute workshops, repeated throughout the day for different classes within the year group. There will be a selection of workshops available on general topics such as budgeting, choosing your subjects and skills for careers. We are happy to discuss other workshop ideas with schools.
- Subject: Various – budgeting and money management, career skills, choosing your subjects
- Gatsby: 1, 2, 4, 7
- Age/year range: Years 7-11
- When: Throughout the year, dates requested by school
- Frequency: 1 day per school
- Duration: Whole day
- Group size: 1 class per workshop, up to 6 workshops per day
- Location: In-school
- Eligibility: Schools must have at least 30% of the cohort eligible for free school meals
- Data requirements: Short form for pupils to complete pre-workshop
To find out more please contact: outreachteam@uwl.ac.uk
The process of using something mundane such as K’nex, and converting that into all of the skills you need for STEM was a very useful eye opener – Year 10 learner
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Specialist careers days
University and career days for specific groups of learners who are SEN, care-experienced or young carers. This is a two-day opportunity, with the first day being in your setting, and the next day at one of our University sites. Learners will be able to co-create the programme based on their interests and ideas to maximise the benefit.
- Subject: General university and careers
- Gatsby: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7
- Age/year range: Year 7 upwards
- When: Throughout the year, dates requested by school
- Frequency: As requested
- Duration: 2 day activity - one day in your setting, another day at our campus, does not have to be consecutive days
- Group size: Varies
- Location: West London campus, Ealing or Brentford sites
- Eligibility: All participants must meet at least one of the widening participation target criteria
- Data requirements: Form for parents/carers to complete (Y7-8) or online form for participants (Y9-13)
To find out more please contact: outreachteam@uwl.ac.uk
Learning about university life and careers was useful – Year 10 learner
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Free tickets for theatre performances
Activities for sixth form students
Activities for sixth form students
We focus our activities on groups who traditionally may have found it more difficult to engage with higher education including looked after children and disabled learners. These activities are supported by current students who are able to share their experiences and personal challenges.
I would describe my experience as enriching and exciting. It made the world of work seem less scary and distant.
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Young People’s Lectures
What is Young People’s Lectures?
Young People’s Lectures involves a series of workshops and meetings building towards an exciting night of motivational speaking organised by young people, for young people.
What do we offer?
We work with a small group of Year 12 students to develop vocational and soft skills ranging from public speaking to event management. This programme will be delivered after school fortnightly or weekly for 90 minute sessions, culminating in an evening event of motivational speaking which the students will have organised. Students from neighbouring schools can be invited to this event.
The programme can be adapted to last between 6 and 10 sessions depending on the needs and capacity of the individual school.
Who is this for?
This programme is designed for year 12 students who meet our Widening Participation criteria.
The programme is FREE for schools. There is capacity for one school per term so please do get in touch ASAP to secure a place.
Who delivers the programmes and workshops?
The Young People’s Lectures programme is delivered by our Outreach Officer, Gagan.
- Find out more about our Outreach and Schools and Colleges teams
- You can contact Gagan at gagandeep.chaggar@uwl.ac.uk
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Takeover day
The Takeover Challenge puts children and young people into real-life decision-making positions in organisations. Young people gain valuable insight and experience of a workplace, while organisations benefit from a fresh perspective on their work. Individual learners will be matched with colleagues at UWL and will spend a day “in their shoes” – attending meetings, working in our offices and developing projects.
- Subject: Various subjects available, general leadership
- Gatsby: 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 6, 7
- Age/year range: Year 12, Level 3 (FE)
- When: November - dates to be announced - contact outreachteam@uwl.ac.uk
- Frequency: Ad-hoc
- Duration: 1 day, 10am-3pm
- Group size: 1-2 participants per 'job'
- Location: West London campus, Ealing or Brentford sites
- Eligibility: All participants must meet at least two widening participation target criteria
- Data requirements: Online booking form for attendees to complete
To find out more please contact: outreachteam@uwl.ac.uk
I would describe my experience as enriching and exciting. It made the world of work seem less scary and distant, yet informed me about the responsibility and workload different staff members have to uphold – Year 12 learner (Head of Film, Media and English for the day)
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Personal statement support
Writing a personal statement can be a daunting experience, particularly if you are the first in your family to consider university or have no one to ask for advice. With this opportunity, learners can email in their personal statements for staff to review and provide feedback via email.
- Subject: Personal statement and general application support
- Gatsby: 1, 2, 3, 7
- Age/year range: Years 12-13, Levels 2 and 3 (FE)
- When: Throughout the year
- Frequency: As requested
- Duration: Until applicant is confident with their statement
- Group size: Individual basis
- Location: Online
- Data requirements: Online form for learners to submit personal statement
To submit a personal statement to review, please complete this webform.
To find out more please contact: student.recruitment@uwl.ac.uk
Thanks for all the help, I’ll definitely be implementing what you said in my next draft! – Year 13 learner
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Looked after children and care-leaver support
We welcome applications from students who have been in care or are currently living in care. We offer a wide range of support and guidance to help with specific questions or concerns looked after children and care leavers may have from application through to graduation. We are proud to have been awarded the Buttle UK Quality Mark for good practice and commitment to supporting young people in and leaving care.
- Subject: Personal statements, applying for accommodation, funding support, visiting UWL, meeting relevant staff and students
- Gatsby: 1, 2, 3, 7
- Age/year range: Year 12 – 13, those applying for university
- When: Throughout the year
- Frequency: As requested
- Duration: As long as required
- Group size: Individual, or small group
- Location: Via email, UWL Ealing and Brentford sites
- Eligibility: All participants must be looked after children or care leavers
- Data requirements: Online form for learners to submit personal statement
If you are a care leaver thinking about applying to university or a teacher, support worker, foster parent or guardian wanting to know more, please contact us for advice and support at outreachteam@uwl.ac.uk.
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Free tickets for theatre performances
Activities for further education students
Activities for further education students
We focus on developing career skills for Further Education students, through a variety of projects with academic staff, current students and community partners. Activities provide opportunities to explore our campus, learn about our courses and receive support with university applications.
Thanks for all the help, I’ll definitely be implementing what you said in my next personal statement draft!
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Personal statement support for young carers, care leavers and disabled learners
Writing a personal statement can be a daunting experience, particularly if you are the first in your family to consider university or have no one to ask for advice. With this opportunity, learners can email in their personal statements for Outreach staff to look over, and can either meet to discuss the application and receive a tour of the University, or discuss the statement via email.
- Subject: Personal statement and general application support
- Gatsby: 1, 2, 3, 7
- Age/year range: Levels 2 and 3 (FE)
- When: Throughout the year
- Frequency: As requested
- Duration: Until applicant is confident with their statement
- Group size: Individual basis
- Location: Via email, UWL Ealing and Brentford sites
- Eligibility: All participants must be disabled, looked after children or young carers
- Data requirements: Online form for learners to submit personal statement
To find out more please contact: outreachteam@uwl.ac.uk
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Takeover day
The Takeover Challenge puts children and young people into real-life decision-making positions in organisations. Young people gain valuable insight and experience of a workplace, while organisations benefit from a fresh perspective on their work. Individual learners will be matched with colleagues at UWL and will spend a day “in their shoes” – attending meetings, working in our offices and developing projects.
- Subject: Various subjects available, general leadership
- Gatsby: 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 6, 7
- Age/year range: Level 3
- When: November - dates to be announced - contact outreachteam@uwl.ac.uk
- Frequency: Ad-hoc
- Duration: 1 day, 10am-3pm
- Group size: 1-2 participants per 'job'
- Location: West London campus, Ealing or Brentford sites
- Eligibility: All participants must meet at least two widening participation target criteria
- Data requirements: Online booking form for attendees to complete
To find out more please contact: outreachteam@uwl.ac.uk
Activities for teachers, careers advisers and support workers
Activities for teachers, careers advisers and support workers
If you are a teacher, careers adviser or support worker we offer a range of opportunities to access our resources, learn about the projects available to the learners you are supporting and hear from the organisations we work with.
- Do you run a network for teachers at your local school or in your local area or are you interested in setting up a teacher network in Ealing or one of our connecting boroughs?
- Do you have an idea for a widening participation project or activity for the young people you work with?
- Are you interested in a UWL academic or student visiting your school to deliver a guest lecture?
- Do you run any activities for parents, such as coffee mornings, training sessions and trips?
- Do you want to arrange a visit to UWL for parents and teachers?
- Would you like us to support one of your school inset days?
If you have answered yes or maybe to any of these questions please get in touch! We are flexible and open-minded in our approach, and would be really interested in supporting your activities.
For her the benefit of being in a professional environment working with practising artists reinforced a desire to fulfil her potential and go on to study textiles.
Activities for adult learners
Activities for adult learners
We have a large student community of adult learners at UWL with diverse priorities and experiences. If you are thinking about returning to education our activities aim to help you choose a course and learning style that works best for your circumstances.
We run a variety of activities that promote learning, celebrate achievements of adults who have used learning to transform their lives and to encourage everyone to embrace lifelong learning. We take part in the Festival of Learning (previously Adult Learners’ Week) through short accessible lectures taking place in different community settings including local cafes and libraries.
The academics were all extremely down to earth, approachable and explained things clearly despite having lots of technical expertise.
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Activities for adult learners
What do we offer?
We organise projects and events for adults in our local communities. These learning opportunities aim to achieve one or more of the following:
increase confidence and wellbeing
create a positive experience with learning
increase knowledge about how to access Further Education and Higher Education
increase knowledge of courses available at Further and Higher Education level
Activities range from workshops at the local library to lectures in community centres and much more.
Who is this for?
This programme is designed for adults aged 21 and over, especially those who are interested in studying for an undergraduate degree.
These events are FREE for adults aged 21 and over.
Who delivers the programmes and workshops?
These activities are facilitated by the outreach team, UWL academics or support staff. Our Outreach Officer, Gagan Chaggar leads the organisation and planning for these events.
Find out more about our Outreach and Schools and Colleges teams.
If you have an idea or venue for a community learning event, please do get in touch.
You can contact Gagan at gagandeep.chaggar@uwl.ac.uk
Activities for parents, carers and families
Amazing event for families and children
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Storytelling programmes and workshops
What is oral storytelling?
Oral storytelling is the art of spoken stories. Storytellers skilfully use language, movement, and voice to immerse listeners of all ages in folktales and mythology from around the world. Oral storytelling is an accessible and engaging artform which empowers students to:
Stretch their language, literacy, and performance skills
Embody rich, “living” and historical texts
Grapple with moral dilemmas and life experiences through metaphor
Connect with their own cultural heritage and many cultures around the world
What do we offer?
Storytelling Programmes (3 to 10 sessions)
We offer storytelling programmes to develop confidence, literacy, and performance skills. We delve into mythology and folklore to explore different story structures, age-old language techniques, and other tricks of the trade. Most importantly, we get students telling stories!
Delivered by an experienced teacher and storyteller
Choose from 3 to 10 sessions
90-minute sessions delivered in your school
Small groups or whole classes
Upper KS2, KS3 and KS4
Storytelling Workshops (whole days and half days)
We offer one-off storytelling days (and half days) for groups and classes from Years 5 to 11
Small groups, whole classes and year groups
Experienced teacher and storyteller
Upper KS2, KS3 and KS4
Parent Storytelling Workshops
We offer a parent workshop either during the school day or after school. Participants will learn about the programme, experience quality storytelling for themselves and discover some ways to use storytelling to improve literacy at home.
Who delivers the programmes and workshops?
Our storytelling programmes are delivered by our Outreach Officer, Jordan.
Find out more about our Outreach and Schools and Colleges teams
If you would like to make a booking or have any questions, please contact Jordan at jordan.campbell@uwl.ac.uk.
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Family learning days
We collaborate with lots of local museums and galleries to provide fun, educational and hands-on activities for families throughout the year. These are great opportunities for families to try something new in a relaxed environment, while also learning about places in their local area they can visit with children.
- Subject: Various activities from painting to coding
- Age range: Everyone is welcome
- When: Throughout the year
- Duration: One day - stay as long as you like
- Where: West London campus (Ealing site), St Mary's Road, Ealing, W5 5RF
- Eligibility: All must meet at least one widening participation target criteria
- Data: Online booking form beforehand or paper form upon arrival for participants/parents/carers to complete
It was very creative, fun and a very nice experience to have with my friends – Family Learning Day teenage participant
Amazing event for families and children – Family Learning Day parent participant
Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring and evaluating
As part of our commitment to fair access and widening participation, we aim to demonstrate the impact of our programmes over time. We are also required to evidence the effectiveness of our widening participation programmes to external organisations.
To do this, we use the Higher Education Access Tracker (HEAT) to track and collect data for our outreach programmes. HEAT is a web-based tool used in the higher education sector. Using HEAT helps us to monitor and evaluate our outreach programmes over a period of time by tracking the progression of participating students. It also helps us in measuring the impact our outreach programmes have on students’ attainment and progression into higher education, graduate outcomes and employment.
Visit the HEAT website to find out more.
Other opportunities for schools and colleges
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Theatre performances for schools and colleges
Free tickets to our performances for schools and colleges.
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Our Outreach and Schools and Colleges teams
Contact our Outreach or Schools and Colleges team to find out more or to book events and activities.
