York St John joins project to support students disadvantaged by COVID-19

New research shows over 80% of HE providers do not expect to be able to work in schools before January 2021 due to the impact of Covid-19.

To support those students who would most benefit from this work, a new online hub ‘Uni4Me’ bringing together 250 online activities from 50 organisations in the higher education (HE) sector has been launched by the Minister of State for Universities, Michelle Donelan.  

The online hub, led by the National Education Opportunities Network (NEON), is funded by participating organisations, including York St John University. It will act as a central portal where learners, parents and teachers can access free activities to help them progress to HE. Uni4Me will offer interactive activities including virtual courses in a range of subjects led by university academics; online tuition and support in core GCSE/A Level academic subjects; live events involving leading academics, students and specialist HE advisors; information sessions for parents/carers and virtual campus tours.  

The chair of NEON, Professor Sir Les Ebdon, ex Director of Fair Access to Higher Education states: 

 ‘Going to university transformed my life from a kid off a corporation estate to a knight of the realm. In recent years many universities and charities have provided great programmes to overcome disadvantage but the Covid-19 lockdown threatens these efforts. Uni4Me is a great opportunity to showcase the many online programmes now available which will be so important to providing fairer opportunities for all.’ 

Uni4Me will support HE providers and Uni Connect partnerships in their work to widen access to higher education for those from under-represented groups. Over £600 million in 2020-21 has being invested by HE providers and the government to close gaps in HE participation between those from different backgrounds. Universities Minister, Michelle Donelan said:  

 “This has been an incredibly challenging time for pupils and it has never been more important for the sector to give every pupil the information and support they need to choose the right pathways for them. That is why I am delighted to launch Uni4Me, a platform to help students with the talent and ability to access and succeed within our world-leading universities, regardless of their background.” 

Uni4Me will make a significant contribution to the work that the UK HE sector is doing to address disadvantage in the context of Covid-19. Participation in the Uni4Me hub will be tracked to enable schools, colleges and universities to ensure that those who most need it are benefiting from the resources on offer. The aim is to expand the activities on offer from Uni4Me over the next year and work with more partners from across educational sectors. 

Louise Carr, Widening Participation Office at York St John University said:

"York St John is passionate about social mobility and is committed to being an equal access university – but a lot of work goes in before prospective students even write an application. Our team traditionally works with students that are less likely to progress to HE for a variety of reasons. We work with students from Primary School right the way through to Mature Learners and everyone in between. Working collaboratively with other universities to offer this online resource centre has allowed each partner to showcase the best of what they have to offer and provide a unique, student-focused experience. We will continue to develop our offer on this site and continue to contribute to Uni4Me in the future as we believe it is a fantastic opportunity or universities and for students alike."