Working with you

Our work with schools and colleges

Our programme of talks, workshops and events can be tailored to your requirements and delivered either on campus or in your school. Please visit the relevant pages within this section to find out more.

What we do

Our aim is for as many young people as possible to be aware of their higher education (HE) options and for them to be enthusiastic about the possibility of studying at university.

We know that working closely with educational professionals to help students understand the variety of opportunities available to them is the best way to achieve this.

To help your students make informed decisions about their study routes and careers progression, we have developed an inspiring and engaging programme of activities for primary, secondary and post-16 learners.

Who we support

While we can assist teachers to inspire all their students to consider university, we focus a significant amount of our outreach activity on students from under-represented groups in HE.

This includes young people living in low participation neighbourhoods, students from low socio-economic backgrounds, young people in care and students with special educational needs. To further inspire young people from these groups, we provide an extended programme of outreach activities tailored to their specific needs.

Our work with primary schools

We believe instilling a passion for learning in primary-age children is one of the best ways to encourage them to consider HE when they get older. Thinking about HE shouldn’t just be considered when students end their time at secondary school.

We work with a small number of primary schools to ensure we prioritise working with local students from underrepresented or disadvantaged groups. Unfortunately, this means we cannot support requests from other schools.

This year, we are opening our campus on two specific dates for Year 6 children eligible for free school meals or pupil premium from non-target schools. Each school can initially bring up to 15 students for a campus visit, which will include a scavenger hunt tour and our 'Future Me' workshop. Our aim is to help students see the possibilities for their future, raise their aspirations, and inspire them to envision themselves at university. To book your places please follow this link or email [email protected] for more information.

“An excellent tour - well led by the University ambassadors/students. The children loved seeing and hearing about the university and its facilities. They left motivated to go to university. Great for their aspiration. Great booklet for the tour with activities - kept them engaged.” Deputy Headteacher 2023.

Our work with secondary schools

We aim to bring the excitement of higher education to life for your students and encourage them to consider university as an option for their future.

We have designed a series of activities, including campus visits, workshops (on and off-campus), presentations and intensive projects, designed with your students in mind. 

Our programme for 2024-25 is in development, please see below our programme offer for 2023-24 to give you an idea of the opportunities we have offered in the past.

Our work with colleges and sixth forms

We want to inspire young people to go into a career they’re passionate about, and we know that studying at university can be an important part of that journey.

Our aim is to help you support your students as they consider the variety of options available to them, including the opportunities university can bring.

To enable your students to get a feeling of what university life might be like, we provide campus visits for groups of students, or we can come to you. Visits include presentations, workshops, subject insights and other informative sessions relating to various aspects of HE, from finance to student life and wellbeing. 

If you would like to enquire about a bespoke visit, either to our campus or inviting our team to you, please get in touch by emailing [email protected]. 

Our work with teachers and career leaders

To enable you to support your students, we think it’s important for you to have the opportunity to keep up-to-date with your professional development, specifically in relation to HE.

Whether you work in a school, an academy or a college, we can assist you with your continuing professional development (CPD) through our Careers Leaders & Teachers Conference.

Careers Leaders & Teachers Conference

This free annual one-day conference provides teachers, careers leaders and educational professional with the latest updates across the sector.

This year's conference will take place on Wednesday 14 May 2025 at Talbot Campus.

Register your interest

We are busy working on our 2025 programme and bookings will open in January 2025. Please see last year’s programme below.

EnablED: Dorset’s Path to Higher Education for Neurodivergent & Disabled Learners

This free annual one-day conference empowers educators, SENCOs, sixth form leaders and careers teams to support smoother transitions from school or college into higher education for neurodivergent and disabled learners.

Our inaugural 2024 event took place at our Talbot Campus with “The Learning Journey” as the theme.

We are currently working on our 2025 programme, please see last year's programme.