Impact Report

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Impact Report
Academic Year 2013 -14

“The Access Project completely aligns with the

objectives of Ark Globe Academy: to raise student

aspirations, develop their understanding of university

and support them to apply. The Access Project is a

holistic programme that is based on the needs of the

individual student providing the school additional

support and considerable expertise. Due to The Access
Project’s high level of accountability, we have been

able to see significant improvement of A* - B grades at

GCSE in addition to raised aspirations, higher levels of

confidence and increased understanding of university.”
Matt Jones, Principal, Ark Globe Academy

At The Access Project we want young people to achieve according
to their potential, not their background. We partner with schools
to increase progression rates to highly selective universities for
students from disadvantaged communities, leading to increased
social mobility and ultimately a fairer society.
The academic, economic and personal benefits of studying at a highly
selective university are well documented, and we are committed to
unlocking these for the young people we work with.

Foreword
By Mary Curnock Cook, OBE
Chief Executive, UCAS

This report is a phenomenal story of success. It’s about the success of committed staff and leadership in The
Access Project, of farsighted school leaders, and of generous and professional volunteer tutors from successful
businesses. But most of all it is a resounding success for the students who, with a nudge from The Access
Project, had enough belief in their own potential and the motivation to take up the one-to-one tuition offer and
reach for the stars.
It is difficult to overestimate the distance that young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds may need
to travel to acknowledge that they have the potential to succeed at any university, let alone a highly selective

university. It is about so much more than academic ability. Many students in schools which have welcomed The

Access Project may know no-one in their families or communities who has been to university. Our research at UCAS
tells us that many people accessing our website do not understand the lexicon of university admissions – they

may not know what the word ‘undergraduate’ means, they have no knowledge of what university is for or what

participating in higher education is like. We know that for some, there is a feeling that university is not “for people
like me”.

While all families want the best for their children, their aspirations are framed by their own experiences and those

of their communities. Interventions such as The Access Project play a vital role in demystifying what it means to go
to university, the benefits of higher education and how to use the UCAS application process to support the best
outcome for each individual student.

And just as higher education itself is about more than securing a better career and higher lifetime earnings, The

Access Project provides much more than the opportunity to improve grades through targeted individual subject
tuition. Students participating in the programme undertake their extra tuition in the tutor’s workplace, which

provides them with additional insights to the world of work and the beginnings of a network they can tap into as

their studies and careers progress. As a relationship builds with a tutor, so the student’s self-confidence and selfbelief is also transformed.

This report provides the hard data on the impact The Access Project has on the students it supports, with higher
achievement and well-supported UCAS applications leading to a significant increase in the number of students

progressing to selective universities. But it is harder to pinpoint the multiple soft-benefits that undoubtedly accrue.
Being a Trustee of The Access Project gives me first-hand experience of the very real commitment of the staff in

building the aspirations of young people on the programme, of guiding them to set higher goals for themselves,
and allowing them to believe that social disadvantage does not have to mean educational disadvantage.

I hope this report provides a springboard for a further year of progress and expansion for The Access Project
so that its impact can be spread more widely into schools and communities that can benefit from a focus on
progression to higher education.

An overview of the year
The academic year 2013-4 saw significant growth for The
Access Project. In London the Project grew from 8 schools to
13 schools, leading the outputs of the Project to far exceed
the previous year: We delivered 8160 hours of weekly oneto-one tuition sessions, which is equivalent to 2.8 working
years of constant free tuition!
Our community grew significantly too
and we continued to engage with a
wide range of businesses, with our
tutors coming from over 250 different
organisations. The average number of
hours of tuition each student received
also increased, from 11 to 15.

Beyond the numbers, one of the
greatest achievements for The Access
Project in 2013-4 was our expansion
outside of London. In April we ran a
successful pilot in the West Midlands
delivering both free tuition and
university support to the students of
Ormiston Forge Academy in Cradley
The tuition our volunteer tutors provide, Heath. The pilot was and remains hugely
and the in-school university application successful, proving the model can work
support programme delivered by our
outside of London; as a result, expansion
Programme Coordinators, builds on
in the West Midlands is now underway.
the great teaching and cultures of high As of January 2015, we are working with
aspiration in all of our partner schools.
four schools in the region, with plans
Together, this has a significant impact
to increase our West Midlands partner
on university progression: our rate of
schools to twenty by 2020.
progression to both Russell Group and
Top Third universities was twice as high
as similar London schools.
As in every year, our impact is down to our wonderful community of businesses,
volunteers, schools and students. This report is a testament to their exceptional
talents, commitment and hard work.

In 2013-4, our outputs increased dramatically in comparison
to previous years: more hours of tuition delivered to more
pupils from an increased tutor community.
Hours of tuition

2012 / 2013

3310
2013 / 2014

8160
Number of tutored students

2012 / 2013

300
2013 / 2014

530
Number of volunteers

2012 / 2013

319
2013 / 2014

548
Average hours per student

2012 / 2013

11
2013 / 2014

15

Why we are needed
In recent years there has been a welcome gradual increase in students from less
affluent backgrounds progressing to university. However, the intake at the UK’s most
selective universities remains extremely unequal.
Despite the aspirations of students from all backgrounds, despite the efforts of many
outstanding schools in areas of disadvantage, and despite vast increases in funding
for widening participation in recent years, poorer pupils are seven times less likely to
attend the UK’s most selective universities. Source: UCAS (2014)

15% of secondary school pupils in the UK are
eligible for free school meals, but these students
make up only 2% of the intake at the UK’s 25 most
selective universities.
Source: Sutton Trust (2010)

15%
2%

Poorer pupils are

7x

less likely to attend
the UK’s most
selective
Universities

When the focus is directed at the country’s most academic and competitive
universities, the picture of inequality becomes even starker:
In 2014, 75% of senior judges, 59% of the Cabinet and 47% of newspaper columnists all
went to one of two universities: Oxford and Cambridge. Source: The Social Mobility and Child Poverty

Commission (2014)

The odds of a child from a state school who is eligible for free school meals being
admitted to Oxbridge are almost 2000 to 1. By contrast, the odds of a privately educated
pupil being admitted are 20 to 1.

Case Study: Jenny Baskerville and Caroline Addison, Corporate
Responsibility, KPMG
“KPMG has been providing employability skills support to young people for many years.
However, we recognised that for many young people the key to success is academic
attainment and we wanted to include a programme that offered this to students. In
addition to this, The Access Project also has a strong emphasis on impact measurement,
which is vital for KPMG.
The Access Project understands the ethos of the school and embeds the
programme in order to achieve the best results; they also have innovative
ideas to engage with young people. The Access Project also ensures the
programme is easy for volunteers; our tutors feel supported and are given
the tools required to deliver their tutorials.
The Access Project offers a great provision to young people and it is
exciting that the expansion this year means they can offer their expertise
regionally.
We are looking forward to continuing on our journey with the students and
The Access Project as it expands.”

Case Study: Kate Hursthouse, Corporate Responsibility Manager,
Slaughter and May
“We partnered with The Access Project as we were looking for a programme that levelled
the playing field so that students who came from less privileged backgrounds could have
equal opportunities to access higher education and careers. We were looking for something
that could have a deep impact. The Access Project’s model was innovative and their fresh
approach was interesting and unique.
As the first corporate partner of the charity, we benefit not only from
seeing the growth they have achieved since their first school, but also their
strategic and professional approach to establishing themselves as the go-to
provider of employee volunteer tutoring initiatives.
The most important aspect about working with The Access Project is
that they do not plan to stand still. They are adapting to changes in the
education sector. We want to work with an organisation that is ahead of
the curve and The Access Project is there.”

The barriers
The obstacles to reaching a highly selective university for students from disadvantaged
backgrounds are threefold: they are less likely to achieve the top grades needed; they are
less likely to apply and, even when they do apply, they are less likely to win a place at a
highly selective university. Source: Oxford admissions data via The Financial Times

A
B
C

Barrier 1: Getting the grades
Getting the top grades at A-level is tough. Despite great teaching,
there is a persistent attainment gap at A-Level. The likelihood of a
student eligible for free school meals achieving AAB+ at A-Level is one
third that of a more affluent peer. Source: The Fair Education Alliance (2014)

Barrier 2: Understanding the university playing field
Aspiring to be successful is not the same as understanding the path
to achieve success, or having the knowledge and support to tread
that path. Each year as many as 3000 students from less affluent
backgrounds make the grades to progress to a highly selective
university - but do not apply. Source: Sutton Trust 2004, 2009, 2011

Barrier 3: Making a competitive application
When free school meal students overcome the first two barriers
and make an application to a highly selective university, they are
less likely to receive an offer. The application process for many
universities is highly competitive and recent research highlights that
the differential levels of social and cultural capital demonstrated in
university applications puts more affluent students at an advantage.
Source: Pearson (2013)

The solution
The Access Project works with schools to tackle each of the barriers to progression, giving
each student we work with the best chance of achieving their potential and progressing to
a highly selective university.

The solution: Tuition
We match students with volunteer graduates for one-to-one subject
specific tuition. We work closely with teachers in school to ensure that
tuition complements what is happening in the classroom. The addition
of this personalised intensive intervention enables students to achieve
higher grades.

The solution: University enrichment and guidance
Our university programme gives ambitious students the detailed
knowledge and varied experience - such as university visits, in-school
speakers and practical workshops - needed to make an informed
decision about which course and which university is the right path for
them.

The solution: University application support
The final stage of the university programme offered by The Access
Project is hands-on personalised application support. With the oneto-one support of their Programme Coordinator, our students will
have the very best chance of success in their university applications.

Academic impact
Drawing on our partner schools’ data, we can assess the impact of The Access Project’s
tuition for our 2014 GCSE cohort by comparing the progress tutored students made
against their target grade to their classmates who did not receive tuition.
Across our schools, more students met or exceeded their target when in receipt of tuition
than those who were not on the programme.

Achieved or exceeded target grade
90%
80%
60%

55%

50%

73%

71%

69%

67%

70%

53%

81%
73%
60%

53%

64%
49%

40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
French

Geography

Maths

Tutored

37%
A

History

english

Science

Not tutored

...of tutored students exceeded their aspirational target
grade, compared to 22% of non-tutored students

A*

B

A

C

B

22%

30%

40%

of A target
students achieved
an A*

of B target students
achieved at least
an A

of C target students
achieved a
B or above

Case Study: Olly Southwick: PhD student at UCL and Tutor, and Toyo:
Student, Oasis Academy Enfield.
Olly has been working with his tutee Toyo for 18 months, supporting him in his
Maths and Further Maths A-levels. They meet every week at UCL.
Olly: Working with Toyo has been fantastic, he is really motivated and works very hard.
He has a talent for maths and having a tutor has meant he has been able to push beyond
the syllabus. I only needed to suggest it once for Toyo to apply for and be awarded a
Nuffield Research Placement and he also got himself a place on the highly competitive
UNIQ summer school in Oxford.
Toyo: Last year I had tutorials with Olly nearly every week. The sessions are more
personal than my classes. Olly knows my strengths and weaknesses and he can
tailor each lesson so that we’re focusing more on what I need help with.
Olly: Over the past year, we’ve explored
challenging and fun maths problems,
problems that demand creativity and
sharp thinking instead of formula books
and calculations. Toyo has developed
critical and independent thinking:
confidently exploring new problems and
testing his own thinking by asking himself
how he knows something is true or how
he can test a rule.
Toyo: One-on-one tutorials have provided me the space to think beyond the
curriculum. Working with Olly has given me the confidence needed to answer a
question aloud without worrying about being wrong. They have greatly helped me
throughout AS maths, and the outcome has been a more confident approach to my
A-levels as a whole.
Olly: For me, the skills that tutoring builds are very useful and it’s fantastic to see a
student realise their passion for a subject. Particularly when it’s something you love
yourself. For him, I think having this connection to someone who is a few steps further
down the line is really valuable and I think he has gained a lot from that. I’ve been able
to help him realise how good a mathematician he is and help him get ready for the next
steps.
Olly: This programme is an example of when relatively little external help can
be a catalyst for a big impact for a student. I am a firm believer in the need to
widen participation at university, and tutoring with The Access Project is an ideal
opportunity for me to use my skills and help this happen.

What our students say
At The Access Project, the views of the students we work with are central to
monitoring our impact; we survey our students every term to help us improve
our intervention at an individual and programmatic level. Our latest survey
was completed by 438 students, which is 80% of our cohort.

“In my
tutorials
I play an
active role”

94%
agree

“Tuition has been helpful. I was able to have questions I
may have not had the chance to ask in class answered in
a way that’s tailored to my curiosity and weak points - the
learning is solely focused on me.’’
Abiel, Central Foundation Boys’ School

94%
agree

“In my tutorials
my tutor
addresses my
understanding”

95%
agree

“The topics in
my tutorials
reflect my
individual
needs”

‘’Through The Access Project you get to work
at things that you can’t ask about in class,
because everyone is at a different level. My
tutor explains Biology in a different way: he
kind of breaks it down. You can go over what
you struggle with. I’d definitely recommend
The Access Project to a friend”
Rita, St George’s Roman Catholic School

Student Case Study: Shifa, Hornsey School for Girls
When Shifa heard about The Access Project at the beginning of her AS-levels, she thought it
was an opportunity that was too good to miss. She was thrilled when she was told she would
have one-to-one tuition. Shifa chose to have tuition in Geography: the subject she felt she could
improve on the most.
Shifa and her tutor Nina, an executive at RLM Finsbury, have been meeting weekly since
January 2014 and plan to work together until Shifa finishes her A-levels in Summer 2015. As
well as working on concepts and theories, Nina has supported Shifa with planning essays,
something Shifa identified she needed to improve in order to score the highest marks.
Shifa now feels much more confident: ‘‘The tutorials have been invaluable to me; there was a
‘eureka’ moment when everything just clicked!’’
Nina also finds their tutorials a rewarding experience: “Tutoring Shifa makes my week. She
is an enthusiastic and quick learner, and I have enjoyed watching her progress steadily
through the Geography syllabus.”
Shifa attended university trips to University College London and the University of east Anglia
through The Access Project. The visits inspired her to apply to a top university: ‘‘The trips
were amazing: I felt I left with an understanding of what university entails and the grades
I need to score to get in. I would encourage all students at my school to fully embrace
opportunities offered by The Access Project.’’
Shifa has just received an offer to study Anthropology at durham University. If Shifa achieves
her predicted grades this summer, she will be the first in her family to study at university.

What our tutors say
We believe that your community has a huge impact on who you are. That is
why we are committed to creating a powerful community of volunteers and
businesses to support our young people, ensuring they have the inspiration,
encouragement and support needed to realise their academic potential.
Our tutor surveys gather feedback on the tuition our volunteers are providing
and also tell us what it is like to be a part of our community.

Case Study: Lisa Atamian, Education Project Manager, Linklaters
“We are committed to social mobility, which is a real challenge within the legal sector,
and of course in the UK as a whole. The Access Project is addressing social mobility
by creating a more diverse intake into top universities. Widening our talent pool and
having a workforce that is representative of the diverse society in which we live is a
key business priority for us, and we feel that The Access Project will contribute to this.
We were drawn to The Access Project because it produces really tangible results tutors can see the impact of their work through grades - and it provides an excellent
and very popular volunteering opportunity for our people.
As one of our tutors, Angus Graham, recently remarked:
‘The goals of The Access Project - improving social mobility and
bridging the ‘attainment gap’ - are very worthwhile and a great
reason to become involved as a tutor. However, it is the individual
tutoring experience itself that I have found most rewarding and I
continue to look forward to our sessions each week. The programme
offers a fantastic opportunity for the firm to contribute to our
community using the skills and talents at our disposal, and I could not
recommend it more highly.’
The Access Project is very important as part of our social mobility
programme and we look forward to continuing our relationship with
them.”

Case study: Ramesh Deonarine, Assistant Economist, Department for
Education and Tutor
Ramesh joined The Access Project as a Maths tutor over three years ago. He is now working
with his third tutee Shahena.
“Tutoring with The Access Project is incredibly rewarding: I feel lucky to do something that
makes a difference that you can really see, week on week.
I volunteer as a tutor because I want to help remove barriers and support students who
want to go to university, and The Access Project creates the framework and support to
enable me to do that. It’s a sustained relationship between someone who really wants to
succeed and someone who has the experience to assist them.
Each student I have tutored through The Access Project has been different but they
have all been hard-working and ambitious students. There have been some great exam
successes, but I think my real measure of success is seeing them develop over time and
become ready for the next stage in their education.”

90%
...of our tutors say that tutoring gives them a strong feeling of accomplishment

88%
...agree that they get to use their skills in a meaningful way by tutoring a student

94%
...say that The Access Project is an excellent place to volunteer

94%
...of our tutors would recommend tutoring with The Access Project to a colleague or friend

University Progression
In 2014, 45 students from across our schools confirmed their places at Russell Group
universities, a progression rate of almost 12%: double the progression rate of similar schools
in London. Across our schools 97 students progressed to a highly selective university (i.e.
institutions placed in the top third of universities by selectivity). This progression rate of
24% is again double the average in similar London schools.

24%

12%

12%

Progession to Russell Group University

6%
Progession to Top Third University

The Access Project Schools

Comparable London Schools

In our longest standing schools, the average progression before and after The Access Project’s intervention shows
a dramatic increase in progression to Russell Group universities.

10
8

Average progession in the two years
before The Access Project intervention

2

2

Pilot School

2

8

Average progession in the two years
following The Access Project intervention

School 1

“The project challenges students in many ways and provides excellent support
for the most able students who should, and now are, seriously considering Russell
Group university places as realistic pathways that they can follow.”
Mark Emmerson, Principal, The City Academy Hackney

* The comparison is based on the most recent progression data released by DfE for the 2011/2012 academic year. Similar schools in London have more than 30% of students in receipt of free
school meals, based on 2013 data.

Case Study: Atika, Alumna, Clapton Girls’ Academy
After achieving strong grades at GCSe, Atika found the step up to AS-level challenging and did not do as well as she
hoped. Her dream was to study a language at university, but after getting an e in her French exams, she realised that
she would need extra support in the subject.
Atika joined The Access Project in 2013. She was matched with French tutor Francois, a Global Business Manager at
Linklaters and a native French speaker. They met at the Linklaters office every week for hour-long academic tutorials.
“Before I met my tutor I was a little bit nervous – but when I met him he was really friendly and relaxed.”
Atika and her tutor agreed a programme for each tutorial, splitting the hour into speaking, writing, reading and
debating.
‘’Having a tutor was really helpful because it was a way to fit in an extra hour of revision a week, in a different
way to sitting on my own in the library or forming a study group with classmates. Being a part of The Access
Project not only helped with my studies, it enabled me to hear about different careers and the various routes to
them, thanks to the work of my Programme Coordinator in school.”
Through weekly tutorials, and dedication to the programme, Atika’s grades improved significantly: from an e at AS-level
to a B in her final A-level exam.
Atika is now studying Arabic and Linguistics at SOAS, a top third university.

Looking forward
By Andrew Berwick
Director, The Access Project

This report is a story of change. Of a changing organisation - one that has grown in the last year
to become a regional organisation, beyond our original London base. And of changes in young
people’s lives: driven by committed leadership and teaching in schools, inspirational volunteer
tutors, and wise and passionate advice and guidance from our staff in school.
Sadly, stories like those in this report are the exception. Despite an increase in the number of
young people from all backgrounds going to university in recent years, those from affluent
backgrounds remain 7 times more likely to go to a selective university than their less affluent
peers. Put another way, in each of the last 3 years around 45 students on free school meals went
to Oxbridge.
This needs to change. The good news is that the next 5 years is our once in a lifetime
opportunity to make this happen: we are about to see phenomenal growth in university access
and the professions. The Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission estimates that by 2020
there will be 100,000 more university places and two million more professional jobs than today.
Reaching the ‘top’ of society is not a zero-sum game.
At The Access Project we want to ensure these new opportunities are open to young people
from all backgrounds. This means collaborating with fantastic national organisations like Teach
First and Impetus – The Private Equity Foundation to increase our reach and hone our impact. It
also means working directly with more students, in more areas of the country. By 2020 we want
to be working in 100 schools nationally, supporting 6,000 students every year.
We need the help of others to do this. We need to find 80 more inspirational school leaders
who are excited about our approach to improving access. We need to find an additional
5,000 committed volunteers. And we need to find many more businesses who believe in the
importance of this once in a lifetime opportunity for change - and are willing to support this with
time and resources.
We hope that you are as excited as we are about making this change happen.

Social impact is at the heart of what we do. We’ve written this report to try to
outline the impact we have had to date, but as we grow we need to continue
to improve. We’re passionate about ensuring the best outcome for every
student we work with – and are lucky to have several amazing organisations
helping us to do this:

“The Access Project is currently validated by The Centre for Social Action
Innovation Fund, and our evidence partners TSIP, at Level 2 on Nesta’s Standards
of Evidence. This means we are confident that they can accurately demonstrate a
positive change in their target outcomes – in this case students’ attainment and
access to Russell Group universities. They have been able to measure their impact,
and in doing so hold themselves accountable to the young people, businesses and
funders that they work with.”
Vicky Sellick, Director of Centre for Social Action Innovation Fund, Nesta

“As part of The Access Project’s commitment to high quality self-evaluation, we
are currently working with them to identify and adapt sophisticated evaluation
methods that aim to overcome the biases of simply comparing the performance of
tutored and non-tutored students. We have been delighted to work with The Access
Project to help them get a better idea of the effectiveness of their work with young
people.”
Jake Anders, The National Institute of Economic and Social Research

“The Access Project has a very clearly defined social mission. The organisation’s
delivery model reflects their commitment and is well aligned with their goal of
narrowing the access gap. The Access Project is very committed to using monitoring
and evaluation to both improve student outcomes and to continuously refine its
programme over time; this will stand the organisation in good stead to drive impact
for its students and to replicate a programme that works nationally.”
Sebastien Ergas, Impetus – The Private Equity Foundation

The
Access
Project

With thanks to our business partners
and schools:

With additional thanks to our
supporters:

Ark Globe Academy

Aimia

Central Foundation Boys’ School

AKTII

Clapton Girls’ Academy

Ashurst

Haverstock School

Bellenden

Highbury Grove School

Bloomberg

Holte School

Charles River Associates

Hornsey School for Girls

Credit Suisse

King Solomon Academy

Edelman

KPMG LLP

Groupon

Lilian Baylis Technology School

Impetus - The Private Equity Foundation

Linklaters

Independent Franchise Partners

Lister Community School

Instant Impact

Moseley School

McKinsey & Company

Neil Cosgrove

MFS

Oasis Academy Enfield

Nesta

Oasis Academy Hadley

Teach First

Olswang

The Boston Consulting Group

Ormiston Forge Academy

The Cabinet Office

OxFizz

The Frank Jackson Foundation

Rexam PLC

The Girdlers’ Company Charitable Trust

Slaughter and May

The Hiscox Foundation

St Aloysius’ College

The Parthenon Group

St George’s Catholic School

ThoughtWorks

Telegraph Media Group
The Buzzacott Stuart Defries Memorial Fund
The City Academy Hackney
The Worshipful Company of Founders
Waverley School

The Access Project

0207 601 1939

EC2Y 5DN

[email protected]

140 London Wall

www.theaccessproject.org.uk
Registered charity: 1143011

@TheAccessP

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