About us

Getting a taste of university life can have a big impact on a young person and their motivation for education! The Widening Participation and Outreach team provide an extensive range of activities, programmes, events and academic support, alongside information advice and guidance, to introduce the culture and concepts of studying at university.

We are delighted to deliver projects and activities designed to widen access to the University, and support students to succeed once they arrive, to primary schools, secondary schools, Sixth Forms and FE college. Our innovative outreach offer, tailored to the needs of the young person and their school, is particularly targeted at schools and college with high numbers of pupils areas where people are traditionally less likely to go to university, students who are care experienced, disabled students, asylum seekers, refugees and students from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. 

We offer a programme of activity which aims to inform, inspire and enable students to excel, whatever their path looks like. 

Our activities include: 

Primary 

We have been delivering inspirational outreach work in primary schools across Merseyside since 2000. We aim to raise aspirations amongst the children and young people we work with, teaching them about their future education journey and choices, and introducing the concept of University. This is delivered through our Students of the Future programme, with sessions taking place either in-school or on campus. Students of the Future is most suitable for Year 6 students, who learn key vocabulary as they work with current undergraduates, who act as positive role models and can answer any questions about life as a university student. Through familiarisation with the University campus and different places to learn, children also become more comfortable with the transition into secondary school. 

Students of the Future is complete free for schools in the Liverpool City Region who meet our widening participation criteria, and is delivered by trained and DBS checked Liverpool Advocates, current students at the University of Liverpool from a variety of subject backgrounds. 

Please contact Emily Walsh (esmailes@liverpool.ac.uk) to find out more and discuss how you can get involved. 

Secondary

We are pleased to offer campus visits for secondary schools with high proportions of students in receipt of free school meals/pupil premium, or whose students are otherwise under represented in higher education. We offer both general and subject specific visits, allowing students to experience life at the University first hand, through a campus tour with a current University of Liverpool student and attending workshops, taster sessions and sample lectures. 

Please contact widepart@liverpool.ac.uk for further information. 

We also offer a range of more targeted activity for secondary schools, including: 

• Merseyside Young Health and Life Scientists (MYHLS), delivered in collaboration with the Faculty of Health and Life Science, for students in Years 9-11, who are from under-represented groups and have an interest in studying health and life sciences at University. 
• Summer Schools, allowing Year 10 students from selected local schools to visit the University campus and learn more about the variety of courses available within higher education through hands on academic workshops, talks on Global Opportunities, Student Finance and more, giving them an insight into student life and  how students learn at university. If you'd like to find out more, contact Emily Walsh (esmailes@liverpool.ac.uk).
• Mentoring and tutoring schemes in schools and community settings for pupils in Years 9-13, both on a small group and individual basis, including the award winning Fast Trackers mentoring programme. For more information, please contact widepart@liverpool.ac.uk. 
• Liverpool Scholars, providing Year 12 students with the chance to take part in a range of activities aimed at preparing them for university life, including academic skills workshops, lectures, seminars, academic mentoring and more. Students who successfully complete Liverpool Scholars received a reduced offer at the University of Liverpool. 
• Pathways to Professions, delivered in collaboration with the Sutton Trust. We offer Pathways to Banking and Finance, Engineering and Medicine, supporting students from under represented backgrounds to access and succeed in competitive degree programmes and exclusive graduate careers. 

Our work is supported by trained University of Liverpool students (our Liverpool Advocates) and staff, the Guild of Students, the Victoria Gallery & Museum and  a variety Professional Services from across the University. 

At Liverpool we recognise that learners have individual needs and some may need different levels of support in progressing to higher education. That's why we work with various targeted groups, including young people from a care background, disabled students, young adult carers, estranged students, asylum seeking and refugee students, and students from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

We work in partnership with a number of organisations to extend our reach to these learners and have committed our support to improving social mobility by signing up to a number of covenants and pledges.

You can find out more about our work and team in the of University of Liverpool Access and Participation Plan, in the reports we publish, or in our Meet the Team section.