Events 2025/26
Taking part in Aimhigher Plus activities will support your school or college to:
- Improve progression for KS3-KS5 learners
- Meet your responsibilities of providing careers guidance and Gatsby Benchmarks
- Improve the Progress 8 and Attainment 8 outcomes of learners facing barriers to HE
General Activities
Years 7-9
- Campus Visits
- Why Higher Education?
- Confidence and Resilience
- The Importance of GCSEs
- Exam Stress and Study Skills
- Motivation and Goal Setting
Year 10
- Campus Visits
- Confidence and Resilience
- Motivation and Goal Setting
- Revision
- Exam Stress and Study Skills
- Next Steps / Post-16 Pathways
- Choosing a Course
- Budgeting
Year 11
- Campus Visits
- Exam Stress and Study Skills
- Motivation and Goal Setting
- CVs, Employability and Interviews
- Personal Statement support
- Transition to Higher Education
- Student Life
Specialised Activities and Events
Gatsby Benchmarks
A stable careers programme
Learning from career and labour market information
Addressing the needs of each pupil
Linking curriculum learning to careers
Encounters with employers and employees
Experiences of workplaces
Encounters with further and higher education
Personal guidance
Key
to match your school's WP %
100% WP Learners
Widening participation criteria includes learners in care, eligible for FSM, young carers, refugees, military service children, those with a disability and / or learning difficulty, no parental experience of HE or disadvantaged home postcode. For details on postcodes, please contact us.
Innovation Fest 2026
Date: May/June TBC
Years: Years 9-10
Activity Type: Workshop
Capacity: 20 learners per school
Women in Science & Engineering (WISE) 2026
Date: June 2025 TBC
Years: Year 9 girls
Activity Type: Workshop
Capacity: 25 learners per school
Forensic Science: Who did that?!
A Walk on the Wild Side: Animal Care
What does an Operating Department Practitioner do?
Date: In consultation with school
Years: Years 9-11
Activity Type: Workshop
Capacity: 30 learners
Wildlife and Conservation at West Midlands Safari Park
Date: In consultation with school
Years: Year 7-8
Activity Type: External Visit
Capacity: TBC
Careers in Theatre at the Swan Theatre
Date: In consultation with school
Years: KS3
Activity Type: External Visit
Capacity: TBC
Apprenticeships: what you need to know
Date: In consultation with school
Years: Years 10-11
Activity Type: Campus Visit
Capacity: 50 learners
College of Food
Date: In consultation with school
Years: Years 10-11
Activity Type: Experience Day
Capacity: 16 learners
The Built Environment
Date: In consultation with school
Years: Years 10-11
Activity Type: Experience Day
Capacity: 25 learners
Travelling and Working around the World
Date: In consultation with school
Years: Years 9-10
Activity Type: Workshop
Capacity: 50 learners
Intro to Nursing
Date: In consultation with school
Years: Years 9-11
Activity Type: Workshop
Capacity: 30 learners
Intro to Photography
Date: In consultation with school
Years: Years 9-11
Activity Type: Workshop
Capacity: 30 learners
Intro to Product Design
Date: In consultation with school
Years: Years 9-11
Activity Type: Workshop
Capacity: 30 learners
The Repair Lab
Date: In consultation with school
Years: Years 9-11
Activity Type: Workshop
Capacity: 30 learners
Supporting Academic Attainment
Teacher CPD
Aimhigher recognises that investing in teachers’ professional development is an important part of supporting pupils’ academic attainment. Now in our third year of Teacher CPD, we have successfully delivered to over 100 teachers across over 30 schools. This year, we are offering fully funded English CPD with a specific focus on the use of oracy in the teaching of KS3 & 4 literature, delivered by expert practitioner Dr Lance Hanson.
To register your department’s interest and receive more information, please fill out this form: View Form
Oracy Workshops with Speakers Trust
Having worked with them for many years, our oracy workshops with Speakers Trust are extremely popular. Year 10 WP learners receive a fully funded one-day, expert-led workshop in public speaking and communication skills, supporting Speaking and Listening GCSE outcomes and boosting confidence speaking to an audience without notes.
After the workshop, selected students enter the regional public speaking competition – sharing their speeches in school at their Assembly Final and later at the West Midlands Speak Out Challenge Final. Speeches will be watched by a panel of local VIPs and decision-makers and students will have the opportunity to share their message even further using Speakers Trust social media platforms.
To register interest and receive more information, please fill out this form View Form
MyTutor
MyTutor is an online tutoring programme that matches school learners with university students to provide bespoke, one-to-one tuition in core subjects. We have worked with the company for many years, receiving excellent feedback from learners, schools and parents. Last year, our evaluation of the programme showed that learners are likely to see a 1 grade increase over the course of 10 sessions in Maths, and a 0.5 grade increase in English over the same period.
Lexia Level-Up Literacy
Offered to Years 7-9, Level-Up Literacy is a computer-based literacy programme using the platform Lexia. The programme focuses on three main areas: word study, grammar and comprehension, all of which are tailored to each learners strengths and weaknesses. Lexia has been shown to be an impactful programme and is recommended by the Education Endowment Foundation.
Aimhigher Activities
Available to WP learners from across the West Midlands.
H.E. 4 ME
Launched in 2022, Aimhigher has created an exciting programme of events specifically for learners with care experience, offering them the chance to learn more about higher education. H.E. 4 Me is a free programme which aims to inspire and inform learners of the opportunities available at higher education, while highlighting the support available for those with care experience.
This programme will run throughout the academic year, with the intention for young people to attend each event as they progress through school. As the programme includes events for Year 7 – 13, we aim to support them through each stage of their secondary education and throughout their time in care. To be the first to hear about H.E. 4 Me events, please email us to sign up for our newsletter.
If you any questions, please contact aimhigher@contact.bham.ac.uk.
Unifest
UniFest Summer School gives pupils the chance to explore university life, meet current students and staff and make new friends. With five summer school events to choose from at different universities across the West Midlands, this is an action-packed, fun experience. UniFest is for students in Year 10 at state-funded secondary schools in the West Midlands who are from backgrounds and communities that are less likely to consider university as an option.
Once learners have taken part in this Year 10 Summer programme, they will have access to further pathway and revision-based support and activities with us in their final year at secondary.
To apply for a place, they will need the support of the school and the consent of parents or carers.
If you any questions, please contact aimhigher@contact.bham.ac.uk.
Cultural Capital
There’s no doubt about the importance of cultural capital in enriching the lives of young people. By exposing students to a broad, diverse curriculum and experiences beyond their immediate environment, we help close gaps in opportunity and aspiration — opening doors to the wider world.
We’re committed to supporting schools in creating experiences that empower students to engage confidently, think critically, and succeed beyond the classroom. That’s why we’ve protected funding for events designed to enhance the cultural capital of widening participation learners. These events are developed collaboratively between our team and individual schools.
Activities might include visits to towns or cities across the UK, theatres, museums, galleries, and more. We can even further support you with wrap-around sessions to help students reflect on and connect the experience to their learning.
If you have an idea for an event, or would like support in planning a cultural visit or activity, please get in touch: K.Jones@ucb.ac.uk
Are you a school in Hereford?
We recognise that widening participation learners in your schools are some of the hardest to reach and risk missing out on essential activity that supports their future decision-making and pathways. This is why we have ensured there is protected funding available to help you access our activities, as well as help with travel to events and adjusted start and end times.
Schools in Hereford and surrounding areas will also be prioritised for visits to the University of Worcester’s Lakeside Campus where learners can discover Higher Education in a unique setting. These days help students gain exposure to a new and exciting vision of HE, with an emphasis on confidence and decision-making alongside water-based activities which can be adapted for SEN learners.
If you are based in a Hereford school, please reach out to ofsucp@worc.ac.uk to discuss how your learners can take advantage of these activities.
Teacher and Advisor Conference
For the past six years, Aimhigher have held an annual conference for teachers and advisers in the West Midlands, offering interesting talks and discussions around higher education. It is a chance to enhance your knowledge of the sector and network with like-minded teachers and advisors from the region. Past events have included:
- Wellbeing and Positive Psychology
- UCAS Cycle Updates
- Student Finance Updates from SLC
- Careers and Next Steps: Sharing best practice
- HE Expert Panel Q&A
Our next Teacher and Advisor Conference will be held in June 2026 and we will circulate more information, as well as a booking form, nearer the time. If you have any questions ahead of this regarding this event, please contact aimhigher@contacts.bham.ac.uk.