Schools and Colleges

Outreach and Access

We support young people from all backgrounds to make informed choices about higher education.

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Outreach and Access

We support young people from all backgrounds to make informed choices about higher education.

Sign up to our newsletter

What we do

At the University of East London (UEL), Our award-winning Schools and Colleges team, part of the Outreach and Access team, is dedicated to empowering young people from Years 10 to 13 to make informed decisions about their education and career pathways—helping them thrive, succeed, and achieve lasting social mobility.

Based in the heart of East London’s vibrant cultural and business hubs, we deliver meaningful, timely, and personalised outreach programmes that reflect the diverse needs of our students.

As a Careers First university, UEL is committed to preparing students for the jobs of the future. We embed our unique careers-first approach into all our outreach programmes and activities—ensuring that every interaction helps young people build the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed for long-term success in a rapidly changing world of work.

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Who we work with

We partner with secondary schools, sixth forms, and colleges to help students gain the skills, confidence, and knowledge they need to reach their full potential.

Through free workshops, taster days, and tailored activities, we open doors for students from underrepresented backgrounds. Each programme is carefully designed and mapped against the Gatsby Benchmarks, ensuring that the guidance and opportunities we provide meet the highest standards.

How we choose our partners

To make the biggest difference, we focus our support where it’s needed most. When developing new partnerships, we prioritise schools and colleges that meet one or more of the following criteria:

  • Are from a priority School (Year 10 - 11), FE College or Sixth Form (Year 12/ FE1 & Year13/FE2)
  • Are located in a borough with high levels of deprivation
  • Are located in a postcode that has low progression into higher education
  • Have pupils attaining below average or well below average for progress 8 (Pre-16 only)
  • Have an above average number of pupils eligible for free school meals or a large proportion who are eligible for pupil premium (Pre 16 only)
  • Have an above average number of pupils whose first language is not English
  • Have a higher percentage of pupils from white socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds or pupils that fall into the categories above
  • Have signed a Service Level Agreement 

By targeting our outreach and access work in this way, we aim to ensure that our efforts are meaningful, equitable, and aligned with our mission to reduce barriers to higher education and support long-term student success.

Our outreach is powered by the expertise and creativity of our academics. Working with lecturers, subject leads, and industry professionals, we deliver programmes that inspire young people, connect learning to real-world contexts, and showcase higher education opportunities.

We have five academic schools, each offering unique subjects, facilities, and professional links:

  • School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering – Focusing on sustainable design, smart cities, software development, robotics, and engineering.
  • School of Arts and Creative Industries – Home to creative thinkers and makers, this school engages young people in film, media, performance, design, and digital arts, helping them explore how creativity can shape culture and careers.
  • School of Childhood and Social Care – Introducing pathways in teaching, childcare, social care, and youth development through practical activities.
  • School of Health, Sport and Bioscience – Offering a window into careers in healthcare, sport science, biomedical research, and public health, this school inspires future scientists, clinicians, and health professionals through lab-based workshops and real-world case studies.
  • Royal Docks School of Business and Law – Preparing the next generation of business leaders, entrepreneurs, and legal professionals, this school delivers interactive sessions on law, finance, marketing, and innovation in a global context.

By partnering with our academic schools, we ensure outreach is engaging, relevant, and rooted in professional practice and future skills.

In collaboration with local authorities, virtual schools, education charities, social enterprises, and community organizations, we deliver impactful projects that encourage young people to explore educational pathways and consider higher education as a viable option for their future.

Some of our partners include: Make Happen, Access HE, East London Business Alliance and the Virtual Schools of Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Barking & Dagenham.

Our goal is to help young people unlock their full potential by providing access to new ideas, opportunities, and experiences. We offer interactive workshops that encourage students to explore their aspirations and career options, while demonstrating how higher education can lead to fulfilling careers.

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As well as parents and local authorities, all to provide impactful, inclusive outreach opportunities.

Together, we support young people from underrepresented and widening participation backgrounds, breaking down barriers to higher education and expanding access to future-focused careers.

The primary goal of the University of East London’s Schools and Colleges Team is to bring new ideas, opportunities, and experiences to young people from widening participation backgrounds—encouraging them to make informed decisions about higher education and their future careers, while actively promoting social mobility.

This work is part of UEL’s commitment to the Access and Participation Plan (APP) 2025, which is funded by the Office for Students (OfS) to ensure fair access, support student success, and reduce gaps in outcomes between different student groups.

What we mean by widening participation

When we talk about students from widening participation backgrounds, we are referring to young people who may:

  • Have few or no immediate role models with experience of higher education
  • Be eligible for free school meals or pupil premium
  • Be care experienced/estranged from parents
  • Have a disability or special educational needs
  • Belong to an underrepresented ethnic group
  • Come from a service family background
  • Live in an area with high deprivation or low progression to higher education

Read our widening participation criteria

The primary goal of the University of East London Schools and Colleges is to bring new ideas, opportunities and experiences to young people from a widening participation background to. This encourages them to make informed decisions about higher education and their future careers, promoting social mobility.

When we talk about people from widening participation backgrounds, our focus is on young people who might:

  • Have few or no immediate role models who have experience of higher education
  • Be eligible for free school meals or pupil premium
  • Be a looked after child, carer or care leaver
  • Have a disability or special educational needs
  • Are estranged from their family
  • Be a pupil from a particular ethnicity
  • Live in an area that is economically disadvantaged or where few people progress into higher education
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We collaborate with schools and colleges across our local boroughs—Newham, Waltham Forest, Havering, Tower Hamlets, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, Hackney, and Essex—working closely with teachers, careers leaders, advisers, heads of subject, and other education professionals to support students throughout their journey to higher education.

Pre – 16 (Years 10 and 11)

We deliver a range of engaging activities for Year 10 and 11 pupils, designed to help them begin planning their futures. All activities are mapped against the Gatsby Benchmarks and include:

  • Campus taster days – Meet university students and staff whilst experiencing university life first-hand with guided tours, insight into different degree pathways and interactive workshops.
  • Higher education awareness sessions - Explore Post-16 options. From degree apprenticeships to the cutting edge of Industry 5.0, Artificial Intelligence, and emerging careers, pupils gain insights into a fast-changing job market, future skills, and the wide range of university study options.
  • Curriculum Ambassadors - UEL students can visit schools to share subject knowledge, study tips, and personal experiences.

By engaging pupils ahead of their post-16 decisions, we open their eyes to new opportunities, guide choices and inspire confident progression towards higher education and future careers.

Post 16 (Year 12 /FE 1 – Year 13/FE 2)

We partner with local sixth forms and FE colleges to offer a rich menu of activities and events, to build on curriculum knowledge and skills, alongside a suite of HE ready workshops. Our menu includes: 

HE subject experiences – Visit one of our three campuses to participate in a university taster day with our academic schools, book an academic led masterclasses for your sixth form or college. Meet one of our current students studying at UEL for their subject insight.

HE ready activities – Our suite of skills and knowledge activities to support Post 16’s with their progression ranges from Personal Statements, Your Future Careers Pathway (Industry 5.0) Student Finance and more.

The Your Future Summer School – A multi day programme to support Year 12 /FE 1 transitions to Year 13/FE 2, with experience across HE subjects experiences, HE Ready activities, Industry panels and more. 

Curriculum Enhancement Through University Partnership (CETUP) – CETUP is a curriculum partnership programme to Year 12/FE 1  and Year 13’s/FE 2 sixth form and colleges curriculum at a UEL campus.  Limited availability. 

These activities and programmes are designed to support informed decision making at key junctions and to improve university access to learners. 

Information, Advice and Guidance team

Our dedicated Information, Advice and Guidance Team (IAG) also assists mature and returning learners, offering tailored advice on pre-entry and non-traditional routes into education.

Careers Fairs and Higher Education Events 

Our recruitment team regularly attend careers fairs and higher education fairs across the region. Our trained UEL Student Ambassadors are on hand to answer questions about university life, provide guidance on education pathways, and support young people in making confident, informed choices.

If you’d like us to attend an upcoming event at your school or college, please email hefairs@uel.ac.uk. 

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  • Summer school 2025 delivered by Schools and Colleges team
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Outreach and Access

Resources

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Our team

 

Stay in touch

You can email the team on outreachandaccess@uel.ac.uk.