Leeds Futures is an innovative outreach initiative for post-16 students, offering a sustained programme throughout years 12 and 13 to provide a glimpse into the variety of topics available within degree subjects. Taking part both online and on campus, Leeds Futures aims to inspire applications from under-represented groups to a diverse array of subjects at Leeds. This effort broadens students' academic horizons and supports them through the University application process.
‘Leeds Futures’ is a post-16 sustained national outreach programme run by the University of Leeds which aims to increase access for students from POLAR4 Quintile1 areas (areas with lower percentages of students progressing into higher education) to study as undergraduates at Leeds, and make sure that those who may not have the confidence, family background or cultural knowledge to apply to university are inspired and equipped to do so. It is important that these students can see themselves at Leeds, bringing with them their lived experiences and perspectives to diversify and strengthen the experience of the whole cohort.
Regular intervention in the second half of Year 12 and the first half of Year 13 offers support across this key information-gathering and decision-making period. Futures participants are given access to Leeds’ academics, admissions teams and current students to provide realistic insight on life at Leeds, as well as practical help with their subject choice and the application process.
The original scheme was fully online due to COVID-19 but, since then, has developed into a hybrid format with online and on-campus sessions. Futures programmes encompass a wide range of subjects including Environment, Politics, History, English, Medicine, Dental and Healthcare.
Collaboration for a consistent student experience
To ensure targeting and prioritising of underrepresented groups is consistent across all Futures subject strands, pupils apply through a standardised application process which aligns with our Access to Leeds criteria.
Programme participants benefit from a blend of online and on-campus experiences, combining synchronous and asynchronous work including both subject-specific elements, catering to students’ unique interests, and more general skills development in preparation for higher education.
Colleagues from Education Outreach, Access to Leeds and our Plus Programme closely collaborate to deliver workshops on study skills, skills development, student finance and subject-specific topics, warranting consistency across all programme components.
The impact
In the 2022/23 academic year, Leeds Futures saw significant participation from underrepresented learners across various subject areas. In Social Sciences, 55% of participants came from Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) Quintile 1 or Quintile 2. For Arts, this figure was 47%. Medicine had the highest participation rate, with 65% of learners from IMD Quintile 1 or Quintile 2. Similarly, in Dentistry, 63% of participants were from these quintiles.
Students responded positively to Leeds Futures. They described History Futures as “very informative and eye-opening,” and appreciated the opportunity to explore new areas of history. The English Futures programme was deemed “enlightening and beneficial,” providing valuable insights into university life and affirming students’ decision to study English. Dentistry Futures participants expressed a sense of security in their understanding of the field and valued the camaraderie with peers applying for the same course.
Leeds teaching staff are also enthusiastic about Futures. Alan Mighell, Dean of the School of Dentistry at Leeds, believes that Dental Futures is, “a brilliant programme that further enables a wide range of people to breakdown traditional barriers and successfully study in the school. Our students are the future dental workforce and need to be representative of the communities that they will go on to care for over many years. Our current Dental undergraduates are very engaged in both this and the student-led ‘Open Wide’ programme. Input from students rather than academic staff is so important as they are closer to the student experience.”
Student ambassadors for the programme reinforce this point: “Prospective students always want to hear about the university experience from a student perspective,” says a student ambassador on the Environment Futures programme. “Lots of us are from unrepresented backgrounds ourselves and are well placed to understand the challenges that such students face when applying to university.”
To find out more about Leeds Futures, get in touch by emailing studentsuccess@leeds.ac.uk.