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We support the principle that people from any background with the potential to benefit from higher education should have the opportunity to do so.
Access and Participation
All those with the potential to benefit from higher education, no matter their background, deserve the opportunity to do so. At Arts University Bournemouth, we’re committed to making that happen.
We value our strong relationships with schools, colleges, and the community in delivering activity to widen access to opportunities in creative education and employment. We work with parents and supporters, teachers, advisers, and community partners to:
- Provide educational activities and opportunities aligned with successful participation in Higher Education. Our activities are designed to enable young people to frame studying at Arts University Bournemouth as an expectation should they decide that a creative degree is right for them.
- Support students’ transition from school/college to university, helping them to acclimatise to study within Higher Education, making the most of their time as a student.
- Engage in activities exploring how our degrees link to careers in the creative industries once students graduate into the world of work, gaining the necessary resources to start their career as a successful creative graduate.
- Provide financial assistance to eligible students for things like food, transport and educational trips.
To meet the ambitious targets Arts University Bournemouth have set out in our Access and Participation Plan, we work closely with schools and colleges to provide an extensive programme of outreach activities with groups who are currently underrepresented in Higher Education.
This includes students living in neighbourhoods with historically low participation in Higher Education, those encountering barriers related to their socio-economic position, and those navigating a range of other challenges which have been linked with inequality of access to university.
Spring and Summer School
We're committed to attracting the most talented people from all backgrounds. Every year we host Spring and Summer Art School – a unique three-day activity session for those in years 8, 9 and 10 who have an interest in art, design, media and architecture.
We also host a Specialist Year 12 Summer School that aims to encourage students who can benefit most from what we have to offer to apply to further and higher education.
Find out more below:
Year 12 Online Summer School 2021
Year 12 Specialist Summer School aims to encourage students interested in the art, whatever their background, to apply to higher education
Dance Forward
A unique 2.5 day workshop for students in years 8-10 with a passion for dance and creativity.
The Southern Universities Network
As an institution, Arts University Bournemouth are a member of the Southern Universities Network (SUN).
SUN is a collaborative partnership comprising HE providers in Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight. The SUN provides outreach activities for schools and colleges as part of Uni Connect – a project funded by the Office for Students (OfS).
The Uni Connect Programme was launched in January 2020 – a national initiative helping teachers and careers advisers to encourage young people to take advantage of the opportunities in Higher Education. The programme sees 29 hubs established across the partnership areas in the UK. This free, government-funded service works with state-funded secondary schools, academies and colleges across the 29 Uni Connect hubs, working with almost 300 universities and colleges as well as local authorities, charities and enterprise partnerships.
Find out more about the opportunities we offer with SUN.
One, Two, Three. I want to be.
One, Two, Three I Want to Be is an illustrated storybook which introduces the concept of university study to primary-age children by showing them the infinite career and life possibilities open to graduates.
You can either download it free as a PDF or, for teachers, as a PowerPoint to use in the classroom.
