The Schools for Higher Education Programme (SHEP) supports regional collaboration between schools, colleges and universities to increase progression to higher education in both colleges and universities.
Although the programme currently supports schools in each region where less than 22% of pupils progress to higher education, SHEP is expanding to additional schools nationally, whilst targeting individual pupils from specific disadvantaged, non-traditional or underrepresented groups.
There are a number of organisations and range of resources available for practitioners who are supporting learners who find themselves without the support of family. This resource page provides useful contacts, organisations and resources that you can access or consult with.
Refugees and People seeking Asylum encounter many challenges when accessing higher education. This section provides useful contacts, resources and support networks to help practitioners and institutions identify the best way to guide learners from this community
The term care-experienced refers to anyone who has been or is currently cared for by a local authority or is from a looked-after background at any stage, or for any period of time, in their life and could include residential care, foster care, kinship care, or through being looked after at home with a supervision requirement. . This can also include adopted children who were previously looked-after.
The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 named a number of organisations as Corporate Parents in order to help improve the outcomes for care experienced young people. This included all post -16 education providers. Universities and colleges as organisations are Corporate Parents and should have developed Corporate Parenting Plans. As Corporate Parents, institutions work closely to ensure a smooth transition from school, college or university for the student.
Mature Students and Adult returners have always been an important part of the Higher Education community and will become increasingly important as the economy changes to respond to the challenges of the pandemic. This section provides details about the Scottish Wider Access Programme and other organisations which support adult learners , with resources that practitioners can access to help guide them in their admissions journey.
Students with disabilities remain underrepresented in further, and higher education and retention rates for such students are lower than average, particularly amongst those with mental ill-health or multiple impairment groups. This section provides useful information, resources and contacts for professionals and supporting learners who have a disability.
LGBT+ students can face discrimination and barriers in higher education because of their identity. This can threaten their attainment and retention at college or university. This section provides useful contacts for professionals supporting LGBT+ learners
The Military Community covers tri-service serving personnel (both regular and reserve) veterans, spouses and their children.
The consequences of living in or having lived in an Armed Forces family can sometimes present challenges for these people wishing to access FE/HE. One of the main issues is the complexity around eligibility for funding and this can make it difficult for potential students to navigate and access consistent and accurate information.
Student Carers (students with caring responsibilities)
A carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support.
