There’s just over 1 month to go till we welcome you to GCU for this learning and networking event on 27th May!
Tickets
Last few tickets remaining! Book here by 9th May.
Pre-conference Information Session
3.30-4pm, Wed 21st May
Find out more and sign up here
Presenter Reminder
Please complete this final session details form by close tomorrow, Fri 25th April.
Workshop Sign Up
The conference programme and workshop sign-up form will be sent out to attendees next week!
New Practitioner Network (NPN)
Our NPN 2025 is now in full swing. We were delighted to host two very well attended online sessions over the last month. Thanks to our excellent guest speakers, Grace Mai Clark from the 93% Club and Jon Datta from The Sutton Trust.
Associated materials are available to all NPN members including anyone who could not attend on the day. Our next session, “Breaking Barriers, Fostering Belonging” is in-person in Glasgow on Wed 18th June. In the meantime, we hope to see many of our NPN members at the SCAPP Conference!
Registration for the network remains open throughout the year for any practitioners with less than 3 years’ experience. Sign up today to benefit from the networking and development opportunities that our NPN can offer.
Evaluation Matters Community of Practice
12 groups (photos above from our most recent session) are progressing with their work as members of SCAPP’s second Evaluation Matters CoP to develop their knowledge and skills to effectively evaluate WP projects. Three meetings have now taken place and our in-person training, kindly hosted at the University of Glasgow on 3rd April, provided valuable time to utilise Theory of Change to move forward.
DAPP Accreditation Scheme
This month, meetings and associated work continued to progress our preparations for the next cycle of SCAPP’s accreditation scheme (DAPP) in autumn 2025. Our review and renewal process this academic year has been focused on ensuring a rigorous yet user-friendly experience for future participants. SCAPP members are now invited to express interest in involvement in the next iteration of DAPP. More details can be found in the SCAPP Opportunities section below.
Mentoring for Access Professionals (MAPs)
Our pairs are now halfway through this year’s process, and the interim survey feedback has been extremely valuable in helping SCAPP support the best possible experience for everyone involved. Feel free to get in touch with Jill if you have any queries about the MAPS programme: Jill.chrsitie@stir.ac.uk.
Connect with Coffee
Our Connect with Coffee session on 22nd April brought together cross-sector colleagues to learn more about the Universities and Colleges of Sanctuary Award initiatives. Special guest, Gün Orgun from City of Sanctuary UK, joined the SCAPP team to offer insight and answer questions. Gün’s short presentation was recorded and we hope to have it available along with her presentation slides on the SCAPP website shortly for those who missed it.
May SCAPP Insight Webinar
Tues 13th May 3 – 4pm (online)
Plans, priorities, processes, and people: An approach to reporting on Corporate Parenting Plans
Presenters
Stef Blum-Stevenson from the University of Edinburgh’s Widening Participation Team and Kirstin Henry from the University of Edinburgh’s Recruitment and Outreach Team
Focus
Corporate parenting (or any high level strategic plan) might not be front and centre on a day to day, task to task basis for institutions’ staff and services. A devolved and complex organisation has multiple and competing demands – everything is important. Stef Blum-Stevenson was recently asked to ‘step outside’ her role as the WP Officer responsible for the ACES programme at the University of Edinburgh to create a reporting process for our current corporate parenting plan. The process Stef developed produced a depth of insight and detail that may be helpful for other corporate parents”.
May be of interest and useful to:
Sign up to attend here.
June SCAPP Insight Webinars
Tues 17th June 3-4pm (online)
Widening access to teacher education: how can we use Open University modules and qualifications collaboratively to widen access to teacher education in Scotland?
Presenters: Gemma Burnside, Partnerships Manager Open University in Scotland and Lore Gallastegi, Staff Tutor and Senior Lecturer, School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport at The Open University
Find out more and sign up here.
Thurs 19th June 3-4pm (online)
Accent bias and linguistic discrimination: A student-staff approach
Presenter: Dr. Christian Ilbury, Lecturer in Sociolinguistics and Co-Director of EDI for PPLS at the University of Edinburgh
Find out more and sign up here.
DAPP Accreditation Scheme
After the success of the first two iterations of our Developing Access and Participation Professionals (DAPP) Accreditation Scheme, we are pleased to invite expressions of interest from members who would like to act as peer reviewers and/or participants later this year and team leaders who may wish to know more about the opportunities DAPP offers for professional recognition for your team!
You can find out more about the scheme here.
Please do register your interest in DAPP 2025- 2026 via this form.
This is an expression of interest only, you are not committing to the Scheme as this stage.
Interested parties will be fully informed of the application process in the coming weeks, however, in the mean time, we are keen to gauge interest from our members.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss your potential involvement with DAPP further, please email scapp@stir.ac.uk.
SCAPP Connect with Coffee
Our next ‘Connect with Coffee’ session will be during the SCAPP Conference on 27th May!
Our final Connect with Coffee for this academic year will be on Wed 18th June at 10am and will give colleagues a chance to reconnect and reflect following the conference. You don’t need to have attended the conference to learn about the key takeaways that will be discussed here. The sign up link will be in our May newsletter.
If you have any suggestions for themes to discuss at future Connect with Coffee sessions, please let us know here.
SCAPP LinkedIn
Are you following our LinkedIn page? Join our growing community!
SCAPP Articulation Chat Thread
This has been set up as a pilot this academic year to connect colleagues across Scotland working in or interested in articulation. Find out more and sign up here.
Suggestions for the SCAPP Team
Share your ideas for additions and improvements to SCAPP’s programmes and opportunities anonymously here.
The Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People’s Committee short inquiry continues.
SCAPP and colleagues from across the sector participated in an informal participation session as part of the inquiry on 3rd March. Read the session notes here.
Recordings of evidence sessions, correspondence and other updates can be viewed here. The committee’s report is anticipated in the next month or two.
Watch their new School Leaver Destinations video – Choosing Your Path 2025 here.
The Minister for Further and Higher Education has appointed Lorna Jack and Professor Cara Aitchison as co-interim chairs of the Scottish Funding Council. The appointments come as the current chair, Mike Cantlay, approaches the end of his term in office. Find out more here.
Work continues on this area with a second group meeting taking place today. An update will be provided in our May newsletter.
If you would like to know more please email Alison at LEAPS on atrain@ed.ac.uk.
On 1st April, the Fair Access Team at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland hosted their first ever symposium exploring ways of working with care experienced and estranged artists, students and participants.
The event shared the projects, practices and research which informs their approach to providing the right support and creating spaces where artists and learners can thrive.
With contributions from multi-artform practitioners in the shape of workshops, performances, Q&As and a keynote from Dr Jenni Fagan, the day provided opportunities to experience creative practices, reflect and connect.
You can find out more about the RCS Fair Access Let’s Talk About…. projects on their portal which are part of wider discussion and research into how we better support care experienced and estranged people.
This Reports and insights | Undergraduate | UCAS link includes key insights from the previous cycle, as requested by teachers and advisers. You’ll also find all the latest reports and insights from UCAS to help you understand the specific needs and motivations of young people trying to decide on their next steps.
Key resources for the 2026 cycle:
Applying To University With Individual Needs | UCAS
Personal statement for 2026 entry: Classroom resources | Undergraduate | UCAS
Students Eligible for Free School Meals
UCAS dates and deadlines for the 2026 cycle | Undergraduate | UCAS
The Annual Teacher and Adviser Conference 2025 round-up | Undergraduate, Conservatoires | UCAS
For enquiries about the UCAS Fair Access Programme, please email access@ucas.ac.uk.
Universities Scotland has just published an updated version of their Guarantee of Fairness and a new Guide for disabled applicants which includes a blog post from Lead Scotland. Both guides now also include the sector principles agreed in 2023 on second stage admissions assessments.
The Guarantee of Fairness was originally published in 2019 but changes in contextual admissions meant that an update was needed.
The external facing guide for disabled applicants has been produced with support from US Admissions Policy Group and Lead Scotland with the aim of helping disabled applicants better navigate and understand the application process to university in Scotland. The guide recognises universities across Scotland have different admissions processes and student support services and how this can make it more difficult for disabled applicants to access the information they need.
Also, read the latest news and blogs here covering the announcement of a new Chair and Universities’ Scotland’s response to the sector’s annual funding allocations.
The Scholars Programme is now open for 2025-26, delivering across the UK. Find out more here.
Teachers and advisers may want to save this useful list of university staff contacts.