The impact of residentials for two young people from Stoke-on-Trent

"Staffordshire University, College Road Campus", by Tim Heaton on Geograph, used under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license.

Chloe and Lewis went to the same school in Stoke-on-Trent, living in wards with low rates of higher education participation. Chloe’s father was a plumber, Lewis’s a long-distance HGV driver, with neither family having a history of university.

Chloe was getting the grades and interested in university but saw things that might prevent her from going. Lewis was facing obstacles already: he was disillusioned with education, didn’t trust his teachers, and he was just getting through his GCSEs.

What we did

Both attended a Higher Horizons UNiFY residential at Staffordshire University. A residential involves a range of different activities and information sharing. There are talks on finance, question and answer sessions with students, skills workshops, campus tours, lectures, and social events, complete with meals and accommodation.

Chloe had serious questions about her future. For Lewis it was a free trip and would be ‘time out’, a change to the usual routine of school.

Each had their own circumstances and challenges, but the experience of a residential had the potential to address both their needs. While a lot of university outreach takes several activities over many weeks, even years, to impact learners, a residential has it all in one and the effect can be considerable.

The impact

Lewis recalls how staying in halls really opened his eyes: the everyday activities of watching TV in communal areas and getting a drink in the kitchen left him feeling ‘more comfortable there’ than he expected. He was asking whether he could see himself there in four or five years’ time: ‘I very much could’. He goes on to say that ‘to all intents and purposes I was a student’ and ‘I got a taste for it.’ Later when it was decision time, he thought that if it is anything like it was at the residential, he would have a great time. The experience stayed with him and helped him start his higher education journey.

Lewis graduated with a 2:1 in biomedical science from Keele University in 2024. He has been applying to schemes and pathways that require a degree qualification, and is keen to get back in the lab, but this time in a professional capacity. He has learnt so much from his time at university, not just academically. His advice to young people is ‘you are more capable than you think’.

Chloe was impressed by the finance talks: it was ‘a huge thing’ and was just what she needed. Chloe notes that she was ‘not always the most confident of people’, and it gave her the reassurance required to put money worries to one side and focus instead on choosing the right course and university. It gave her the confidence to continue her higher education journey.

Chloe now studies politics philosophy and economics at Somerville College, Oxford, and helps with the Higher Horizons High Achievers Programme, where young learners in the Stoke area get to experience what Oxford is like. She tells them about higher education finance whenever she gives campus tours. She also reminds friends at other universities of their student loan terms and conditions. All of this demonstrates how financial information and advice delivered by Uni Connect partnerships not only impacts individuals, but has a ripple effect in communities currently underrepresented in higher education.

Lewis was inspired to start his journey into higher education and Chloe was empowered to continue hers. They are are just two of thousands of learners Higher Horizons have inspired and empowered since 2017.

Partnership information

Higher Horizons is a partnership delivering outreach in the Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Shropshire region. It focuses activity on the most disadvantaged areas across its region, running events for students in years 7 to 13 with the aims of supporting young people to make well-informed decisions about their future education and increasing progression to higher education amongst the least represented groups.

For more information on these studies and other evaluation please contact James Elliott.