The Department of Social Sciences engages in a number of outreach programmes within the local community, having links with many partner colleges and schools. These programmes include taster days, academic workshops and advising on curriculum structures.
Our Taster Days give FE students the chance to experience university life first hand.
We put on a number of Academic Taster Workshop Days for our partner schools and colleges, with up to 180 students attending LSBU. Our staff regularly attend these events and their presentations have made a very positive impact by giving the students greater confidence and aspirations about progressing into HE. We continue to receive many applications from the institutions participating in the scheme.
- Louise Dobson,The students were absolutely glowing about the sessions and didn't talk of anything else on the way home!! It was of real benefit to many of our students who are actually quite anxious about what University is like. They really enjoyed themselves and hopefully it's given some of them the boost they need to really aim for a University place.
In a scheme set up with Beths Grammar School, Beths pupils took the level 4 Social Economy module alongside our own undergraduates. The module left them enthused about HE and demonstrated to the students the difference between teaching and learning at school and HE. All the pupils who took part progressed into higher education. Due to the success of this project, the school asked us to run the scheme again and in 2010/11 we have their pupils taking the level 4 Sociology module.
The Department of Social Sciences has been involved in the faculty's widening participation programme for the last 3 years. The programme is designed to equip year 12 students from partner schools and colleges with the skills required for HE. The delivery (at LSBU) is over one year, with students attending 3 times and engaging in sessions on Law, Psychology and Social Sciences. For each session the students attend and successfully complete, the Faculty recognises this as being the equivalent of 10 UCAS points. If they attend and successfully complete all 3 sessions the Faculty recognises as being the equivalent of 40 UCAS points.
Our staff are regularly invited to be on panels for the validation of Access courses. Social Sciences colleagues' commitment and expertise means that the Colleges whose Access courses are being validated approach us to work together further and establish formal partnership.
Social Sciences staff help advise partner colleges about the curriculum of their new courses, suggesting and recommending ways in which they can adapt their curriculum to ensure smooth progression for the students from those courses to our courses.
