UCL Sutton Scholars Year 8
Programme 2015 - 16
Information for Teachers
What is the UCL Sutton Scholars Year 8 Programme?
UCL Sutton Scholars is an academic development programme for 100 highly able students from nonselective state schools in London, which have a high proportion of students registered for free school
meals. It is delivered by UCL in partnership with the Sutton Trust. The programme is designed to
challenge students academically across a range of science and humanities subjects and to develop
core study skills, to ensure that these students meet their potential by achieving A*s and As in their
GCSEs. You can read about the programme at this weblink: www.ucl.ac.uk/wp/sutton-scholars
During Year 8, students will attend a series of Discovery Days at UCL in February and May. Every
student will be assigned a UCL student mentor to support them through the programme, both in person
and through an online e-mentoring programme. The Year 8 programme will conclude with a three day
non-residential summer school at UCL in July 2015 (programme dates tbc). Students will then be invited
to attend a continuation programme in Year 9 including Saturday skills sessions in the 2016-17
academic year, followed by a residential summer school in 2017.
Teacher involvement in 2015-16
Teachers are very welcome to attend the launch and celebration evenings, and regular updates will be
emailed to you. You do not need to attend the Discovery Days yourself, as the UCL Widening
Participation Office will manage students’ attendance through emails, letters and text messages to
participants and parents.
Travel arrangements – free travel cards
Please note that we are unable to arrange transport to and from UCL for programme events: parents
and carers will either need to drop off and collect their child from each event, or to give permission for
their child to travel to and from UCL by themselves. We will provide free travel cards for every event
for students who would otherwise not be able to attend. Full details of how to claim travel cards will be
included in the enrolment pack sent to successful applicants.
Discovery Days
Each Discovery Day will focus on an interdisciplinary academic theme. The themes will cover a range
of science and humanities subjects, for example example ‘History of Medicine’, ‘Languages & Culture’,
‘Outer Space’ or ‘Ancient Worlds’. Students will explore the theme through taster lectures and
workshops, while developing key skills needed for high attainment at school and university. After each
Discovery Day students will be asked to complete a short written assignment, for example a piece of
creative writing or an essay about a topic from the day. They will receive feedback on their writing from
their UCL student mentors.
UCL Sutton Scholars Year 8 Programme
Event
Times
Weeknight in early February 2016
(exact date TBC)
5.00 – 7.00pm
February 2016 programme
9.30am – 3.30pm daily
May 2016 programme
9.30am – 3.30pm daily
August 2016 programme
9.30am – 3.30pm daily
Details
Information Evening: Optional event for parents, students
and teachers to learn more about the programme and
meet UCL staff and students.
Day 1: Ice breakers to get to know your group and UCL
mentors. Introduction to the online e-mentoring system.
Workshops to develop your understanding of university
Day 2 and 3: two themed Discovery Days on different
topics (topics will be confirmed nearer the time)
Three themed Discovery Days on different topics
(topics will be confirmed nearer the time)
Three day non-residential Summer School on an
interdisciplinary theme such as ‘Global Citizenship’ or
‘London’.
Who can apply?
The UCL Sutton Scholars programme is specifically designed for highly able students (in the top
10% of ability nationally), who come from backgrounds that are under-represented in higher
education. The criteria are outlined below:
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Academic criteria - students must meet several of these:
o Students recognised as gifted and talented or highly able by their school
o Students whose current teacher assessments of sub levels for English, Maths and
Science demonstrate high ability: Levels 6s, and possibly Level 7s. If a student has
very high attainment in other subjects, this should be also be stated.
o Students who have the potential to achieve five or more A*s and As at GCSE
o Students who receive a strong reference from their teachers regarding their academic
aptitude and potential for high attainment at GCSE
Note on academic criteria:
We will consider all information about academic ability holistically: the more information your school
can provide, the better we can assess an application. We understand that sub levels do not always
reflect a student’s ability, and that some high potential students may be dealing with challenging
circumstances that affect their attainment. For these reasons we will give careful consideration to
written comments from teachers regarding academic potential.
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Social criteria - students must meet two or more of these:
o No family history of higher education (neither parent/guardian has been to university –
if older siblings have been to university but not the parents, they can still apply)
o Students who are eligible for free school meals (currently or in the past)
o Parents/guardians are unemployed or are in low income, non-professional jobs
o Students who live in neighbourhoods with a low rate of higher education participation
(this is assessed by running the student’s postcode through a database)
o Students under local authority care (fostered or in care)
Please note that applications to the programme are competitive: last year we received more applications
than places, so not every student who applies is guaranteed to get a place. We will prioritise applicants
who are the closest match for our academic and social criteria.
Application process
Please could you help promote this programme to appropriate applicants in your school, by printing
and distributing the Information Sheet for Students. This sheet is available to view and download on
our website: www.ucl.ac.uk/wp/sutton-scholars
Students and their parents or guardians must complete the online application form, giving their
contact details and demographic information. The students will also need to write some short
statements about their interest in the programme. A teacher reference must also be provided for every
student in order for an application to be considered complete.
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Please note that a school can submit up to five application forms: we will not process more than
five per school
Sections Five and Six of the student application form must be completed by parents/ guardians
Student applications must be submitted via the online form, which can be found on the following
link: www.ucl.ac.ul/wp/sutton-scholars
The teacher reference is an online web-form which can also be found on the link above.
Please note we will not be accepting any paper application forms for this year’s programme. If
you are facing difficulties with our web-forms, please do get in touch.
The deadline for UCL to receive all application forms and teacher references is Friday 8
January 2016.
We will contact students, parents and teachers by email to confirm the outcome of
applications by the end of January 2016.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact email scholars@ucl.ac.uk or call Joycelyn Mate on 0203 108
7646 or 07469 118172. We look forward to receiving applications from your students!