We believe that every child deserves the opportunity to develop their potential. Our programme of support provides children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with the help that middle-class children receive as a matter of course.
Academic Support
Primary and secondary students can come down to our centres for Academic Support, where they receive after-school help with homework, coursework, literacy and numeracy from trained tutors. We also offer one-to-one support with GCSE, AS Level, A2 Level and degree options, coursework, revision, exam techniques, UCAS forms, interview techniques and gap years.
FOCUS
The school curriculum is broken up into disparate units that give little sense of the university experience of concentrated, passionate learning in a specialist area. The FOCUS Programme offers young people learning experiences which aim to immerse them in a single topic or subject area. It includes: primary school weeks and days during term time; secondary school workshops and holiday FOCUS activities, Extending Horizons Weekends away; and after-school Careers-in-FOCUS. All FOCUS provision concludes with a ‘graduation’ ceremony with certificates and a celebration of the young people’s work.
Mentoring
Students on the IntoUniversity scheme may have the opportunity to join our Mentoring Programme. They are paired with undergraduates from the University of London who provide help with school work, social and inter-personal skills, and confidence-building. The scheme gives young people role models who have already made it into university, who encourage them to think about their futures and raise their aspirations.
We’ve recently launched a new Corporate Mentoring Scheme which provides young people in Year 13 with a mentor who is a graduate and is working in a high powered career. The support continues throughout university, so that young people from our target groups (who are more likely to drop out than their peers) feel encouraged to continue with their study.
We also run a Buddy Scheme, which offers the benefits of the mentoring programme to a broader range of young people but on a smaller scale. Groups of secondary students work with university student volunteers to engage in hands-on activities from a specific discipline (past Buddy Days have focussed on science, medicine, law and engineering).
What's going on near you?
Find out more about the programmes currently running at each centre:
Visit our online gallery to see more photos of our programme in action.
Aspire and Achieve
Young people often carry very negative ideas about themselves and their future potential.
Using programmes devised by IntoUniversity staff and The Pacific Institute, we provide leadership and personal development training that challenges negative self-perceptions among young people and encourages them to think expansively about the future and to take responsibility for their own goals.
Hear some thoughts on our programme
“They did excellent work as a group, their behaviour and confidence growing day by day.”
- Primary school teacher reflecting on a FOCUS Week at IntoUniversity Brent
"It was really fun and helpful at this crucial point in our education"
- Secondary student at a 'Go For It!' session with IntoUniversity North Kensington
“Getting to know my mentee [was] an eye-opening experience... I have learnt the importance of being motivated from a young age...I think it is a very good scheme and one with truly noble objectives in its sincere desire to empower youth.”
- Volunteer mentor at IntoUniversity Brent
“It has probably added a new prospect in university choices because I had never considered [it]. I also got the opportunity to meet new people and enjoyed having new friends.”
- Secondary student on an Extending Horizons trip to York with IntoUniversity Brent