Students at Stephen Longfellow Academy were given the opportunity to take part in a visit to Leeds Beckett University on 9 May 2024. The aim of this visit was to raise aspirations around Higher Education and gain an experience of university life. This visit built upon school assemblies delivered by Leeds Beckett University ambassadors to the whole of the Secondary.
Students who attended the visit were given a short presentation about Leeds Beckett University and the main courses they do. The presentation was followed by an interactive activity called the Higher Education card game; students learned new higher education words which they matched to the appropriate explanation cards. Students also completed the “Bridge Build”, which involved students working together to create a bridge that could hold a toy metal bus from just sheets of paper and some sticky tape.
Students were then given a tour of the campus which included: the 45-million-pound sports centre, halls of residence, lecture theatres and the library. Students were even able to race each other on the world class outdoor sports track and understand how sports performance is measured. After the tour there was a final activity which taught budgeting skills, looking at the weekly costs of a student at university.
The visit was successful, and students engaged well with university ambassadors and staff. On the day students asked relevant questions such as:
- How much does it cost to stay at university?
- How long is a degree?
- What would I need to do to study Sport at university?
Feedback taken from the students showed that they all enjoyed the experience, especially the tour and participated well in the higher education matching card game (learning new terms) and the bridge build task. Feedback also showed there had been a clear increase in students now thinking about university. 80% of students said they would recommend the visit to other students.
The Stephen Longfellow Academy will continue to work with Leeds Beckett University to support its students to gain knowledge and experience about Higher Education, raising their aspirations for the future.
