The Accelerate and Access Foundation drives social mobility in UK maintained schools through educational partnerships, enabling students from all backgrounds to maximise their potential.

United Learning

United Access - A UL Programme

The Accelerate and Access Foundation are working with United Learning to pilot a second programme, United Access. Modelled on the AAF’S flagship programme, the Academies Partnership Programme in Kent, United Access is a four-year-long university access programme aimed at raising aspirations and opportunities amongst disadvantaged students. Students involved are drawn from six United Learning academies, aiming to recreate the intimacy which has the allowed the APP in Kent to thrive. Three year 9 students from each of the six participating schools will be selected for this programme each year, with the first cohort of 18 starting the programme in 2017.

Introducing the United Access Programme

United Access opened with a residential event at Caterham School in July 2017. Every year for the next four years, these students will come back for two residentials – one at Caterham and one at a leading university. They will take part in university-style lectures and exciting enrichment activities. In addition, the students will be mentored by Undergraduates who will keep in touch with them online between the residentials, supporting them through their various academic stages.

United Learning is a group of schools, both state and private, aiming to provide excellent education to children and young people across the country. United Access is the latest programme to emerge from the United Learning Partnership Fund, a fund to raise money and foster collaboration between schools so as to give staff and students academic, sporting and cultural experiences that no individual school could offer alone, clearly resonating with the key aims and aspirations of the AAF. United Learning seek to offer their pupils academic rigour combined with a rich wider educational experiences, and United Access will seek to assist pupils in developing both a good academic record and a number of key attributes – intellectual curiosity, confidence, resilience and creativity – that they may require to go on to live fulfilling and successful lives.