Inspiring Choices is thrilled to be part of successful joint bid led by York St John University to secure funding in the form of a £173,958 grant to develop an innovative project to support Armed Forces young people within Further and Higher Education.
The funding comes from the Office for Students Equality in Higher Education Innovation Fund and will bring together local and national partners who will each bring a unique set of experiences and expertise that, when combined will effectively address the needs of this specific group.
Head of Inspiring Choices, Louisa Dobson said:
"Work to improve Armed Forces students' outcomes in FE and HE presents a significant and enduring challenge because we know very little about their experiences in this phase of education. With thousands of young people from an armed forces background living and studying in North Yorkshire, this funding will empower local partners to support Service Children within FE and HE settings through the design and delivery of impactful interventions, and development of evaluation tools."
There is much to be proud of in the work we already do to meet the needs of Service children, but there is still more to do. We are particularly excited to have the opportunity to work on this pilot project with the SCiP Alliance who have long been an inspiration and support for the work we do.
Director of the SCiP Alliance, Philip Dent said:
“Service children can benefit from the unique nature of Armed Forces family life, but disruption to learning, relationships and support can harm their wellbeing and education. We are delighted to be working with York St John and other partners in the Alliance community to address a known gap in knowledge and support through this innovative project and are grateful to the OfS for their support.”
The OfS identified Service children as an at-risk group after University of Winchester research identified the risks frequent school moves posed to their higher education access. As such universities are urged to include them in their widening participation plans for targeted support.
You can read more about the work Inspiring Choices does to support Service Children here.
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