National Schools Programme

The Schools for Higher Education Programme (SHEP) supports regional collaborations between schools, colleges, and universities to increase progression to higher education in both colleges and universities. Through digital and in-person engagement, SHEP partners work with targeted pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to share impartial information, advice, guidance, and support regarding higher education.

Further information on the work of the individual programmes is available:

• ASPIRENorth – Aberdeenshire, Highlands, Moray, Orkney and Shetland.
• LEAPS – Borders, Edinburgh, Forth Valley, the Lothians.
• LIFT OFF – Dundee and Angus, Fife, Perthshire.
• FOCUS West – Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, the West.

Showcase: Lift Off 2 Success Graduation Ceremony

The Access to High Demand Professions (AHDP) programme offers specific support to pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds with an interest in those degree areas where demand for places is high.

AHDP consists of two programmes: Reach supports students pursuing law, medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, or economics; while Access to Creative Education Scotland (ACES) focuses on degrees related to art, design, and architecture.

Further information on the work of the individual programmes:

Reach

• Reach University of Aberdeen
• Reach University of Dundee
• Reach University of Edinburgh
• Reach University of Glasgow
• Reach University of St Andrews

ACES

• ACES Glasgow School of Art
• ACES Robert Gordon University (Gray’s School of Art)
• ACES University of Dundee (Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design)
• ACES University of Edinburgh (Edinburgh College of Art)

Showcase: ACES Architects in the Making workshop

This practical workshop was led by Mackintosh School of Architecture staff and helped pupils from widening participation backgrounds develop skills in model making, architectural drawing, analysis, and photography. The session took place within the Mackintosh School of Architecture building at the Glasgow School of Art, and gave pupils in S5 and S6 from 22 schools, across 12 local authorities, a chance to see studio, lecture and gallery spaces within the department, and work on a University level architectural brief to analyse a space, develop a proposal and present an outcome. At the end of the workshop participants had a selection 2D and 3D pieces; photographs of which can be used in their digital portfolios when applying to university.

Text and photo provided by Shona Paul, ACES.

The Transitions Programme is exclusive to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) and aims to provide funded training for students from disadvantaged communities who wish to pursue the performing or production arts.

Joining the National Schools Programme in 2021, the Transitions Programme offers funded courses and coaching for talented individuals from the 20% most deprived post code areas and Care Experienced young people to prepare them for the rigorous audition, interview, and intense training for RCS’s undergraduate programmes. Unlike the other programmes focusing on Senior Phase pupils, the Transition Programme supports students as young as 7 years old in music and dance, 15 and older for musical theatre and 16 years and older for other performing and production art forms.