Who are Next Steps South West?
Next Steps South West (NSSW) is a collaboration of fourteen partner universities and colleges throughout Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. We are funded by the Office for Students (OfS).
Click on the map below to enlarge and find out more about our partners.
As part of the Office for Students’ Uni Connect Programme, we help young people and adult learners navigate their own personal journey to higher education. Across the region, we deliver events and activities designed to educate and inspire young people aged 12-19 years old, FE students aged 19+, and those that influence them, such as teachers, tutors, parents and carers.
We signpost to other websites with current, relevant information that can help with decisions on career choices, and how to pursue them.
From 2023/24, NSSW will be delivering targeted Outreach and Attainment Raising activities.
Attainment Raising
Across the partnership, 15 schools have been selected for intensive attainment raising activities for pupils in Years 8-11, in line with updated Office for Students priorities.
Visit our attainment raising offer here
Targeted Outreach
NSSW targeted outreach focusses on those who have the ability to progress into higher education, but who live in areas where HE progression is lower than average. This is based on the Office for Students’ POLAR3 and Gaps classification. For further information on this, click here.
NSSW works with target schools and colleges where we deliver sustained and progressive outreach, according to the NSSW Progression Framework.
In 2024/25 the NSSW Core Offer will be available for Year 12-13 students. View our 2024/25 School and College Programme.
The NSSW Evaluation and Communications strategies detail how NSSW fulfils OfS requirements in these areas to support the outreach programme.
Get in touch
If you are a non-target school or you have a question and would like to find out more about Next Steps South West, please feel free to Get in Touch