About Advancing Access
Advancing Access is a partnership between the 24 Russell Group universities working with teachers and careers advisers to enable them to support students’ progression to more selective universities. This is done through the provision of free high-quality resources, online and offline CPD conferences, CPD sessions delivered in schools and colleges and a regularly updated blog. Advancing Access supports teachers and careers advisers to guide young people who are making their key stage 4, key stage 5 and university choices.
Advancing Access started launched in 2016 as an online project and is funded by university Widening Participation teams. The project still provides high quality content online, which is free and easy to access by teachers and advisers across the UK. In addition, the project has now expanded to deliver a range of sessions ‘on the ground’ in schools and colleges.
What’s on offer
The Advancing Access website contains a wide range of free resources for teachers and advisers including guidebooks, information sheets, activities for students and resources from events.
Advancing Access organise at least one virtual CPD conference and one CPD conference in a school or college each year. These events allow attendees to participate in webinars, visit Russell Group university stalls and network with other practitioners.
In 2022, some new self-directed interactive CPD modules for teachers and advisers were released on the Advancing Access website. These modules aim to support teachers, advisers and school or college leaders to build a culture of success in their school or college with respect to sending more students to the UK’s most competitive universities.
All UK state schools and colleges can also request free Advancing Access CPD sessions to be delivered either in their school or college or online. Sessions offered include:
> Writing effective UCAS references
> Supporting students to write personal statements
> Supporting students with qualifications choices at ages 16 & 18
> Understanding contextual admissions processes
> Preparing students for interviews and admissions tests
Teachers and advisers can request a CPD session for their school or college on the Advancing Access website.
Get in touch
If you would like to get in touch with the Advancing Access team, please email enquiries@advancingaccess.ac.uk.
Alternatively, you can also call 0115 846 7717 from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday.