'The best government initiative in recent years'. Teachers' perceptions of the Aimhigher programme in the South West of England

摘要

The social class gap in higher education (HE) participation rates has its origins in the compulsory schooling system and, despite over a century of universal education, differential rates of attainment by social class remain the norm. Against this background, policy initiatives to extend HE participation to under-represented groups are attempting to reverse over 100 years of history. The challenge is to ensure that initiatives are carefully targeted so that they reach the working-class groups for whom they are intended and that they build confidence so that participants see themselves as learners with the potential to progress to HE. This article reports on a study of teachers' perceptions about the extent to which the Aimhigher programme has raised HE awareness, aspirations, attainment and student motivation in the South West of England. Interestingly, the responses point towards changes in motivation to study. Eight out of ten respondents considered Aimhigher was building learner confidence and self-esteem so that these young people came to believe that progression to HE was a realistic option. The study also indicated that the funders' intention to refine the targeting of the programme so that it focuses tightly on lower socio-economic groups will be challenging. For schools, inclusion means giving everyone access to the curriculum, while Aimhigher aims for social inclusion by focusing on the excluded. This difference in philosophy indicates the distance to be travelled to establish a common understanding of targeting.