[:en]…with Reaching Wider and Step Up to Swansea University
Alice Davies
Partnership Manager
South West Wales Reaching Wider Partnership
June is often a busy month for Widening Access teams and this is certainly true of the Reaching Wider team at the University.
Over the course of June we ran a huge variety of events delivering 2,132 hours of engagement to 650 participants and 624 hours of employment and training to Swansea University students. Here’s a snapshot of the engagements that have happened throughout the month of June.
Primary schools (Years 5 and 6)
Our primary school interventions are designed to deliver a positive introduction to Higher Education, provide positive learning experiences in different subjects, and support pupils to discover new skills and build on existing ones especially literacy and numeracy. Through June, we ran an after school STEM club giving Year 5 pupils hands on experience of running their own science experiments and we’ve delivered a boys’ reading club to encourage boys to read more. We’ve also brought hundreds of pupils onto campus to explore the University and interview students and we’ve sent subject workshops into schools from castles to maggots!
Secondary schools 11- 16
Our secondary school interventions are designed to introduce pupils to the benefits of progressing to Higher Education. We provide opportunities for pupils to explore and develop their academic and employment aspirations, broaden their subject knowledge and develop their academic skills.
In June, we ran the Megamaths intra-school competition with our highest ever attendee rate of over 140 pupils, subject taster workshops, a confidence and well-being programme for girls, an engineering day in partnership with Tata Steel and campus visits for Year 9 pupils.
Photo – Tweet from winning school from Megamaths event.
Care experienced young people
We run activities for care experienced young people throughout the year and June is no different. The term “care experienced” refers to anyone who has been, or is currently in care. This care may have been provided in many different settings, such as foster care or residential care. In June we brought a group of care experienced children from primary schools across Swansea onto campus to take part in a range of different subject themed activities. We have developed our after school club by working with The Roots Foundation Wales to bring young people onto campus once a week to take part in different activities whilst also providing peer support to each other.
Year 12 and FE College students
Our post 16 interventions are designed to help students make informed choices that align with their personal interests and career aspirations and also aim to support students to make successful applications and transitions to university. During the month of June, we ran a Year 12 conference offering students taster sessions in a huge range of subjects whilst supporting them to develop academic skills. We also ran a Paramedic Science Taster day and took a group of 6th form students out on the new research boat to discover marine biology through the medium of Welsh. Support was also offered through a UCAS and Finance day which provided students on guidance on how to make successful University applications and information on funding available.
Without supportive colleges across academic colleges and professional services this work would not be possible. From the catering staff that make the students welcome when serving them lunch, to the inspiring lecturers who help students see a subject in a new light, to the professional services colleagues who help demystify student finance and UCAS. Everyone has a part to play in making a Higher Education accessible to all.
June has been busy and July is set to be just as busy with residential programmes designed to provide a taste of student life happening on both Bay and Singleton campuses alongside campus visits and parents’ workshops. If you’d like to find out more or work with Reaching Wider please contact reachingwider@swansea.ac.uk[:cy]Alice Davies
Rheolwr Partneriaeth
Partneriaeth Ymgyrraedd Yn Ehangach De Orllewin Cymru
…gydag Ymgyrraedd yn Ehangach a Chamu Ymlaen i Brifysgol Abertawe.
Mae mis Mehefin yn aml yn fis prysur i dimau Llydanu Mynediad ac mae hyn yn wir iawn i dîm Ymgyrraedd yn Ehangach yn y Brifysgol.
Yn ystod mis Mehefin, fe wnaethon ni cynnal amrywiaeth fawr o ddigwyddiadau, gan ddosbarthu 2,132 oriau o ddylanwad i 650 o gyfranogwyr a 624 awr o gyflogaeth a hyfforddiant i fyfyrwyr Prifysgol Abertawe. Dyma giplun o’r dylanwadau sydd wedi digwydd trwy gydol mis Mehefin.
Ysgolion cynradd (Blynyddoedd 5 a 6)
Mae ein hymyriadau ysgolion cynradd wedi’u ddylunio i roi cyflwyniad positif i Addysg Uwch, darparu profiadau dysgu positif mewn pynciau gwahanol, a chefnogi disgyblion i ddarganfod sgiliau newydd ac i adeiladu ar rhai newydd yn enwedig llythrennedd a rhifedd. Trwy gydol mis Mehefin, fe wnaethon ni cynnal clwb ar ôl ysgol STEM, gan roi profiad i blant Blwyddyn 5 profiad ymarferol o redeg ymarferion gwyddoniaeth eu hun ac fe wnaethon ni rhedeg clwb darllen bechgyn i’w annog nhw i ddarllen mwy. Rydym hefyd wedi dod â channoedd o ddisgyblion i’r campws i edrych o gwmpas y Brifysgol ac i gyfweld â myfyrwyr. Rydym hefyd wedi gwneud gweithdai pwnc i ysgolion, o gestyll i chwilod!
Ysgolion Uwchradd 11 – 16
Mae ein hymyriadau ysgol uwchradd wedi’u ddylunio i gyflwyno i fyfyrwyr y buddiannau o symud ymlaen i Addysg Uwch. Rydym yn rhoi cyfleoedd i ddisgyblion i archwilio a datblygu eu dyheadau academig a chyflogaeth, ehangu eu gwybodaeth pwnc a datblygu eu sgiliau academig.
Ym mis Mehefin, fe wnaethon ni rhedeg Megamaths, cystadleuaeth rhyng-ysgol, gyda’r nifer uchelaf o fynychwyr o dros 140 o ddisgyblion, gweithdai blasu pwnc, rhaglen hyder a buddiant i ferched, diwrnod peirianneg mewn perthynas â Tata Steel ac ymweliadau campws i ddisgyblion Blwyddyn 9.
Llun – tweet o ysgol fuddugol o’r digwyddiad Megamaths.
Plant ifanc sydd wedi cael profiad gofal
Rydym yn rhedeg gweithgareddau ar gyfer pobl ifanc sydd wedi cael profiad gofal trwy gydol y flwyddyn ac nid yw mis Mehefin yn wahanol. Mae’r term “wedi cael profiad gofal” yn cyfeirio at unrhyw un sydd wedi, neu o hyd mewn gofal. Efallai bod y gofal wedi cael ei ddarparu mewn nifer o wahanol sefyllfaoedd megis, gofal maeth neu ofal preswyl. Ym mis Mehefin fe wnaethon ni ddod â grŵp o blant gyda phrofiad gofal, o ysgolion ledled Abertawe, i’r campws i gymryd rhan mewn amrywiaeth o weithgareddau mewn pynciau gwahanol. Rydym wedi datblygu clwb ar ôl ysgol gan weithio gyda ‘The Roots Foundation Wales’ i ddod a phobl ifanc i’r campws unwaith yr wythnos iddynt gymryd rhan mewn gweithgareddau gwahanol wrth ddarparu cymorth cyfoed i’w gilydd.
Blwyddyn 12 a myfyrwyr Coleg Addysg Bellach
Mae ein ymyriadau ôl-16 wedi’u ddylunio i helpu myfyrwyr gwneud dewisiadau wybodus sy’n alinio gyda’u diddordebau personol a dyheadau gyrfa ac hefyd gyda’r bwriad i gefnogi fyfyrwyr i wneud ceisiadau llwyddiannus a thrawsnewidiad i’r Brifysgol. Yn ystod mis Mehefin, fe wnaethon ni rhedeg cynhadledd i flwyddyn 12 gan gynnig sesiynau blasu i fyfyrwyr mewn amrywiaeth o bynciau a chefnogi nhw i ddatblygu sgiliau academaidd. Fe wnaethon ni rhedeg diwrnod Blasu Gwyddor Barafeddygol gan fynd â grŵp o fyfyrwyr 6ed dosbarth allan ar y cwch ymchwil newydd i ddarganfod bioleg morol trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Roedd cymorth ar gael trwy cynnal diwrnod UCAS a Cyllid, fe wnaeth rhoi cyfarwyddyd i fyfyrwyr sut i wneud cais llwyddiannus i’r Brifysgol a gwybodaeth o’r ariannu sydd ar gael.
Heb golegau cefnogol ar draws colegau academig a gwasanaethau proffesiynol, ni fyddai’r gwaith yn bosib. O’r staff arlwyo sy’n croesawi’r myfyrwyr wrth weini cinio, i’r darlithwyr ysbrydoledig sydd yn helpu myfyrwyr i weld pwnc mewn ffordd wahanol, i’r gwasanaethau proffesiynol sy’n disyfrdanu cyllid myfyrwyr a UCAS. Mae gan bawb rhan i’w chwarae i helpu gwneud Addysg Uwch yn hygyrch i bawb.
Mae mis Mehefin wedi bod yn brysur iawn ac mae mis Gorffennaf yr un mor brysur gyda rhaglenni preswyl wedi dylunio i rhoi blas o fywyd myfyrwyr, ar gampws y Bae a Singleton, yn unol ag ymweliadau campws a gweithdai rhieni. Os hoffech ddarganfod mwy neu gweithio gydag Ymgyrraedd yn Ehangach, cysylltwch â reachingwider@swansea.ac.uk
Alice Davies
Rheolwr Partneriaeth
Partneriaeth Ymgyrraedd Yn Ehangach De Orllewin Cymru[:]
