PUPILS from a pioneering £1 million scheme to teach Advanced Higher qualifications at university rather than school have recorded record pass rates.

New figures show pupils from the Glasgow Caledonian University Advanced Higher Hub have achieved a pass rate of more than 90 per cent compared to a national average of 81 per cent.

The achievement is all the more remarkable because the project is in its second year of operation and marks a significant jump from its first year when the pass rate was 74 per cent.

Eleanor Wilson, the university's director of community engagement, said: "The hub builds on our commitment to raise aspirations and widen access to higher education for pupils in the city.

"This is an outstanding result for the pupils which is testament both to their hard work and that of teaching staff and the support received from Glasgow City Council.

“We believe study at the Advanced Higher Hub blends real life and learning, making pupils’ experiences more relevant to their academic aspirations and helping them to apply their learning beyond the classroom, into the campus and the future."

Professor Pamela Gillies, principal of Glasgow Caledonian, added: "This achievement underlines the success of our close working partnership with Glasgow City Council and the support we have received from the Scottish Funding Council."

Under the scheme, pupils travel from school to the university to study courses with those who do well given advanced standing to degree courses as part of moves to widen access.

The centre is particularly innovative as the university will employ a team of teachers on a part-time basis to deliver the Advanced Highers.

The initiative, which is backed by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), comes amid growing concern over the availability of Advanced Highers.

The qualification is increasingly seen as the best preparation for university and adds considerable weight to a higher education application.

However, access to Advanced Higher subjects can be limited in schools where few pupils want to take them. That means pupils in middle-class areas or private schools can have a full range to choose from, compared to pupils in more deprived areas.

Pupil Ryan Byrne, 18, from St Andrew’s Secondary, who successfully gained Advanced Highers in History and Modern Studies, said: “Having experienced Glasgow Caledonian University, I feel like I know the university inside and out and this helped me to choose this university to study.

"I’m starting social sciences, where politics is one of the subjects and what I’m most interested in. By coming to study Advanced Highers at the Hub, I feel like I already know the university before I have begun."

Nuha Irshad, 17, from Smithycroft Secondary School, who achieved an Advanced Higher in Chemistry at the hub, added: "I enjoyed the independent learning which is encouraged here.

"Studying at the hub is a tremendous asset as you are given the opportunity to experience how it feels to be at university before choosing your course." Nuha will begin a Biomedical Engineering Sciences degree at Glasgow University this autumn.

There were 167 exam presentations from pupils at the hub who came from 21 schools across Glasgow and who studied a range of subjects including English, mathematics, biology, chemistry, history, business management and modern studies.

Some 40 per cent of pupils received A grades, and a further 30.5 per cent secured a B grade. Pupils studying history and English received 100 per cent pass rates.

The Advanced Higher Hub supports GCU’s strategic commitment to delivering excellence in learning and an outstanding student experience which equips students with the employability and entrepreneurial skills.

The university supports a number of initiatives which encourage widening access and articulation into university and college.

The Advanced Higher Hub opened in 2013 supported by the Scottish Funding Council and in partnership with Glasgow City Council.

The Advanced Highers Hub is part of GCU's ongoing commitment to widening access to higher education, with 34 per cent of the university's undergraduates already from disadvantaged backgrounds, compared with a Scottish average of 27 per cent.