It will help make the dream of going to university a reality for pupils in some of Scotland’s most deprived areas – teeing them up for success from as early as the age of seven.
A new learning centre has officially launched in Maryhill, Glasgow, and is set to empower future generations to achieve their academic and career goals.
It is part of a collaboration between the universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, which have teamed up with education charity IntoUniversity to provide targeted support to those aged seven to 18. Similar centres have been established in Govan and in the Craigmillar area of the capital.
Bosses said the Maryhill project would connect young people who may never have considered university with two of the world’s leading higher education (HE) institutions. The aim is to support the realisation of ambition.
Professor Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said: “The launch of the Maryhill learning centre marks another major milestone in helping us unlock and nurture the potential of young people, regardless of their background.
“The impact of the learning centre will create a wider benefit not only for the individuals, but also for their families and communities, the universities or colleges they might attend, and for society as a whole.”
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The new hub will offer services such as after-school academic support, mentoring with university students and local professionals, aspiration-raising workshops, and work experience opportunities. Project leaders hope it will assist more than 1,000 students every year.
The launch comes as ministers struggle to make significant inroads into closing the poverty-related attainment gap within Scottish education.
Recently published figures show the difference in university entry rates between school leavers from the most and least deprived areas has widened since 2018.
Just over 29 per cent of leavers classed as being in the “most deprived” quintile under the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation were in HE approximately three months after the end of the school year in 2020/21. This compares with a rate of 65.1 per cent for those in the “least deprived” quintile. The 35.9 percentage point gap is up very marginally on the figure of 35.8 recorded for 2019/20 and has risen from 33.4 in 2018/19.
Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Glasgow University, said: “While tremendous strides have been made in widening participation in recent years, there are still too many young people – particularly those who have experienced poverty – who do not see a university education as open to them.
“The University of Glasgow is determined to change that, and our ground-breaking collaboration with IntoUniversity is a key part of that mission.
"We know that potentially worldchanging talent exists in every community across Glasgow – and as a university and a city, we cannot allow this untapped potential go to waste. For the university and the city to thrive, we must empower people from across our communities to meet their full potential regardless of their background.”
He added: "The new IntoUniversity centre in Maryhill will build on the successes of the centres opened in Govan and Craigmillar last year – working with even more young people from an early age to give them the confidence to consider a university education or to support them in their ambitions into employment or further education, helping to unlock their full potential.”
Pupils said the services had already begun to make a difference. Melika, aged 14, who is in S3 at John Paul Academy in Glasgow, said: “When I leave school, I want to study law at university and become a lawyer. I think it is really good at this centre. It’s a place for you to come to concentrate on study.
"When I am at home, it is more difficult to study, as I am distracted by my phone and TV. Here I am able to focus on the work and staff are very helpful.”
READ MORE: Scottish headteachers get £0.5bn to close attainment gap
Dr Rachel Carr, chief executive and co-founder of IntoUniversity, said: “We are delighted to have opened our latest learning centre in Maryhill in collaboration with the universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
“It is wonderful to be able to celebrate the success of students so far, as well as looking forward to what they will achieve in the future.”
Gerry Lyons, of Glasgow Council, described the project as “wonderful”, adding: “Our schools strive to provide as many opportunities as possible to enhance the learning and teaching offered by our teachers and school staff and I am so excited to see how this centre and the work we will do in it increases our pupils’ outcomes and supports their future pathways into higher education.”
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