LJMU welcome service children for university taster day
Service children from two Ministry of Defence (MoD) schools in Cyprus were welcomed to LJMU for a taster day as part of ongoing efforts to reduce the national gap in children from military families attending university.
Young people from St John’s Secondary School located within the British military complex Episkopi Cantonment in Cyprus, and King Richard School serving Dhekelia Cantonment and nearby Ayios Nikolaos station also in Cyprus, spent a day in Liverpool hearing from current students about university life at LJMU.
As well as an overview of the university and its study options, the service children undertook activities in LJMU’s sports facilities and toured nearby student accommodation. They also had the chance to speak with students from military families to understand how the university’s support extends through the application stage and during life on campus.
A national briefing, compiled by the Office for Students, suggests there is a 24% gap for service children attending university and identified the need for better understanding of the specific and complex barriers faced by children from military families in accessing and succeeding in higher education.
LJMU has committed to extending its outreach activities for service children, as part of its Access and Participation Plan, ensuring that this group are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to successfully access higher education and to help narrow this national gap.
It is the second year that LJMU has welcomed MoD schools onto campus as part of its wider Action Plan to increase awareness of the opportunities and benefits of higher education. As part of this plan, LJMU recently introduced a contextual offer for service children – or reduced entry requirements - designed to recognise this group’s potential and to better support them into university study.
It was a real pleasure to host the visit with our guests taking part in subject-focused discussions with current students giving them a genuine insight into university life and future study options. They also had the opportunity to tour the sports facilities and student accommodation, helping them experience first-hand what studying at LJMU can be like. We hope the day inspired their ambitions and made them feel welcome and confident about their future pathways.
Dave Leigh, from LJMU’s Outreach team and organiser of the MoD schools visit
Further in person and online events designed to support service children will take place over the coming months.
Outreach activities involving service children is part of a broader strategy and commitment from LJMU to support the Armed Forces community alongside its Access and Participation Plan objectives. Find out more about LJMU’s pledge under the Armed Forces Covenant.
