Sutton Trust

The Sutton Trust is an educational charity in the United Kingdom which aims to improve social mobility and address educational disadvantage.[1] The charity was set up by educational philanthropist Sir Peter Lampl in 1997 and since then has undertaken over 150 research studies[2] and funded a wide range of practical programmes to support young people in early years, primary and secondary school, and in accessing higher education and the professions.[3][4] The charity's Chief Executive is James Turner, formerly of the Education Endowment Foundation. [5] Contents 1 Early years programmes 2 School programmes 2.1 Sutton Scholars 2.2 Open Access 3 University programmes 3.1 UK summer schools 3.2 US programme 3.3 Teacher summer school 3.4 Academic apprenticeship 3.5 Oxford Pathways 3.6 University access scheme 4 Professions 4.1 Pathways to Law 4.2 Pathways Plus 4.3 Pathways to Medicine 4.4 Pathways to Property 5 Research 5.1 Social mobility 5.1.1 Sutton Trust 13 5.1.2 Sutton Trust 30 5.2 Teaching and learning toolkit 5.3 Access to university 5.4 Tuition fees 5.5 Apprenticeships 5.6 Educational backgrounds 5.7 Grammar schools 5.8 Postgraduate students 5.9 Academies 5.10 Teaching 5.11 Early years 6 Funding 7 Education Endowment Foundation 8 Past programmes 8.1 PEEP Transition Project 8.2 Room to Play 8.3 One-to-one Tuition Pilot 8.4 Future First 8.5 Reach for Excellence 8.6 The Subject Matters 9 See also 10 References 11 External links Early years programmes[edit] In 2014 the Sutton Trust established a £1.25 million fund in partnership with the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. The fund will support projects aimed at improving parental engagement in the early years.[6] School programmes[edit] Sutton Scholars[edit] The trust's Sutton Scholars programme aims to support highly able low- and middle-income students in early secondary school. The programme provides a multi-year course of enrichment activities for each student, with content delivered by four Universities: Cambridge, Nottingham, UCL and Warwick.[7] The programme aims to foster talent at an early age, increasing the pool of students attending the trust's university summer schools. Open Access[edit] Open Access is a voluntary scheme proposed by the trust that would open independent day schools to students from all backgrounds, with places awarded on merit alone. The schools would remain independent, entrance would be competitive and fees would be paid on a sliding scale. Over 80 independent day schools have backed the scheme, including St Paul's School.[8] A seven-year pilot at the Belvedere School in Liverpool was funded jointly by the Sutton Trust and the Girls' Day School Trust and all places were awarded on merit, with parents paying a sliding scale of fees according to their means.[9][10] Under the scheme, the social mix of the school became more diverse with 30% of pupils on free places, 40% paying partial fees and 30% paying full fees. The first cohort achieved the school's best ever examination results - and the best in Liverpool - with 99% of students achieving at least five good GCSEs.[11] University programmes[edit] UK summer schools[edit] The Sutton Trust ran its first summer school in 1997 at Oxford University, and they continue to be highly popular. It is the largest programme of its kind, with 10,000 applicants for 2,000 places in 2014.[12] The week long summer schools are designed to give bright students from non-privileged homes an insight into life at a leading university. The programme is delivered by the trust's university partners: Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Imperial, King's College London, Nottingham, St Andrews, UCL, and the Royal Veterinary College.[13] A report published by the trust in 2012, showed that summer school attendees were more likely to get into a highly competitive university than children with similar academic profiles who hadn't attended a summer school. Researchers at the University of Bristol revealed that more than three-quarters (76%) of children who attend a summer school are awarded places at a leading university, compared with just over half (55%) of children with a similar academic and social background who did not apply for a summer school place.[14][15] US programme[edit] The Sutton Trust US programme was launched in 2012 with the UK/US Fulbright Commission.[16] The programme helps low-income students apply to universities and colleges in the US and apply for financial aid packages. The programme, which is free for students, includes a week-long trip to an Ivy League institution, four residential courses in London, intense mentoring throughout the application process, plus payment of examination fees.[17] The programme took 64 students in its first year in 2012, before expanding to 150 in its second year and 175 in its third year. Students on the 2014 programme attended summer schools at Harvard, Yale, and MIT.[18] In 2014, 61 students from the summer school were awarded places at 37 US institutions to pursue their undergraduate degrees. 60% of these students come from households with an income of less than £25,000 per annum. In its first two years the programme has enabled 82 students to gain scholarships to American universities, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT and Dartmouth, accessing $20m of financial aid.[19] In its third year, 58 students from the programme were awarded places at 39 different institutions, accessing over $14m in financial aid.[20] Teacher summer school[edit] The Sutton Trust runs the country's largest programme of subject specific teacher summer schools aimed at boosting access to the country's leading universities.[21] The teacher summer schools are free to attend and are aimed at teachers in schools and colleges which have relatively few students accessing highly selective universities and which serve areas of socio-economic need.[22] Academic apprenticeship[edit] This project aims to increase the number of offers made to non-privileged students by elite universities through an e-mentoring programme. Each student is assigned an e-mentor who assists them through a subject specific pathway.[23] Oxford Pathways[edit] This programme offers sustained support to students in years 10-13 to help them make strong applications to Oxford University. The programme provides information, advice and guidance to academically able students and staff members, in non-selective state schools with little history of progression to Oxford.[24] In its first year the programme worked with nearly 3,000 students and 400 teachers from across the UK.[25] University access scheme[edit] The university access scheme is run by the Kent Academies Network, in partnership with the Sutton Trust and Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge. Participating schools identify students in Year 9 based on their academic potential to begin a four-year programme of support. In each of the four years of the programme, the group of students spend one week at Easter and one week in the summer on a residential course in Kent.[26] Professions[edit] The Sutton Trust is developing a comprehensive programmes model to enable young people from non-privileged backgrounds to enter the professions – including Law, Medicine, Banking, Insurance, accounting and consulting. The programme will support pupils from Key Stage 4 through to their undergraduate years. The trust's current Pathways programmes are listed below: Pathways to Law[edit] Pathways to Law is a programme developed by the Sutton Trust and the College of Law (now the Legal Education Foundation), to widen access to the legal profession.[27] It was established in 2006 and is delivered by twelve universities, in collaboration with ten partnering organisations from the legal profession. The Pathways programme provides various interventions over two years: university-based sessions, including academic lectures and seminar discussions; careers and university advice; e-mentoring by current law students; a guaranteed work placement with a leading law firm; a three-night residential conference; and the use of a library of law-related information and news.[28] Pathways Plus[edit] This programme extends the support provided by Pathways to Law. Undergraduates studying law receive academic and careers support both in person and online, in partnership with leading law firms.[29] Pathways to Medicine[edit] This programme is delivered in partnership with Imperial College London.[30] Launched in 2014, Pathways to Medicine provides support for aspiring medics from non-privileged backgrounds, starting in year 11 and running throughout the two sixth form years. The programme provides students with a work placement, a mentor in the profession, soft skills sessions and academic activities.[31] Pathways to Property[edit] Established in 2012, Pathways to property is open to Year 12 students from UK state schools who are interested in finding out about careers in the property sector.[32] The programme offers a range of activities including a Summer School at the University of Reading in July, a mentoring programme and work experience.[33] Research[edit] The Sutton Trust produces research on education and social mobility that spans the early years, school, universities and access to the professions. Social mobility[edit] A 2005 report commissioned by the Sutton Trust revealed that the UK, alongside the United States, has the lowest level of social mobility of any developed country for which there is data. Researchers from the London School of Economics found that one reason for this trend was that the expansion of higher education in the UK disproportionately benefited those from better-off backgrounds. A follow-up report by the LSE group in 2008 concluded that social mobility had levelled off, with children born in 2000 facing the same mobility prospects as those children born 30 years earlier.[34] Sutton Trust 13[edit] In 2000, the Sutton Trust created a list of 13 UK universities which are research-intensive and ranked highest based on the average rankings of surveys by The Daily Telegraph, The Times, the Financial Times and The Sunday Times.[35] The universities are regarded as the UK's "most prestigious",[36] "elite"[37] and "most selective" universities[38] offering around 30,000 places annually.[39] The 13 universities are used as a benchmark for monitoring social mobility by academics, educational organisations and the government.[40][41][42] Graduates from the 13 universities are expected to "earn on average £4,300 per year (17%) more than graduates from post-1992 universities, and are 12 percentage points more likely to be in professional employment" 5 years after graduation.[43] The universities are listed below in alphabetical order:[44] University of Birmingham, University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, Durham University, University of Edinburgh, Imperial College London, London School of Economics, University of Nottingham, University of Oxford, University of St Andrews, University College London, University of Warwick, University of York. See also: Rankings of universities in the United Kingdom