Author: The Access Project
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Is university worth it? Higher education and social mobility
According to the British Social Attitudes Survey, a third of British people now think that university isn’t worth it, as reported by the BBC today. Here at The Access Project, our mission is to support young people to access top universities in order to achieve social mobility. This has always been our core focus as we strive for a fairer society where every young person,… Read more
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Josh MacAlister MP meets Cumbria students aiming for Oxford
Josh MacAlister OBE, MP for Whitehaven and Workington and Minister for Children and Families, visited The Whitehaven Academy on Friday 8 May to meet talented students aiming for university success. The visit was set up to celebrate the partnership between national education charity, The Access Project, and The Queen’s College, University of Oxford. This partnership was established to support under-resourced students in Cumbria to aspire to study at a top university and give them the… Read more
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“I enjoy talking to my coach” – Ray is building skills for the future
Ray is a year 12 student from Lancashire. When he started studying his A levels, Ray also joined The Access Project — for mentoring, skills coaching, and an extra boost to help his university applications. A keen historian, Ray has ambitions of studying history at a top university. He aspires to work in a museum… Read more
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“I definitely want to go here” – Courtney dreams of life at Oxford
Courtney is a year 12 student from Cumbria. Alongside studying for her A levels, Courtney is receiving mentoring from The Access Project to boost her academic prospects and help her achieve her dreams of studying at a top university. This March, she visited The Queen’s College, Oxford, for a residential visit with The Access Project… Read more
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Founders’ Brunel Charity awards £60,000 to combat educational inequality
The Access Project is delighted to announce its partnership with the Founders’ Brunel Charity, which has awarded The Access Project a multi-year grant to tackle educational inequality.   The Founders’ Brunel Charity will contribute £20,000 per year for three years through the Brunel Fund. This grant will support the delivery of The Access Project’s widening participation programme in two schools: Harris… Read more
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“I want to change the way we look at education” – Musab’s journey to higher education
Musab is a Year 12 student from the West Midlands. When he started his A levels, he joined The Access Project to give his university applications a boost. “I come from a low socio-economic background and the Access Project allows me to experience other opportunities that would otherwise only be available to someone from a… Read more
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Sam Davies joins The Access Project as Interim Director
We are delighted to welcome Sam Davies to The Access Project as Interim Director of Fundraising and Communications. Sam joins us with 25 years of experience in business development and fundraising. Sam has held senior fundraising leadership roles at Plan International UK, WWF, and Shelter, and prior to his fundraising career, served as a director… Read more
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In memoriam: Neil McIntosh, former Chair of the Board
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Neil McIntosh CBE, former Chair of the Board of Trustees at The Access Project. Neil served with our board from 2013 until 2021. In his time, Neil helped drive The Access Project’s mission, supporting growth in London and our expansion into the West Midlands. Neil had… Read more
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Big Give Christmas Challenge
We’re taking on the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2025 – and we want you to get involved! From 2 December – 9 December, we’re teaming up with Big Give to double all of our fundraising. Yes, that’s right — every donation you make to The Access Project’s Christmas campaign will be matched by our partners*,… Read more
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Our response to the post-16 education and skills white paper
Last week saw the much-anticipated release of the government’s white paper on post-16 education and skills. Tackling educational disadvantage is at the heart of our mission, and we welcome the introduction of new routes to higher education and social mobility as a crucial step forward for the young people on our programmes. Anna Searle, CEO… Read more