- Support young people to reach their academic potential
- In person
- One - two hours per week
- No experience needed
What is Schools Plus
Schools Plus places University of Bristol students at local secondary schools to tackle educational inequality.
The programme benefits young people from disadvantaged backgrounds by providing near-to-peer bespoke tutoring and study support. Improving their subject understanding, confidence, resilience and motivation for learning to ultimately improve their educational attainment. The programme will also benefit your engagement with the world around you, wellbeing and key skills such as confidence, resilience, leadership and teamwork.
I really enjoying working with children and wanted an opportunity to help those who may be struggling or behind, especially as I know how much Covid has impacted students experience at school. The Schools Plus programme allowed me to work this around my university schedule and provided support when I needed it.
Alice Clow, Schools Plus volunteer 2021-22
What you’ll be doing
As a Schools Plus volunteer you will attend weekly sessions with young people. You can choose which projects you want to be a part of. The projects which are open for volunteers this term are:
| Tuesdays at 3:20pm | Hareclive E-Act Academy (primary school): in-class SATs support |
| Wednesdays at 10:30am | Bridge learning campus (Secondary school): In-class Reading support for year 7 and 8 (or students learning English) |
| Wednesdays at 1pm | Evergreen Primary Academy (primary school): In-class Reading support for year 2-6 children |
| Wednesdays at 1:15pm | Bannerman Road Community Academy (primary school): in-class reading support |
| Wednesdays at 3pm | Bridge learning campus (Secondary school): 1:1 tutoring for Maths, Science or English in-class |
| Wednesdays at 4:15pm | 1:1 Tutoring at the Dings Community Park |
How to get involved
Projects have now ended for the 2023 – 24 academic year.
To find out more about other opportunities:
If you have any questions, or require any support to get involved, don’t hesitate to contact Luka at luka.lecoutteux@bristolhub.org.
FAQ
There are loads of benefits for you if you get involved with Schools Plus. These include:
- Having an impact in the community. You can make a difference and tackle educational inequality.
- Meeting new people.
- You will develop key skills including teamwork, organisation, communication, leadership, resilience and confidence. This will be supported by the professional training you receive and the support you get throughout your experience.
- Hours spent volunteering with Bristol Hub contribute to the Bristol Plus Award.
- We can provide you with a professional reference.
- A certificate recognising the commitment you’ve made, which you can put on your CV and share on Linkedin.
We’ve assessed the accessibility of all our opportunities and are able to discuss these with you prior to you starting your placement, this includes any reasonable adjustments we can make. All accessibility information will also be sent to you prior to your placement as standard.
If you have any questions about accessibility, or want to make request a reasonable adjustment, please reach out to Luka at luka.lecoutteux@bristolhub.org.
Some examples of reasonable adjustments we can offer include:
- Using an expensed taxi service to aid mobility conditions.
- Making sure there is seating with no arms.
- Extra time to complete activities in training, as you would get in exams.
- All trainings will be held in wheelchair accessible rooms.
Our activities are all open for everyone so if you’ve not been involved in social action before, or you’re apprehensive about getting involved, reach out to Luka at luka.lecoutteux@bristolhub.org. All of our opportunities practice a safe space policy meaning they are supportive, non-judgemental and always willing to listen.
If you would like any more information, you can read our safe space policy.
You can also get in touch with our Schools Plus Coordinator, Alice, on schoolsplus@bristolhub.org.
It’s natural to feel nervous when you try new things, but don’t let you put that off. If you want to talk to a member of our team before applying or attending a session you can email them. Or if you’re not sure who to speak to email Luka at luka.lecoutteux@bristolhub.org and we’ll get back to you.
Some things we recommend often include joining the programme with a friend – you could sign up together and come to the same session so that you’ll have a friendly face. Alternatively, you could arrange to meet a member of our team before a session so that you get to know each other 1-1 and can travel together. We’ll work together to find a solution which supports you to get involved, whatever that may be.
You can also get in touch with our Schools Plus Coordinator, Alice, on schoolsplus@bristolhub.org.
We will be in touch as soon as we’ve read your application. We will let you know about upcoming training, our available opportunities and other key information to support the application process such as expectations to complete safeguarding training and get a DBS check.
DBS stands for Disclosure and Barring Service. These provide a UK criminal records check and are required when individuals are working closely with young people or adults at risk, or have access to sensitive information. In order to get your DBS check you will need:
- Your address history for the last five years.
- Your national insurance number.
- You will need a physical document of your passport, driving license or other form of ID.
Bristol Hub pays for the check and will support you at every step of the process. If you have a question about this check or want to make a self-disclosure about a criminal record please reach out to Luka at luka.lecoutteux@bristolhub.org.
In order to support you to be confident working with young people as a Schools Plus volunteer we deliver comprehensive training covering:
- Safeguarding, to ensure both you and the young people you work with are kept safe.
- Tutoring techniques, to equip you with the tools you need to support the pupils you work with effectively.
- Working with young people, to give you the confidence you need to communicate with pupils and manage behaviour.
- What is expected of a volunteer and your experience.
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