Teachers
Teachers and Headteachers play a key role in ensuring pupils enjoy the benefits of the FOCUS West programme
The FOCUS West Programme was created in 2008 as a follow-up to the GOALS Project (2000-2008). GOALS worked exclusively with universities delivering higher education in the West of Scotland; FOCUS West has built on this and works with both universities and colleges that deliver higher education, so that pupils can access support for direct entry to a degree, or for entry to a Higher National Qualification, either as a stand-alone qualification, or as an articulating route to a degree.
The key aim of FOCUS West is to encourage more pupils with the potential to study in higher education to do so - and to support schools as far as possible in achieving this.
The work of FOCUS West is distributed across each of the HE institutions in the West of Scotland. This means that each distinct institution can contribute their specialist work in widening participation and specialist expertise to the FOCUS West Programme.
FOCUS West works with pupils from S3 to S6, in addition to employing a Families and Schools Partnership Officer to support parents/carers and families to understand more about higher education (particularly as many pupils who undergo FOCUS West are the first person in their family to aspire to higher education).
Activities for pupils are as follows:
- S3 pupils - Campus Days, organised by the University of Strathclyde. For more information click here.
- S4 pupils - FOCUS on 4, which involves a further campus experience at a university; also organised by the University of Strathclyde. For more information click here.
We encourage pupils who have taken part in S3 activity to follow through with S4 activity and then decide which of the following S5/6 activities are best suited to their subject choices, qualification needs and plans for their future careers.
- Routes for All - a learning enhancement programme, intended mainly for S5 pupils who are considering applying to higher education courses at college. This aspect of the FOCUS West Programme is organised by both the University of the West of Scotland and Glasgow Caledonian University. For more information on the work done by Routes for All by UWS, click here, and for the work done by Routes for All at GCU, click here.
- Top-Up - as assessed programme primarily for S6 pupils, focussed on developing critical and conceptual thinking, and is intended for those applying to university (University of Glasgow). For more information, click here.
- The Portfolio Development Programme, designed for those wishing to pursue art and design at the higher education level. This is organised by the Glasgow School of Art. For more information, click here.
- Entry to the Creative Industries, which supports pupils intending to progress to college or university in the creative industries field - Music, Drama, dance, Technical and Production Arts, Digital Film and Television, and so on. This element is organised by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, formerly known as the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. For more information, click here.