GHWY launches transition pack for care-experienced learners
Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) is pleased to announce the launch of our new Higher Education Transition Pack for Care-Experienced Learners. The resource is part of our ongoing pursuit to ensure students from underrepresented backgrounds gain access to the required guidance and information to support their journey into higher education (HE).
About the transition pack
The pack has been designed to provide a roadmap for learners from care-experienced backgrounds to consider when applying to HE. This includes ensuring they have the confidence to ‘tick the box’, which may result in further beneficial support such as receiving 52-week accommodation or financial bursaries. It is also relevant for key influencers working with learners from care-experienced backgrounds.
It is relevant for any learners from care-experienced backgrounds in Year 11, 12 or 13, providing clear, practical information to help navigate next steps.
Contents of the pack include key topics such as applying to university or accessing HE in an FE environment, alternative routes, student finance, accommodation, and the support available throughout their journey. It also includes useful tips, helpful links, and real voices from care-experienced students who’ve been there too.
We joined forces with Inspiring Choices to produce the resource, which follows the success of our Disabled Learner Transition Pack. Inspiring Choices is another local Uni Connect partnership that we recognise amongst sector leaders for effective practice when working with care-experienced learners.
Power of partnership working
The power of partnership working will enable broader reach of the pack. This will ensure that good practice from regional and national experiences are captured within the content to make sure the guide is as practical and digestible as possible for young people.
We also encourage practitioners across our 13 HE institutions to engage with the voices of care-experienced students. Their insights can shape policy, improve processes, and challenge assumptions. The Transition Pack includes anonymised learner voices that highlight just how impactful timely, tailored support can be.
Why care-experienced learners must remain a priority in HE access and success
In the mission to widen participation and foster equity within HE, few groups demand our attention more urgently than care-experienced learners. As professionals across the GHWY partnership, we have a shared responsibility to ensure that these young people, many of whom face significant barriers to progression, are not left behind.
While national strategies increasingly recognise the importance of supporting care-experienced students, persistent challenges remain. The Department for Education (DfE) reports that only 13% of children who were looked after continuously for 12 months progressed to HE by age 19, compared to nearly half of their peers. The Office for Students (OfS) has named care-experienced learners as a priority underrepresented group, highlighting their increased risk of non-continuation and lower rates of degree attainment.
It has been suggested that care leavers are 2.5 times more likely to drop out of HE than their peers and tend to report mental health conditions more frequently than their peers.
This level of insight demonstrates the need for Uni Connect partnerships to create tailored resources for underrepresented backgrounds that learners can access in their own time and in a safe space (as opposed to classroom-based workshops, which have often proved unsuccessful for this particular group).
What’s next?
Our vision is of a fair, inclusive HE landscape where all learners can thrive. Ensuring care-experienced young people are supported, empowered, and visible within our institutions is not an optional extra – it is central to that mission.
Download the GHWY Higher Education Transition Pack for Care-Experienced learners.
John Hague, GHWY Project Manager (Uni Connect Programme)
