Preparing for higher education

Around 900 sixth form students are heading for Edge Hill?s Ormskirk Campus this September to experience, at first hand, a taste of higher education, and students from Plessington High were the first to arrive.

Young people from Merseyside and Lancashire will be staying on campus to take part in a range of activities to prepare them for undergraduate study. From team building with the armed services, to communication and presentation skills, as well as sessions to develop independent learning, more students than ever will be preparing for future study.

For the first time Plessington High School joined Edge Hill?s sixth form inductions with around160 students taking part. The late summer sunshine was the perfect setting for team building and leadership sessions led by the Royal Navy (pictured).

Students who attended the sixth form inductions will be among the first to enter higher education under the new funding scheme set for 2006. Diane McKone, Acting Head of Partnership Development is keen to stress that those who begin undergraduate studies next year may in fact be better off financially than they are now.

"Higher education is the best investment young people can make and they should not be put off by the introduction of a different funding scheme. In 2006 tuition fees will not be paid up-front. With loans to cover the fees, students can defer payment until after they have finished studying. Edge Hill will be providing a range of bursaries and scholarships and with the introduction of a non-repayable government grant of up to £2,700 a year, many students will be better off than before."