Next Step Foundation

All students, regardless of their background, who have the potential to apply to the UK's most selective universities, should have the opportunity to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to not only make a competitive application to such universities but also to form the foundations that allow them to achieve their academic ambitions once there. Since 2016, four cohorts of students from disadvantaged backgrounds have embarked upon Next Step Foundation's University Preparation Programme. The 10-month programme has been predominately online since its very first cohort. The weekly sessions that focus on the building the key critical thinking and problem skills required required to be successful in all parts of the application process are the Foundation for the unbelievable success that are students have had. In the three cohorts to have completed the programme, 100%, 91% and 100% have been offered places at Russell Group universities and an astonishing 40% (4/10), 25% (5/20) and 32% (12/38) have been offered places at Oxbridge. These success rates are beyond what almost all charities working in this space have been able to achieve and way beyond the acceptance rates achieved by students from similar backgrounds. Just 5% of disadvantaged students study at Russell Group university and 1 in 1500 make it to Oxbridge. This is unacceptable. Next Step Foundation is now looking for funding to increase the number of students it can support.