Portico Magazine | Summer 2026
Bright sparks
Today’s students are tomorrow’s trailblazers – which is why we want them to arrive and thrive at UCL, whatever their background. We delve into the work of UCL’s Access and Widening Participation team.
Two hundred years ago, UCL was founded with a new vision for higher education: one that challenged the conventions of its time and sought to make university study more accessible. As London’s first university, UCL welcomed students regardless of religious belief, and over time continued to expand access – including becoming one of the first universities in England to welcome women students alongside men.
Today, our philosophy is still the same, and still simple: admit the best students, no matter what their background. But staying proudly inclusive is not simple. It takes careful thought, time and commitment – and, of course, the generous support of donors.
It is vital work, says Lucie March, UCL’s Head of Access and Widening Participation. “Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. If we’re not doing this work, who are we missing out on and what impact does that have?
“Zoom out a little, and you have a classroom that’s diverse in terms of life experiences and perspectives. That enriches everyone who studies and teaches here and has a strong academic benefit. Zoom out a bit more and you have better UCL graduates who will contribute across every section of society.”
When Lucie joined the UCL Access and Widening Participation Office 19 years ago, it was a tiny office with huge ambitions. Now, it is one of the biggest teams of its kind, reaching more than 5,000 young people every year. Its aim: to support the brightest minds to come to UCL in whatever way works best – from boosting attainment in schools to demystifying university in hard-to-reach groups.
Since its launch, around 250,000 young people have taken part in UCL outreach programmes, including summer schools, mentoring, attainment-raising initiatives and online learning.
Of the participants in its Summer Schools – run in partnership with the social mobility charity the Sutton Trust – more than half go on to apply to UCL. Of those, around 48% enrol at the university.
Philanthropy at all levels is crucial to this work. For example, the Slade’s Widening Participation Summer School – which aims to empower young people to see themselves as the artists of tomorrow – is supported by a gift from art gallery Sadie Coles HQ.
Gifts of all sizes help to fund the numerous scholarships and bursaries which enable students from disadvantaged financial backgrounds to make the most of their time in one of the world’s most expensive cities, without having to worry about money.
“I could never have achieved my dream of studying at UCL without this financial support,” says Ellie Maycock, (MSc, Brain and Mind Sciences). “This means I have been able to pursue a world-class course and believe in a future for someone like me in academia.”
"Widening participation isn’t about being one office doing various initiatives. It’s about the whole institution, where everybody buys into it."
Lucie has seen the office grow first-hand. But she has also seen how understanding of its role has evolved.
A large part of her job when she started was talking to the university’s departments, explaining what the work was and why they should get involved. Now, as the benefits of the team’s work become ever clearer, it’s the opposite. Her inbox is often full of messages from academic staff wanting to know what the team is doing and how they can get involved or to access data that will enable them to better support their students.
“That’s fantastic, because widening participation isn’t about being one office doing various initiatives,” she says. “It’s about the whole institution, where everybody buys into it.”
Where to start?
So where and when do you start if you want to help pupils achieve their potential at university?
The answer – drawn from the team’s 25 years of experience, data and learning – is clear: wherever there are gaps, and as early as possible. “Widening participation used to be about encouraging aspiration: going to schools and giving inspiring speeches about the benefits of university. Now, we know that many of the communities we work with have very high aspirations. They want to go to university. What they don’t have is the right information and guidance – and the prior attainment.”
In fact, attainment is a huge barrier. Gaps start appearing at a very young age in different socio-economic groups and continue to widen over the years. That means some groups are much less likely to get three As at A-level.
The office now works with two charities – the National Literary Trust and Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI) – on its two 12-week, in-school attainment-raising programmes: Next Chapter, which aims to foster a love of reading in Year 7s, and Accelerate, empowering Year 10 pupils to progress in Maths. As pupils progress to sixth form, the team has developed a whole programme of activities designed to bring them in and help them feel they belong at UCL.
The Expand programme, for example, is a hybrid eight-week subject-focused academic programme created and delivered by UCL postgraduate students and staff. Students are invited to an introductory day on campus and then attend six online seminars before coming back to campus for their ‘graduation’.
“It’s about showing them that they can do it, and helping them see themselves here.”
Other programmes target particular groups: Envision UCL is a programme for Year 10 pupils of Black heritage, Discover UCL is a Year 11 and 12 summer school for Deaf and hard of hearing pupils, and Target Medicine is aimed at raising the attainment and aspirations of young people from backgrounds underrepresented in higher education and medical school. Led by the UCL Medical School, it comprises a 12-month mentoring scheme, and a week-long summer school for Year 12 pupils, and runs outreach and taster days for pupils across Key Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5.
So where and when do you start if you want to help pupils achieve their potential at university?
The answer – drawn from the unit’s 25 years of experience, data and learning – is simple: wherever there are gaps, and as early as possible. “Widening participation used to be about encouraging aspiration: going to schools and giving inspiring speeches about the benefits of university,” says March. “Now, we know that many of the communities we work with have very high aspirations. They want to go to university. What they don’t have is the right information and guidance – and the prior attainment.”
In fact, attainment is a huge barrier. Gaps start appearing at a very young age in different socio-economic groups and continue to widen over the years. That means some groups are much less likely to get three As at A-level.
The office now works with two charities – the National Literary Trust and Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI) – on its two 12-week, in-school attainment-raising programmes: Next Chapter, which aims to foster a love of reading in Year 7s, and Accelerate, empowering Year 10 pupils to progress in Maths. As pupils progress to sixth form, the team has developed a whole programme of activities designed to bring them in and help them feel they belong at UCL.
The Expand programme, for example, is a hybrid eight-week subject-focused academic programme created and delivered by UCL postgraduate students and staff. Students are invited to an introductory day on campus and then attend six online seminars before coming back to campus for their ‘graduation’.
“It’s about showing them that they can do it, and helping them see themselves here.”
Other programmes target particular groups: Envision UCL is a programme for Year 10 pupils of Black heritage, Discover UCL is a Year 11 and 12 summer school for Deaf and hard of hearing pupils, and Target Medicine is aimed at raising the attainment and aspirations of young people from backgrounds underrepresented in higher education and medical school. Led by the UCL Medical School, it comprises a 12-month mentoring scheme, and a week-long summer school for Year 12 pupils, and runs outreach and taster days for pupils across Key Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5.
“My mentor Ruth has been so helpful and caring when providing advice and a listening ear,” says one mentee. “Her calm and encouraging nature really made me feel comfortable at every session, and I really appreciated her kindness. Each session was tailored towards an important aspect of the medical application process, and this structure helped me discuss with like-minded peers, so I never felt alone on this journey.”
It’s vital to also examine the journey from school to university from the other side, says Lucie: how can the institution itself change? “That’s why we look at admission policies, for example. Are they inclusive? Are they inadvertently reinforcing barriers? Sometimes it’s not the potential new students who need to change – it’s us. We’re also looking at contextual admissions policies, too: taking backgrounds and context into account when looking at predicted grades.”
"Sometimes it’s not the potential new students who need to change – it’s us."
Partnerships
It’s a vast programme, but all these activities have one thing in common: partners. From UCL students who take up paid opportunities to national charities such as the Sutton Trust, from teachers at local schools to academics with specialised knowledge, widening participation can only happen if everyone’s involved.
“You have to build close relationships. You can’t just put on activities and hope people come. You can’t do it on your own.”
"You can’t just put on activities and hope people come. You can’t do it on your own."
For Sondos Bowker, working as a Student Ambassador was a standout part of her UCL experience.
“When I started university, I had no experience at all working with young people, I just knew that it might be something I might enjoy doing,” she says. “Doing this work completely changed the trajectory of my career. It gave me the opportunity to meet and work with really interesting young people from all over the UK and all over the world. I gained valuable teaching and coordination experience, and I loved the variety of opportunities.”
The first 25 years of the office have seen extraordinary change and progress. But there is always more work to do and more support needed. Whatever the future brings, the Access and Widening Participation team will continue to learn, iterate, reach out and look inward – just as the founders did 200 years ago.
“We have to keep pace with changes – technology, economic shifts, global uncertainty – because all different kinds of inequalities might arise for different groups,” says Lucie. “Inequality will persist: things don’t always change as fast as we’d like them to. But widening participation will continue to be an essential part of UCL for the next 25 years and beyond.”
Inequality will persist: things don’t always change as fast as we’d like them to. But widening participation will continue to be an essential part of UCL for the next 25 years and beyond.”
Portico magazine features stories for and from the UCL community. If you have a story to tell or feedback to share, contact advancement@ucl.ac.uk
Editor: Lauren Cain
Editorial team: Ray Antwi, Rachel Henkels, Harry Latter, Chloe Lambdon, Bryony Merritt, Lucy Morrish, Alex Norton, Thrisha Sajeev
Shorthand presentation: Harpoon Productions
Additional copywriting: YBM
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