(L-R) Widening Participation Graduate intern, Rachel Newell, Senior Lecturer - School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work Dr Jennifer Roberts, Professor - School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work Dr Karen Winter, Queen’s Student Lauren Stewart, Widening Participation Outreach Assistant Jacqui Maxwell and Widening Participation Graduate Intern Bradley McClean.
Thirty-eight care-experienced school children graduated at a special graduation ceremony at Queen’s University Belfast on Saturday 8 February.
The school children graduated from the Reading Together, Numeracy Together and Steps to Success programmes, delivered by the Widening Participation Unit at Queen’s, which bring together trained student mentors with children in care aged 8-12 years old, to help them improve their literacy, numeracy and emotional literacy skills.
As well as the educational impact, the schemes give children the chance to connect with a university student who serves as a positive role model for higher education, broadening their awareness of future opportunities.
By offering support and encouraging participation in activities that promote literacy, numeracy and emotional skills, these initiatives can open up a whole new world for the children.
Patricia Hampson, Widening Participation Unit Manager at Queen’s, said:
“Queen’s is committed to ensuring that groups who are underrepresented in Higher Education should have an equal opportunity to attend and thrive. We know that children in care face additional challenges when it comes to education, compared to their peers.
“By reaching out to children in care at a young age, and pairing them with a trained university student mentor who acts as a positive role model for higher education, it not only improves the children’s educational outcomes and confidence, it also exposes them to wider possibilities of what their future can look like. Our student mentors get so much out of the schemes too, it allows them to make a difference to the lives of young people, and they also learn so much from their mentees.”
The programmes include:
Reading Together - a programme that supports the development of literacy skills for children in care aged 9-11, by providing one-on-one reading support by a Queen’s student mentor on a weekly basis. The aim of the programme is to foster a love and interest in reading and raise attainment levels in general literacy.
Numeracy Together - designed to support the development of numeracy skills for children in care aged 9-11 years, by providing one-on-one numeracy support by a Queen's student mentor on a weekly basis. Working in partnership with the child's teacher, key focus areas are identified to build the child's confidence, skills and enjoyment of numeracy.
Step Up - a programme funded up the Department for the Economy which expands upon the existing Reading Together and Numeracy Together programmes, as well as introducing a Steps to Success programme, to reach more children who are in care across Northern Ireland. Steps to Success supports children in care who are in Year 8 to develop their literacy and comprehension skills, alongside support with their emotional literacy.
Forty-six care-experienced children were involved across the three schemes, referred from local Health and Social Care Trusts and Foster Care Associates.
The Reading Together and Numeracy Together schemes have been running since 2021, and the Steps to Success scheme since 2024.
Qi Sen, a third year student, studying Medicine at Queen’s, is a trained student mentor on the Step Up programme. He said:
“Taking part in the Step Up programme has been really rewarding for me personally. Initially, I joined the programme with the goal of helping a young person with their maths and literacy skills. However, the experience has grown into something much more meaningful.
“It took some time but by building trust, and showing patience, it helped them feel like they’re in a safe and supportive learning environment-one where they feel comfortable to ask questions without judgement from their school peers. I genuinely believe that I have made a real difference to a young person’s life, and in the process learnt so much more about myself.”
Queen’s Widening Participation Unit works in partnership with the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and Foster Care Associates, with support from the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s to design and deliver all aspects of the programmes.