Our school and college liaison and widening participation teams run activities for students to help with their transition to higher education.

Support at every stage

Our teams offer expert guidance to students throughout their higher education journey, supporting them from thinking about their options to submitting their application.

We ensure teachers and advisers are kept up to date with monthly newsletters, which includes information on events you can book for your students, sector information, and relevant updates about City.

The schools liaison team post regular blogs about key topics relating to higher education and City. You can read our latest blog posts here.

Schools Liaison

Our Schools Liaison team work with sixth form students to support their transition to higher education.

We organise and deliver the following activities that can be booked by teachers and advisers:

Activities with universities meet Gatsby Benchmark 7 if you are looking for ways to meet this benchmark. Some sessions delivered by universities may also assist with Benchmark 2 and 4.

We will be hosting our annual Teachers and  Advisers Day on Tuesday 11 June 2024. This free event will offer upskilling opportunities to teachers and advisers who support sixth-form students in preparing for their future.

The event will also provide information on City-specific opportunities and processes. If you would like to learn more about this event, you can register your interest.

City also run activities which students can book themselves:

To book an activity, please email schoolsliaison@city.ac.uk with the details of your requirements and we would be happy to discuss these with you. We are as flexible as possible with requests. All sessions are free of charge.

It is really helpful if you can send us the following information when booking your activity:

  • Name of activity
  • Year group
  • Potential dates and times
  • Length of session
  • Type of room it will be delivered in if known
  • Estimated number of students.

The list of talks we offer are:

University: What’s it all about?

Session overview: University is a big decision for students, so this session is focused on helping them understand if it’s the right next step for them. Through two student profiles we discuss applying to university vs not applying to university, how to choose a university and course, making the most of year 12 for university preparations, funding your studies and student life. The session includes a number of interactive activities.

Year groups we deliver this session to and recommended time of year: This session is for students who are at the beginning of their university research journey - this is usually early year 12.

Recommended length and location: The ideal length for this session is 1 hour, but it is broken up into sections so if you have less time available we will agree which sections you want included.

This can be delivered to classroom groups or in large assemblies.

What is the value of my degree in an economic crisis?

Session overview: Students are understandably concerned about the cost-of-living crisis and whether university is the best option to prepare them for their career given the cost involved. This session will challenge students' perceptions of where degree study can take them. We use student profiles to discuss and examine how a degree furthers employment prospects and how different degree subjects can lead to the same and different outcomes.

We do not encourage mixing it with other topics as it works best standalone to give the students space to really think about the bigger picture.

Year groups we deliver this session to and recommended time of year: Both Year 12 and Year 13 (pre UCAS deadline) would find value in this session.

Recommended length and location: We deliver this as a 30 minute assembly to groups of any size.

How can I prepare for HE Fairs and Exhibitions?

Session overview: We appreciate that HE Fairs and exhibitions can feel overwhelming. In this session we give suggestions for how to approach these kinds of events and the questions to ask universities to get the most out of the experience.

Year groups we deliver this session to and recommended time of year: This session is best delivered to Year 12 students in September – July of Year 12 at the time of year before you take them to a HE Exhibition or host your internal HE Fair.

Recommended length and location: We are flexible on the length of this session, and it can be combined with other workshop topics. We would usually recommend 15 – 30 minutes for this topic on its own.

This can be delivered to classroom groups or in large assemblies.

How do I apply to university?

Session overview: This is the ideal session for students who are about to start the UCAS process. We cover the technical elements of the application such as using the UCAS Hub and deadlines. We can also include what to do if you miss the UCAS deadline, and what happens around results day.

Year groups we deliver this session to and recommended time of year: This session works well just before you get your students logging into UCAS Hub for the first time.

Recommended length and location: This session runs for around 30-40 minutes.

It can be delivered in a classroom or as an assembly.

How do I tackle the personal statement?

Session overview: This session can be delivered either as a presentation or a workshop.

If delivered as a talk we will introduce the personal statement, discuss structure and how to approach it, and we will review an example personal statement together.

We would recommend where possible this is delivered as a workshop, as we can facilitate additional activities to plan and write the statement as well as review examples in more depth.

Due to preferably delivering this in a classroom, we will usually deliver this workshop multiple times on the same day to cover the whole year group.

Year groups we deliver this session to and recommended time of year: This session works well either for Year 12s during the time they are planning and working on their statement between April - July of Year 12, or as a workshop focused on reviews and final drafts in Autumn term of Year 13.

Recommended length and location: For a talk/assembly we would recommend a minimum of 30 minutes but we can also deliver this talk for up to 1 hour.

We would recommend a minimum of 1 hour for a workshop but can deliver this for longer.

How will I fund my studies?

Session overview: This session covers all the information regarding student loans such as tuition fees, maintenance loans and loan repayments, as well as other sources such as bursaries and scholarships. We also include advice on budgeting, a key topic for this point in the cycle.

We have a number of interactive elements which vary depending on the size of the group. These include quizzes and a budgeting activity to compare two different student budgets.

Year groups we deliver this session to and recommended time of year: Our primary audience for this session is Year 12 students in June/July or Year 13s between September to April. We occasionally deliver the session for earlier Year 12s who are really concerned about finance.

Recommended length and location: For a talk/assembly we would recommend 45 minutes – 1 hour for this topic.

If delivered as a workshop we would recommend 1 hour due to the inclusion of activities.

How does Confirmation and Clearing work?

Session overview: It’s increasingly common that students use Clearing to change courses or universities even if they achieved the grades they were hoping for. It’s important students are well prepared to understand how the Confirmation period works to prepare for Clearing so they are making informed decisions about changing their options.

Year groups we deliver this session to and recommended time of year: Due to the nature of the topic, we deliver this session for Year 13 students post UCAS deadline.

Recommended length and location: This session works best as an assembly or short talk for around 30-40 minutes, though can be adapted to suit your needs.

This can be delivered to classroom groups or in large assemblies.

Why study at City?

Session overview: This session covers all of the key information about opportunities and services that are available to students at City.

Year groups we deliver this session to and recommended time of year: This is usually best suited to Year 12s and can be delivered at any point during the year.

Recommended length and location: This session can work as a short 15 minute talk in an assembly or as part of a longer activity combined with our day in the life student-led workshop or other sessions.

This can be delivered to classroom groups or in large assemblies.

A day in the life: what’s it like being a City student?

Session overview: This session introduces City's student life through real life experiences from our current students.

Year groups we deliver this session to and recommended time of year: This is usually best suited to Year 12s and can be delivered at any point during the year.

Recommended length and location: We’d recommend up to 30 minutes for this session. It can be combined with other workshops delivered by City staff.

This can be delivered to classroom groups or in large assemblies.

Applying to Health Courses: Interviews and Selection Days

Session overview: Many health courses (such as Nursing, Midwifery, Radiography and Speech and Language Therapy) require an interview or selection day as part of the application process. In this session, we cover key information about what universities look for during a selection day and top tips for interviews.

Where possible, we recommend this session is delivered as a workshop as we can facilitate activities to practice interview techniques, scenario questions and group discussions.

It is important to note that we do not currently run this session for students applying for Medicine or Dentistry.

Year groups we deliver this session to and recommended time of year: This session works best in May - July of Year 12, or Autumn term of Year 13.

Recommended length and location: This session works best as a 1.5 hour workshop.

This session is best suited to classroom delivery.

How do I apply to university? (specifically for Access to HE Diploma students)

Session overview: Students who study Access to HE Diplomas typically have different needs to other sixth form qualifications due to their personal circumstances and intensity of their course. This session is bespoke for these learners, including everything they need to know about applying to university with an Access to HE Diploma. It will be biased towards health courses unless specifically asked not to.

Year groups we deliver this session to and recommended time of year: This session is best suited to Access learners in the first term of their programme, usually September – December.

Recommended length and location: Due to the amount of information covered, we recommend 1.5 hours for this session.

This session is best suited to classroom delivery.

How do I balance university, childcare and other responsibilities? (specifically for Access to HE Diploma students)

Session overview: Access to HE Diploma learners often have concerns about how to balance a degree with their existing lives. This session helps to inform students of the practicalities of university study and how they can best prepare for their next life step.

Year groups we deliver this session to and recommended time of year: This session is suited for Access learners at any point during the academic year.

Recommended length and location: This session can range from 45 minutes – 1 hour.

This session is best suited to classroom delivery.

References / UCAS Process / Personal Statements for teachers and advisers

Session overview: We can deliver a session on any of these topics to teachers and careers advisers to support their students through the UCAS process. References have changed for 2024 entry, and we will be covering these changes within the references section.

Year groups we deliver this session to and recommended time of year: We are adaptable to suit this with your teacher CPD calendar, but we recommend May - July of Year 12 or Autumn term of Year 13.

Recommended length and location: We recommend 30 minutes for references alone, but the session can be made longer if it includes personal statements and the UCAS process.

Information evenings for parents

Session overview: We deliver sessions for parents at information evenings which can include any of the topics included in this workshop list.

Year groups we deliver this session to and recommended time of year: We can deliver information evenings at any point during Year 12 or in the autumn term of Year 13. Student Finance information events are well suited to Year 13 any time between September and April.

Recommended length and location: We are flexible on the length depending on the number of speakers you have and topic(s) you would like us to cover.

If you would like us to talk about Student Finance, where possible we would strongly encourage a dedicated parent’s evening on this if possible (around 45 minutes) due to the complicated nature of the topic. We do deliver it as a shorter part of  information evenings if needed but please be aware this is usually not the ideal due to the amount we need to cover and the questions parents have.

Widening Participation

City's Widening Participation Outreach activities are targeted to reach those who will most benefit, and where we can have the greatest impact. Focusing on our London location, we work in schools with a high proportion of learners from deprived backgrounds and with lower than expected rates of progression into higher education.

Our dedicated and committed staff will work with you to deliver a programme of exciting, engaging and creative activities to meet the needs of your students.

What we do:

  • Maths and English tutoring for primary, secondary and post-16 pupils
  • Maths GCSE revision days
  • City Campus visits
  • Subject insight days for primary schools (Spotlight days) and 6th formers/college students (Masterclasses)
  • University Taster weeks including Business, Health, STEM, Psychology and Law
  • One to one careers guidance interview
  • Information, advice and guidance workshops including programmes aimed at mature learners
  • Mentoring for sixth former and college students
  • Snapshot higher education transition week for BTEC students
  • Start@City pre-induction programme for targeted WP undergraduate students

You can find out more information about our programmes in the brochures below:

For information on the provision and support we can provide to you and your students and to discuss working with us remotely, on campus or on your school site in person, please contact wpteam@city.ac.uk.

Visit the Widening Participation Outreach at City blog

UK International

City welcomes students from all over the world and is one of the most international universities in the UK. Our UK International Team works with international students already living in the UK who are considering applying to City.

We organise and deliver a wide range of activities both online and face to face, which can be booked by teachers, counsellors and advisers. These include:

  • Bespoke events for students about life at City, University of London;
  • Talks and workshops on Higher Education topics for students, advisers and parents;
  • Subject specific workshops;
  • Participation in Higher Education and Careers Fairs.

If you are interested in booking an activity with us, please contact us at UKinternational@city.ac.uk and we will be more than happy to assist.