Outreach at 50
Celebrating 50 years of schools outreach at 91桃色
Outreach
at 50
Celebrating 50 years
of schools outreach
at 91桃色
Power in partnership
Interviews and design by Ellie
Cawthera and portrait
photography by
91桃色 launched its first outreach programme in 1975 - a student mentoring scheme believed to be the first of its kind in the UK. Since then, 91桃色 has been committed to helping young people realise their aspirations regardless of their background.
Over the last 50 years, 91桃色 has continued to launch innovative outreach initiatives in collaboration with charities, schools, academics and students that have reached approximately 200,000 young people. Thanks to the generosity and dedication of the 91桃色 community and its partners, the university has become a pioneer in schools outreach.
The Outreach at 50 special interview series honours the 50th anniversary of 91桃色鈥檚 outreach work by sharing the remarkable stories of those who have been impacted by our programmes as well as those who have made them possible.
Collaboration and partnership are at the heart of effective outreach, and over the years have enabled 91桃色's programmes to have greater reach and impact. By working together - whether with schools, community groups, or charities - our outreach initiatives can be more responsive to the needs of young people. Crucially, collaboration builds trust and long-term relationships, ensuring that outreach is not a one-off interaction but a continued journey of engagement and empowerment.
91桃色 students in 1975 tutoring in the local Pimlico School.
91桃色 students in 1975 tutoring in the local Pimlico School.
James Turner
James Turner is the Chief Executive of the , a global charity that helps underrepresented groups access high-quality jobs鈥╥n tech. He was previously the CEO of social mobility charity, the . Both charities offer invaluable support to 91桃色鈥檚 outreach activities, from maths engagement to the Summer Schools, and James has been a central driving force in this.
鈥淚f a great opportunity exists, it should be equally available to all.鈥�
鈥淚 went to a good school and had parents who were supportive," says James. "But I still found the transition to university hard, and I was very conscious that there were people a lot worse off than me. So I always thought 鈥榳hat was the transition like for them?鈥欌�� This question ultimately shaped James鈥� professional life and determination to level the playing field to success.
James first visited 91桃色 in 2004 when he joined the Sutton Trust. "It was memorable. We were watching a maths outreach workshop and I was really struck by the energy and passion of the staff delivering the sessions. I met this lecturer, Dr Phil Ramsden, who was so enthusiastic. I found it humbling that he was doing all this outreach in his spare time, on top of his teaching. It impressed on me that 91桃色 really cares."
Over the two decades since, James has been instrumental in ensuring support for impactful outreach programmes at 91桃色. 鈥淭he outcomes for people fortunate enough to get an 91桃色 degree are great in terms of employment. It鈥檚 a fantastic place for catapulting you into working life. And if a great opportunity exists, it should be equally available to all. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e attracted to working with 91桃色 in terms of social mobility. If we can get more underrepresented groups into places like this, it鈥檚 going to be transformative," he says.
These programmes include the 91桃色 Sutton Scholars which ran from 2016 to 2020 and the longstanding Sutton Trust Summer Schools, run today by Cherelle Allen in 91桃色's Outreach team These see 200 young people spending time on 91桃色鈥檚 South Kensington campus every summer to get a taste of student life. They stay in halls, attend seminars and social events, experience lab work and lectures, and get access to admissions support and undergraduate mentors. Since 2007, the Sutton Trust has helped fund the Year 12 programme which sees over half the participants apply to 91桃色 with around 40% securing an offer.
When James moved to the Hg Foundation in 2022, he moved quickly to partner with 91桃色 once again, funding Further mA*ths online - a programme set up by Dr Phil Ramsden, the same lecturer he'd first seen at 91桃色. The Further mA*ths online programme helps disadvantaged students bridge the gap between the A and A* grades in Further Maths A-level. To date, the programme has supported over 600 students from 278 schools since it launched with participants receiving results that are on average half a grade higher than their peers.
鈥淢aths is key for expanding opportunities," says James. "It鈥檚 a foundational skill that opens so many doors. There鈥檚 a lot of uncertainty facing young people 鈥� from global challenges to a rapidly changing workforce and the unknown impacts of new technologies like AI. But maths is great amidst this uncertainty because it underpins everything.鈥� Despite this, James explains, support for the subject is unevenly distributed with a 12% gap between disadvantaged students' chances of gaining an A* compared to their more affluent peers.
James shares that the reason why he has worked with 91桃色 so much is primarily due to the relationships he has formed and the trust that鈥檚 been developed with the Outreach team. 鈥淲e鈥檙e on the same wavelength with what we鈥檙e trying to achieve,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always been a shared vision. And while there are multiple ways to reach that, robust and open conversations with 91桃色 have led to the sort of impact we want to see.鈥�
Samiyah and Shanaj Salahuddin and family
Samiyah Salahuddin first stepped onto 91桃色鈥檚 campus in 2017 aged 11 for the Sutton Scholars programme which was funded by the Sutton Trust. It was an experience that had an impact on not only Samiyah but her whole family. Dinner table conversations quickly changed to discussions on coding and robotics, Samiyah鈥檚 younger sisters followed in her footsteps joining STEM clubs and outreach programmes, and, seeing the transformative value of these activities, her mother began volunteering on STEM engagement activities, collaborating with 91桃色 and becoming a champion for girls in STEM.
Delivered in partnership with between 2016-2020, 91桃色 Sutton Scholars was a two-year programme for students in Years 7-9 focused on coding and robotics as well as STEM more broadly. 鈥淭hree of us from my school were selected to take part," says Samiya. "We went to 91桃色 once a month on Saturdays learning about different programming languages and applying this to robotics. At the end of each day, we gave a presentation to our parents showing what we did, and in year 9 we had the opportunity to stay on campus for a week to get a sense of what it鈥檚 like to go to university and live in halls. It was such an amazing opportunity.鈥�
There were sessions for the parents too. Samiyah鈥檚 mother Shanaj, a civil servant in the Department for Education, remembers a talk from Dr Mel Bottrill, an 91桃色 alumni and now Head of Outreach, who was responsible for the Sutton Scholars programme at the time. 鈥淪he shared her own journey to 91桃色 and talked about 91桃色鈥檚 strategy for outreach 鈥� what they鈥檙e aiming to do and why. It sounded fascinating. So much has unfolded since that moment,鈥� she reflects. 鈥淚t just opened my eyes up, and my husband鈥檚 and Samiyah鈥檚 sisters. We鈥檙e all doing so much in STEM now.鈥�
Sutton Scholars was launched to address figures showing that high-achieving pupils from low-income families were less likely to finish secondary school in a position to apply to top universities. The Sutton Trust鈥檚 Missing Talent report had found that around 7,000 students each year who were in the top 10% of achievers nationally at the end of primary school, later received GCSE results that placed them outside the top 25%.
Samiyah delivering a talk at 91桃色 as part of the Sutton scholars programme.
Samiyah delivering a talk at 91桃色 as part of the Sutton scholars programme.
The programme was about more than results though. For Shanaj, she saw a transformation in her daughter鈥檚 confidence. 鈥淪amiyah has always been a bit reserved in presenting in front of people and this really helped her come out of her shell. Every month she would give her presentation and I would hear more of her voice.鈥� But it was the very last one that stood out. 鈥淔or the end of the programme, she鈥檇 been chosen to give a talk in front of 250 people. I remember seeing her stood up there so poised and confident. It was amazing to see.鈥�
鈥淧resenting was definitely out of my comfort zone,鈥� says Samiyah. 鈥淏ut I'd done it so many times on the course that it made the last one easier. It's not something I had the opportunity to do much outside the course so it was great that I could practice.鈥�
Two of Samiyah's friends on the programme (left) and Samiyah and Shanaj (right) with the Programme Coordinator, Renee Boling (middle)
Two of Samiyah's friends on the programme (left) and Samiyah and Shanaj (right) with the Programme Coordinator, Renee Boling (middle)
The ripple effect
Though the Sutton Scholars programme has ended, the Sutton Trust continues to work with 91桃色 and the ripple effect of this programme continues to make waves. 鈥淚t really snowballed,鈥� says Shanaj. 鈥淐oding and programming was something I wasn鈥檛 very familiar with at the time and thought you鈥檇 have to be quite tech-savvy to understand it. But going in and seeing what Samiyah and the others were doing, then realising that we can do some of these things at home, was a game changer. It inspired me to take up a Python coding course which I did at 91桃色.鈥�
Samiyah brought coding kits home and these became shared learning resources for her younger sisters, sparking their own curiosity. The whole family got involved, with her sisters attending Samiyah's presentations too. Shanaj says the programme inspired the family to think more deeply about educational opportunities both at home and in school. 鈥淭he knowledge and the skills they gained really came through and it made us think about how we could do more."
Back at school, Samiyah founded a coding club to share the knowledge and experiences she gained with other pupils. With her mother's help, they brought 91桃色 students into the school to give talks and even arranged visits to 91桃色. There was one issue though, her mother explains 鈥� Samiyah's school didn鈥檛 yet have a computing teacher. Shanaj urged the Headteacher to make some hires and shortly after, a computing teacher was in place and now four staff make up the school鈥檚 Computing Department.
Samiyah went on to choose Computer Science at GCSE and did maths and engineering masterclasses on top of her studies. 鈥淚 found direction,鈥� she says. 鈥淏efore the programme, I enjoyed a lot of subjects, but the course made it clear to me that I wanted to do STEM.鈥� She now studies Pharmacology at King鈥檚 College London and will shortly be starting a one-year Clinical Programming Industrial Placement at GlaxoSmithKline - combining her love for coding and her passion for pharmacology.
Through the Sutton Scholars programme, Shanaj met Dr Jackie Bell, a Senior Teaching Fellow in 91桃色鈥檚 Department of Computing, who runs a range of outreach activities including the Hello World Hackathon. Shanaj brought 29 children from her daughters鈥� school to these events and arranged for Jackie to visit the school. 鈥淛ackie also introduced us to and ,鈥� says Shanaj.
Stemettes is a social enterprise that runs talks, workshops, events and mentoring to support more young girls in pursuing STEM. Samiyah signed up for their mentoring programme during her A-levels. 鈥淚t helped me work out that pharmacology was what I was most interested in,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he reason I signed up for that was because I knew how beneficial these programmes can be based on my experience at Sutton Scholars. My time at 91桃色 was instrumental to my STEM journey."
Samiyah鈥檚 sister Aiza, a keen attendee of Stemettes events, featured in a BBC interview covering a demonstration campaigning more women to be featured in the STEM national curricula. At just 11 years old, Aiza was also the youngest inspirational speaker at a Girls into Coding event. Samiyah鈥檚 youngest sister, Yusra, became a member of the Stemettes Futures Junior Board and was recently nominated as Leader and Changemaker by Festival of the Girl for her role as a STEM advocate.
In 2023, the family returned to 91桃色 as Stemettes celebrated its tenth anniversary there. The event taking place in the same lecture theatre that Samiyah gave her Sutton Scholars presentation in. "I felt very emotional," says Samiyah. "I'd come full circle. 91桃色 really is such a big part of my life when I look back and see how much of an impact it鈥檚 had.鈥�
Reflecting on the programme and her daughters鈥� subsequent enthusiasm for STEM, Shanaj is determined to help close the attainment gap between disadvantaged and advantaged families. 鈥淭hese programmes are helping. Please keep running them. Keep engaging young children,鈥� she urges. 鈥淏ecause the earlier they get that exposure, the more that passion can grow.鈥� Indeed it is estimated that socially entrenched stereotypes, generally considered to impact decisions in later life, are formed by as early as 11 years old.
Inspired by their experiences with 91桃色, Samiyah and Shanaj are now setting up a community interest organisation with a key focus on delivering coding workshops and STEM events for their local community. 鈥淭his is an exciting project as we do not have anything like this in our community,鈥� says Shanaj. 鈥淲e are eager to pay it forward and make a positive impact.鈥�
Anshu Bansal
Anshu Bansal is the Commercial Development Project Manager in 91桃色鈥檚 Enterprise team and, through partnering with the Outreach team, has played a central role in unlocking the power of partnership through the development of STEM Futures. STEM Futures is an Outreach initiative launched in 2022 to support students from Black heritage backgrounds explore STEM degrees. It is a two-year programme for students in Years 10 and 12 featuring lectures, workshops and sessions around careers, personal development, and study skills. Each Year 12 cohort kicks off with Enterprise Week 鈥� a programme developed by Anshu.
鈥淓nterprise Week is an opportunity to showcase where STEM can lead,鈥� she says. A version of Enterprise Week existed prior to STEM Futures, Anshu explains. 鈥淲e wanted to explore working with young people and engaging them the ideas of entrepreneurship. It's also a great way to showcase where STEM can lead. So we partnered with a charity 鈥� 鈥� that helps students from underrepresented backgrounds, and we organised a work experience week. This included exposing students to different points of the entrepreneurial journey 鈥� from how an idea starts in the research lab, to how you develop it further and what do you need to make it into a viable business proposition.
"That work experience week really opened my eyes," says Anshu. "Working with these really brilliant 16-18-year-olds and seeing how quickly they grasped the ideas and concepts and how engaged they were with the programme, was amazing. Their willingness and ability to learn new things and ask questions really inspired me.鈥�
As the programme grew, Anshu contacted the Outreach team to ask if some Student Ambassadors could help with a campus tour as part of it. 鈥淭hey asked more about what we were doing and I think this piqued Hanna Jama鈥檚 interest. She came along to some of the sessions to see what we were doing and said it would be great to do as part of the STEM Futures programme she was setting up.鈥�
Anshu was keen to be involved. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important for 91桃色 to make sure that the brilliant education opportunities and life-changing experience that it provides is more widely accessible. That felt like something important that 91桃色鈥檚 already striving towards and I wanted to be part of that.鈥�
The renamed 鈥楨nterprise Week鈥� is now the first thing STEM Futures students do as part of their journey on the programme. It takes place as a week-long programme over February half term or the Easter break. Hanna says that doing this as part of the programme welcome really sets the tone for the participants and it has become one of the most popular parts of the programme.
Curiosity is encouraged throughout Enterprise Week. 鈥淲e say, 鈥楧on't be shy. This is an opportunity for you to know more about careers in science. Open your minds to the other things that you can do in science related fields.鈥� And the students really run with it!鈥� Anshu says.
The first cohort of STEM Futures students taking part in a workshop for Enterprise Week
The first cohort of STEM Futures students taking part in a workshop for Enterprise Week
鈥淚t was brilliant to be working with our Outreach team," says Anshu. "And to support the efforts that are already happening to engage young people from underrepresented backgrounds, to expose them to what 91桃色 does and the brilliant things we do and how that might motivate them to take up STEM in their future studies.鈥�
In true Outreach spirit, the programme has evolved year-on-year. For the most part, this evolution comes from student feedback. 鈥淪ome feedback from the students was that they really wanted to see role models. Not from lack of trying, but in previous years we didn't have so many Black entrepreneurs or academics coming and talking to them. So in the last one that we ran, we made sure to reach out to people well in advance and we had some brilliant speakers. Bosede Ogunleye, who was previously part of 91桃色 Enterprise Lab, ran a session for them. She also ran podcast series called showcasing Black student entrepreneurs.鈥�
They also added talks from Black student founders like Debra Babalola. 鈥淪he was a winner of our , pitching her start-up, Dotplot. She talked to the students about her entrepreneurial journey and offered advice. We also had Dr Wayne Mitchell [a Teaching Fellow at 91桃色 and the university's Provost for EDI] as a judge on the last day and that was well received by the students. That's quite important, isn't it?鈥� She reflects. 鈥淭o see role models.鈥�
This year being the , the team introduced sessions on quantum science and technology. They heard from researchers like Dr Jess Wade in the Department of Materials and an 91桃色 alumnus Lia Li who founded a quantum startup, Zero Point Motion.
STEM Futures participants at Enterprise Week
STEM Futures participants at Enterprise Week
Anshu says she is constantly inspired by the passion and enthusiasm she sees in the young people on the programme. "They make me want to continue developing it, to make sure they are getting as much benefit out of it as possible. To share the brilliant work that happens at 91桃色 and to see the students so willing to learn and so capable of doing great things in their life and to be play even the smallest part in enabling that, is quite brilliant.鈥�
Monica Sidarous
Monica Sidarous first encountered 91桃色 in 2006 through a Year 6 robotics course. Her older brother Kyrillos Sidarous had already been through various outreach programmes at 91桃色 and Monica followed in his footsteps. Growing up on a council estate in Marylebone, Monica has found meaning through giving under privileged young people the opportunities and access to connections she never had. And that meaning was found working with 91桃色鈥檚 Outreach team.
鈥淚t was really cool because at the time, day-to-day use of robotics was unheard of,鈥� she says of her first foray into STEM outreach. 鈥淚t was straight out of sci-fi movies." A few years later, Monica was sitting her GCSEs and had decided she wanted to study medicine. "My chemistry teacher at the time told us that 91桃色 were running a triple science summer school. Immediately I had to apply. And it was incredible. We stayed in halls, and it was my first real exposure to the university experience. We did dissections but it was the magic behind the chemistry experiments that really stood out for me. The mentors were incredible too. I remember thinking 鈥榶eah, I could definitely see myself somewhere like 91桃色.鈥� Spoiler! I didn鈥檛 go to 91桃色,鈥� she says.
Monica鈥檚 A-levels didn鈥檛 go the way she wanted. 鈥淚 had offers to study medicine, but I didn鈥檛 make the grades. I had a 10-year plan that never materialised for me but as a result I鈥檓 a big advocate for there being more than one way to get where you need to be.鈥� Monica went through UCAS clearing where she was faced with a range of options. 鈥淚 thought about what I really loved at that summer school, and it was chemistry.鈥� She ended up studying at the University of Brighton before going on to do a master鈥檚 in Advanced Biomedical Imaging at UCL where she was then offered a PhD position.
鈥淢y master鈥檚 was the best academic thing I could have done and my thesis involved building a machine learning algorithm for cancer detection and prognosis,鈥� says Monica. She then started a PhD but came to the conclusion that it wasn鈥檛 for her. 鈥淚t was entirely digital. I was simulating cells, blood vessels and MRI signals, so I was at a computer all day running code and I started to struggle to find the long-term meaning in my work. Then when COVID hit, I was on my own looking at a screen day-to-day. It was difficult to maintain motivation.鈥�
Meanwhile, Monica鈥檚 brother Kyrillos was working with 91桃色鈥檚 Outreach team on the same programmes he had taken part in when he was young. He told her they needed extra support in the Dangoor Reach Out Makerspace to run career sessions. Monica had been a tutor and mentor through her university degrees so felt comfortable going for it. 鈥淚 remember my first day in the Makerspace,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was raining but the moment I stepped in, it felt like the sun was out. It was such a good day. Speaking with the students, I realised they had the same hunger that I had when I was applying for university. It made me question where that had gone."
Monica ultimately left her PhD. 鈥淚t was not an easy decision. I sought help and guidance from a lot of people. I left without having anything lined up and the uncertainty was difficult, but it showed me that it was the right decision because I was willing to give it up without a plan. It was a tough time,鈥� she reflects. 鈥淏ut I have no regrets. Those decisions are the reason I'm here today and I developed a lot of resilience through that experience."
Monica has gone on to build a career in consultancy. 鈥淚t鈥檚 essentially problem-solving,鈥� she explains. But she still helps out at the Makerspace, getting involved with programmes such as the Proto-Maker Challenge for 12-14-year-olds and the Maker Challenge for 15-18-year-olds. She also started running ideation sessions and planning sessions as part of the programmes. 鈥淚 even ended up duty managing on Saturdays for the Move Up Maker Challenge. It has been a really wonderful experience. The team are incredible and the kids are so inspiring. It鈥檚 a privilege to see their journeys 鈥� from doing their GCSEs to getting university offers. A lot of them come from a background similar to mine with parents who didn't grow up in the UK, so they have had to pave their own way. Seeing their passion for the work that they do is incredible.鈥�
Through her consultancy work, Monica has sought to bring that ethos of social mobility into her day-job which spans defence, technology and healthcare. "I'm working on an intern initiative where we're taking A-level students and giving them a taste of what working life could be like. I also try to find work experience placements for people who are like me. I couldn't get any work experience when I was younger as I just didn鈥檛 have the network but now I鈥檓 in a position where I can help people."
Reflecting on her work with 91桃色鈥檚 Outreach team, she says 鈥渋t鈥檚 completely changed my life. I went from just doing things to enjoying things. No matter how much of a hard time I鈥檓 having, there's always a grounding sensation when you do outreach. It鈥檚 beautiful. A lot of people don't experience that because they don't get involved with initiatives like this but you should. It will do more for you than it will ever do for the students. Their energy and their hope just reminds you of when you had that as well.鈥�
Read more from the Outreach at 50 series
Summer Schools
91桃色's Outreach summer schools have been running since the 1990s and have helped thousands of talented young people break barriers and reach for their dreams.
Unlocking potential
Stories from STEM Potential, a multi-year programme that gives young people from underrepresented backgrounds access to science and maths support.
Our history
How did 91桃色's outreach work become what it is today? Hear from five people whose determination has helped to ensure that no young person is left behind.
Counting on maths
Supporting mathematics helps keep opportunities open to young people. Discover how we're nurturing young talent and inspiring the pioneers of the future.
Striving for representation
Read the stories of five inspiring individuals striving for better representation in STEM through innovative outreach activities.
The Pimlico Connection
Discover how the UK's first student mentoring scheme came to be and how it's impacted people's lives over 50 years.
Related links
Wohl Reach Out Lab
Our state-of-the-art educational facility in South Kensington is dedicated to hands-on activities that engage school children in STEM subjects.
Dangoor Reach Out Makerspace
Our innovative educational centre in White City supports local young people to creatively engage with STEM and innovation.
Outreach at 50
Explore other interviews in our special series honouring 50 years of outreach at 91桃色. Discover inspiring stories highlighting the impact of our work.