Libraries Plus supports university students to tackle educational inequality through providing academic support for young people at local libraries. This programme currently runs in Southampton.
What is Libraries Plus?
If disadvantaged young people receive academic support from students they will benefit from improved confidence, subject understanding and motivation for learning. Ultimately leading to improved academic attainment, closing the attainment gap.
We work with local libraries running open access sessions for local families to join, this opportunity is promoted by the library and local schools. We often work with Widening Participation teams at our partner universities to work collaboratively and meet Access and Participant Plan (APP) priorities. Students provide academic support on a 1-1 or 1-2 basis, focusing on key topics such as reading, writing sentences and maths.
The students we work with are passionate about their subject and have the potential to be positive role models for young people and the training and support we offer enables students to develop the necessary communication and teamwork skills.
What’s the impact?
Libraries plus aims to reduce the impact of educational inequality by supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to have improved educational attainment. To meet this aim we ensure every young person who takes part in the programme:
- Has improved subject understanding
- Feels more confident in their ability
- Builds resilience
- Feels more motivated to learn
To achieve this our students are trained to create an environment which is safe, supported, respectful, interesting and challenging. An environment which supports key social and emotional skill development.
In 2021-22
100%
students agreed young people show increased confidence in their studies
93%
students agreed they are learning about the challenges facing the young people
partners agreed working with the Hub has given them a sense of connection to the student community
I have absolutely developed my confidence and leadership skills through this programme, as it has helped me to learn how to be responsible in a tutoring setting. By helping others to develop their own skills, I have become more confident in my own teaching skills; this has helped me to be more confident in other areas of my life, as a first-year student, and has helped me to be more outgoing and friendly in a relatively new environment. I have also developed my teamwork skills by working with other volunteers and the coordinator to ensure the best tutoring environment.
Alex Stilgoe, Southampton Hub volunteer