The Opportunities for All Award

“Brilliant initiative, tackling the issue pre-university level and we love that they ensure free access to activities”

The 93% Club - University of Bristol's State School Society

Why was there a need for this society?

93% of secondary school students across the UK attend state schools. Yet, at the University of Bristol, state school students account for just 66% of the intake. The 93% Club works to engage the new cohort of students in their activities; aimed at improving the experience of state-school students and developing their employability skillset whilst at University.

What actions did they take to make the society inclusive?

The society tackles widening participation issues in Higher Education in two sustainable ways. Their outreach work, including UCAS days at local schools, will continue to encourage more students from lower socio-economic backgrounds to consider applying to Bristol University. Meanwhile, their employability work helps to break down the barriers to accessing ‘prestigious’ careers and end the stigma of educational privilege that remains in careers such as Law and Finance. They have a growing list of corporate partners and sponsors including TLT and OC&C, who continue to support our work both financially and through workshops and networking events.

Every event was free of charge and open to everyone. They aim to create unintimidating spaces both in our employability and social events. Their Employer Speed Networking evening is specially designed to create an accessible and casual environment where members can speak to a range of employers one-on-one or in small groups; removing the often combative environment of traditional networking events.

Many of their events are ‘drop-in’ style, so that members with accessibility needs are not excluded from participating. All coffee meetups and family meals are fully subsidised by the society and therefore free of charge for our members.

How did they involve students who haven’t previously participated in what they do?

They’ve established a new ‘Family Scheme’ in order to encourage more members to their events by creating a welcoming and unintimidating environment for those students who may have felt nervous about joining the society. This involves pairing newer members with more experienced students, who they can attend socials with, or have a chat and share their Bristol experiences.