The HELOA awards 2023 were a fantastic opportunity to celebrate best practice across the sector, in a number of different areas, and celebrate the amazing work that has been taking place.
We are pleased to announce the winners of our three HELOA awards:
Best Practice Access, Outreach and Recruitment Award sponsored by UK University Search
Arts University Bournemouth
Created to engage with the challenge of stark disparities in GCSE attainment for boys on Free School Meals, the Being a Boy project provided fully-funded places on selected creative workshops, designed explore the themes of masculinity and identity with young men. They provided a creative channel for participants to reflect on what being a boy meant to them, and how it was negotiated within their lived experience. Based on foundational principles rooted in youth work, the workshops were an innovative mechanism to conduct an exploration of the possible implications of ‘being a boy’ for the participants’ future health, happiness and educational success.
Best Practice Marketing and Communications Award
The University of Leicester
“The University of Leicester’s ‘What do you want to change?’ campaign put students at centre stage. By giving current students a chance to voice their concerns and ambitions for the future, prospective students are able to think about what a degree could mean to them and see the potential change they can make to the world around them.”
Best Practice Collaboration Award sponsored by Rad Brothers
University of Portsmouth, Arts University Bournemouth & University of Winchester
Learning to Level Up’ – Making the case for attainment-raising with working class boys. This collaborative project between 3 universities, engaged school practitioners in a CPD talks series to develop knowledge of the factors which contribute to disparities in educational outcomes, and HE practitioners in a conference to highlight good practice and increase targeted activity to support the attainment of young men. The project was seeking to encourage and facilitate greater partnership working between HEIs and schools to improve attainment and HE progression of working class males.