Students Into Schools

Sarah Irwin (Sociology and Social Policy) and Indira Banner (Education)

This project is an exploratory study of a University volunteering programme in which students act as mentors and assistants in local secondary schools. The aim is to investigate the experiences and perceptions of the different groups involved – university students, school pupils and teachers.

We are exploring how student volunteers experience the programme, their motivations for participating, and their perceptions of outcomes for themselves and the pupils. How does volunteering fit within diverse educational trajectories and how do students see it relating to social responsibility, and to their own personal development and their future employment chances? We are also exploring how the programme is organised and managed in a case study school, and how it is experienced by pupils there. This small ‘pilot’ study aims to provide useful feedback to the case study school and to the University Student Opportunity and Enhancement office, and to lay the conceptual groundwork for further research.

Download the Final Report here [PDF:489KB]