Russell Group teacher conferences

Teachers play an absolutely vital role in supporting their students to progress to Russell Group universities, and so it is important to develop and maintain a strong dialogue between schools, colleges and our universities. One way our universities are achieving this is by working together to hold Russell Group teacher conferences.

Anne-Marie Canning, head of widening participation at King’s College London, puts it succinctly: “More information can be really helpful for teachers who are supporting sixth formers applying to Russell Group universities and the best way to do this is providing clear advice for teachers in one place.”

The conferences, which involve staff from all 24 Russell Group universities along with current students, are a practical way of providing comprehensive information about Russell Group admissions in one day – significantly reducing pressure on teachers’ time and ensuring they are able to see the full Russell Group picture in one go.

The conferences give teachers the chance to attend a wide range of workshops and sessions organised and co-delivered by staff at Russell Group universities.

Topics covered during our teacher conferences include:

• academic references
• personal statements
• admissions requirements
• applying to medicine
• student finance
• careers and employability

All Russell Group universities engage extensively with teachers, but the real strength of the conferences is that they bring together expert advice from all 24 Russell Group universities – something teachers value highly.

The conferences are targeted at state schools and colleges and held in different locations around the UK to ensure as many teachers as possible can attend. To widen the reach of the conference, the conference materials and presentations are being developed into an online resource to help teachers who are unable to get teaching cover or who cannot attend for other reasons.

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