Celebrating 25 years of PARTNERS
This year, we’re celebrating 25 years of the PARTNERS programme at Newcastle University, one of the most well-established supported entry routes to higher education of its kind.
31 January 2024
This year, we’re celebrating 25 years of the PARTNERS programme at Newcastle University, one of the most well-established supported entry routes to higher education of its kind.
Since its inception, the PARTNERS programme has empowered over 9,000 students to study at Newcastle University. To celebrate this milestone, we’re holding a reunion event in March.
PARTNERS aims to support students from under-represented groups who face multiple barriers to education so they can reach their potential and gain a degree from a Russell Group university.
Integral to the programme is a week-long summer school where students stay on campus and get to experience what university life is like, meeting other students interested in studying their chosen subject at Newcastle. PARTNERS also offers a range of support and opportunities to help young people make a successful application to Newcastle University.
The PARTNERS programme has been running since 1999, beginning with a selection of local schools and a cohort of 41 students. Since then, it has developed into a national programme, with over 1,000 students taking part per year. In the past academic year alone, 1,600 students took part in the PARTNERS summer school.
The history of PARTNERS
The PARTNERS programme began in 1999 with the support of then Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Dame Madeleine Atkins DBE. Initially, the supported progression route was launched to 42 schools and colleges in the Tyne and Wear area, and 41 students from these schools took part in the first assessed summer school in 2000.
By 2004, all state schools and colleges in Tyne and Wear were eligible for the programme and most degree programmes, including Law and Medicine, were involved.
In 2008, PARTNERS won the Buttle UK Quality Mark in recognition of its commitment to supporting care leavers. All students with a care background were able to apply for PARTNERS and benefit from the lower grade offer and additional support in applying to university.
The programme was opened up to local independent schools in 2013 which meant that students from 189 partner school and colleges across the North of England could apply, and by 2016, this was extended further to any student meeting the eligibility criteria in England.
In 2020, we welcomed over 1,000 students to the summer school for the first time, with activities taking place online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, any student from across the UK from a under-represented group can apply to the PARTNERS programme and benefit from a year-long programme of support which includes webinars about the application process and finance, and an on-campus summer school.
The impact PARTNERS has had on our alumni community
Over the past 25 years, more than 9,000 students have joined Newcastle University’s alumni community through the PARTNERS programme! Below, we hear from just three of them on the impact the summer school had on their time at university and life since.
Michael (MBBS, 2008)
"The PARTNERS team helped me prepare for life as a student. They put me in touch with other students on the course and gave a helping hand whenever I needed some advice.
"Whilst at university I thoroughly enjoyed helping the PARTNERS team as a student representative on shadowing experiences and Summer Schools so that I could help others in the way that they helped me when I was considering university.
"I started working as a junior doctor after graduating from Newcastle Medical School in 2008. Since then I have gained experience from a number of the hospitals throughout the North East and Cumbria and specialise in Elderly Care. I chose Geriatric Medicine as it is a challenging, varied and expanding speciality where no two days are the same.
We are very fortunate to have PARTNERS in our region. For me, they have been truly life-changing.
Craig (BA Politics, 2012)
"There were so many benefits of the PARTNERS Programme. Without it, I would not have got the grades I needed to get into Newcastle University. Without that, I wouldn't have gone on to PhD study or the career I have now. Put simply, there is a direct connection between PARTNERS and my life as it is today.
"The PARTNERS Programme also readied me for life at university. I was the first in my family to go to university. My parents joined me at Open Days with the same ignorance that I had, and we all learned as we went along. So to have two weeks within a department, interacting with lecturers and researchers was so helpful, not just for understanding the nature of the content on a degree programme, but to make university much less intimidating.
"I graduated in 2012 and went on to do an MA and PhD in Politics at Newcastle University, eventually completing my studies in 2017-18. Now, I am a Research Associate with the Wales Centre for Public Policy, a research organisation hosted by Cardiff University."
Olivia (LLB, 2022)
"The PARTNERS programme gave me a real insight into university life. I stayed in halls, attended lectures, explored the campus and had full access to all the facilities.
"This experience made me feel much more relaxed before starting in September as I already had made friends and knew my way around campus, the same girls I met on PARTNERS are still some of my closest friends and actually who I am living with after graduating!"
Help us celebrate 25 years of PARTNERS
As part of NCL in Action 2024, we’re hosting a special reunion event on campus for all alumni who joined Newcastle University via the PARTNERS programme.
Join us on Friday 1 March to reconnect with old friends, make new connections in the PARTNERS network and share where life has taken you since you first arrived on campus during your summer school experience.
As part of the celebrations, we're also hoping to display your photos from your university days and showcase the PARTNERS graduate experience over the past two decades. If you have any photos from your time at Newcastle you would be happy for us to include, please email these to NUAevents@ncl.ac.uk. Thanks!
Volunteer to support the future of PARTNERS
We often hear from alumni about the difference that the PARTNERS programme has made to their lives, and as part of the programme's 25th anniversary, we'd like to invite alumni to share their stories to inspire prospective students.
Some of the opportunities you could get involved with include, but are not limited to:
- Submitting a profile for use on our webpages and/or marketing materials. This would involve answering questions about your career journey, your experience of the PARTNERS programme and how it has benefitted you, as well as advice for future PARTNERS students. You can read existing profiles here.
- Taking part in marketing activity, e.g. appearing in promotional videos
- Taking part in focus groups
- Speaking at our PARTNERS Academic Summer School
- Attending ad-hoc events at Newcastle University to represent PARTNERS
To express your interest in being added to our PARTNERS volunteer pool, please complete the relevant section on the NCL in Action volunteer form below.
If you would like to submit a profile for use on our webpages and/or marketing materials, please complete the following form.