FAQs on SHELL
Background to the SHELL project
SHELL stands for ‘School-HE Links in London’, shorthand for a project at London Higher, initiated in 2008 by the London Challenge in the former Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), now the Department for Education, to strengthen partnership working between London’s maintained secondary schools and higher education (HE). It came about because of London’s remarkable HE concentration of more than 40 higher education institutions (HEIs) ranging from large multi-faculty to small specialised institutions attracting undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers.
Specifically, SHELL tackled the two pledges in the London Challenge Vision that by 2011:
- Every maintained secondary school in London will have a partnership with a higher education institution, and
- A higher proportion of young Londoners will go on to higher education, including the more competitive universities.
Download the SHELL Report: A review by John Hall outlining the achievements of SHELL. The Report includes findings of practical use to the schools and HE sectors.
Click here for the full background to the SHELL project including details of the SHELL Delivery Board and the SHELL Delivery Plan, 2009-11.
How was SHELL managed?
There were two phases to SHELL. During the first phase (autumn 2008 to spring 2009) Professor Malcolm Gillies (Champion for HE Partnerships in London, Vice-Chancellor, London Metropolitan University and Chair, London Higher) chaired a Steering Group of relevant partners to draw up recommendations to ministers for delivery of the two pledges. His report can be downloaded here.
In his report to ministers about how to implement SHELL, Professor Gillies emphasised that SHELL complemented other programmes, such as Aimhigher, the Gifted & Talented programme, the London Education Partnership Awards and the work of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.
SHELL was somewhat different from Aimhigher, however, because it sought to involve all of London’s 400-plus maintained secondary schools and sixth-form colleges. It did not target particular boroughs or parts of boroughs.
In September 2009, London Higher was appointed by DCSF to manage the second phase, the delivery of the SHELL project. A new Delivery Board was formed chaired jointly by Professor Gillies and Professor David Woods, the Chief Adviser for London Schools. This demonstrated the important principles of reciprocity and equality between the sectors.
A small project team at London Higher (John Hall as consultant and Naz Khan as project officer) managed the project day-to-day and reported to the Delivery Board and London Challenge/Department for Education (DFE).
How do schools benefit from adopting the SHELL approach?
Many London schools are already doing exemplary work with universities, whether in London or further afield. Following surveys of higher education institutions (HEIs) and schools in the first phase, the SHELL Delivery Board was keen to identify those schools which were less engaged with universities. As a first step, it helps if all schools have identified a member of their staff who takes a lead for engaging with HE.
SHELL’s approach benefited school leaders, managers and teachers directly. It helped them improve their Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) for students and their parents.
Making stronger links to particular universities was assisted by use of the new SHELL Directory of London HE contacts for use by schools - visit www.londonhigher.ac.uk/SHELLdirectory.html. An ambition of SHELL ,which still remains, was to expand it by signposting subject areas in universities, not just schools liaison departments.
SHELL also urged schools and local authorities to consider attracting new school governors who are familiar with higher education, be that through subject teaching and pedagogy, admissions, or careers advice. Having such governors present also helps others on the governing body to appreciate that a student’s passage through secondary school is but part of their wider educational journey for which there is an ever-expanding range of destinations and qualifications. For more information on governors click here.
How do HEIs benefit from adopting the SHELL approach?
Many higher education institutions (HEIs) are similarly doing exemplary work with the schools sector. Just as SHELL sought to help teachers in schools become better acquainted with the latest style and content of teaching in universities, we hope that more university lecturers will be better informed about advances in schools.
SHELL also encouraged universities to make stronger efforts to recruit people from the secondary education sector to their governing bodies (school heads and local authority directors of children’s services, for example). While further education (FE) colleges are often represented, schools are rarely so. For more information on governors click here.
And increasingly, undergraduate (and even postgraduate) students are finding a role as a student ambassador or mentor to secondary students highly stimulating – and good to report on a CV. SHELL strongly supported such activity, sometimes arranged through Aimhigher or by an individual university and its students’ union.
SHELL summed up
Taking all of these elements together, SHELL helped the two sectors to capitalise on London’s educational endowment for the benefit of all its students, including also those who transfer to further education after school.
Through collaboration with its various partners and by exchanging good practice, SHELL helped students to be better informed about the choices available as they plan for their future education.
Download the SHELL Report: A review by John Hall outlining the achievements of SHELL. The Report includes findings of practical use to the schools and HE sectors.
Beyond SHELL: the national picture
SHELL’s focus was on London. What it achieved is of wider interest, of course. In his July Report to the Prime Minster and Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. Simon Hughes MP (in his role as Advocate for Access to Education) strongly commended a regional approach to collaboration by HEIs to make their outreach work with schools more effective. This was at the heart of the SHELL project at London Higher and is now being built on by AccessHE.
