Aim higher is a national programme which aims to widen participation in higher education (HE) by raising HE awareness, aspirations and attainment among young people from under-represented groups.

The role of Aim higher is to:

Raise aspirations and motivation to enter HE among young people from under-represented groups

Raise attainment of potential students from under-represented groups so that they gain the academic or vocational qualifications that will enable them to enter HE

Strengthen progression routes into HE via vocational courses

Offer information, advice and guidance to potential students and their teachers and families

Jointly funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), the Aim higher programme operates across 44 area partnerships throughout England. Aim higher encompasses a wide range of activities to engage and motivate learners who have the potential to enter HE but may be under-achieving, undecided or lacking in confidence. The programme particularly focuses on young people from lower socio-economic groups (NS-SEC groups 4-8) and those from disadvantaged backgrounds who live in areas of relative deprivation where participation in HE is low. Most Aim higher activities are developed and delivered at an area level, which allows them to be tailored to the needs of specific communities. The following activities represent the core programme offering and take place in all areas of the country:

Campus visits

Mentoring

Master classes, including subject enrichment or revision sessions

Student ambassadors

Information, advice and guidance (IAG)

Summer schools and HE-related residential experiences

School or college based interventions

Activities delivered at an area level are supported by national Aim higher activity:

The Aim higher Roadshow, the largest of its kind in Europe, tours schools and colleges across the country and encourages young people to consider the benefits of higher education and the different options available. From September 2009, the Aim higher programme will be expanded to include a new national strand. Aim higher Associates is a £21 million mentoring scheme which will see around 5,500 university students recruited to provide long-term individual and face-to-face support to more than 21,000 pupils in schools and colleges across the country.

At

The Aim Higher Coordinator at FPHS is Sarah Keaveny Room G03. The Aim Higher Administrative Assistant is Lisa Ellis.
The programme has been running successfully for many years in FPHS. In 2008-2009 the pupils on the cohort and beyond have received an array of opportunities from Aim Higher ranging from;

- University campus visits to Bolton University and Manchester University.
- A creative media session at Rock Fm in Preston.
- Forensic science session at Manchester university museum.
- Master classes in art from Salford University.
- Easter revision skills sessions from learning performance.
- Junior chef courses at Hopwood Hall.
- A variety of taster sessions in all subjects at Bury and Rochdale Hopwood colleges.
- Participation in the Aim Higher Roadshow and Aim Higher Diploma theatre workshop.

Falinge Park High School has also been a pilot school for the aim higher associates scheme which is now a compulsory activity of the aim higher programme from September 2009. Three under-graduate students have worked with the aim higher cohort from January and have provided a number of sessions on university life, and the process and skills required to reach higher education.
Two current students (Rabbie Farque and Sonya Rafiq) of FPHS won the Greater Manchester Aim Higher Awards this year and attended a ceremony at the Northern College of Musicon the 30th June 2009.