LEAPS background

Our history
LEAPS was formed in 1995 as a partnership of the higher education institutions and councils in Edinburgh and Lothians, as well as Careers Scotland. LEAPS comprises a core team of 7 staff located in an office in central Edinburgh who work closely with colleagues from each of our partner organisations, including teachers, careers advisers, academic and administrative staff and managers.

Our aims
LEAPS aims to promote social inclusion and equality of opportunity by facilitating increased participation and success in higher education of young people (in Edinburgh and the Lothians) whose ability to choose higher education as a post-school option and/or to demonstrate or realise their potential may have been inhibited by economic, social or cultural factors.

Our objectives

1. Provide (a) young people and (b) their parents with advice, information and encouragement to consider higher education, accessed directly or through further education, as an attractive and attainable option.
2. Provide impartial information and advice about courses and routes to higher education.
3. Raise awareness of widening participation issues and the need to challenge traditional assumptions about admissions criteria within (a) higher education institutions and (b) schools.
4. Enhance the prospects of young people fulfilling their academic potential by promoting positive attitudes to learning and acquisition of learning skills to ensure effective transition to and success in higher education.
5. Monitor and evaluate student progression into, through and beyond higher education.

Our partners
LEAPS exists with the support (financial and ‘in-kind’), goodwill and expertise of the following partner organisations: Edinburgh College of Art, Heriot Watt University, Napier University, Queen Margaret University, Scottish Agricultural College, The University of Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh Council, East Lothian Council, Midlothian Council, West Lothian Council and Careers Scotland.

Our approach
Members of the LEAPS Team meet regularly with the LEAPS Management Group (comprising a representative from each partner organisation) to agree strategy, priorities and the overall direction for our work. We also work with representatives from our partner organisations on the LEAPS Schools Programme Management Group and LEAPS Summer School Management Group on operational matters.

The LEAPS Admissions Pledge
The Edinburgh College of Art, Heriot-Watt University, Napier University, Queen Margaret University, Scottish Agricultural College and The University of Edinburgh are committed to an admissions policy, which pledges admissions officers to:

• make offers of places if at all possible to students who are identified as LEAPS eligible;
• hold open places for LEAPS Summer School students who do not meet the conditions set until reports on their performance are available;
• consider for admission any LEAPS Summer School Student who does not meet their conditions set on SQA results but whose Summer School report shows potential to succeed on the course for which they hold an offer – regardless of pressure on places.

Many other Higher and Further Education Institutions also consider and admit LEAPS applicants on the basis of the Summer School report.