Who is LEAPS eligible in a Group 1 school?
Any pupil who has the potential to achieve a minimum of 3 Highers over 2 sittings.

Group 2 schools
These are schools that have an established tradition of pupils progressing directly to higher education but where individual pupils may have had their potential to participate in higher education reduced by adverse socio-economic or personal circumstances. These schools are as follows:

Balerno Community High School, Bathgate Academy, Broxburn Academy, Beeslack Community High School, Boroughmuir High School, Craigmount High School, Currie Community High School, Dalkeith High School, Dunbar Grammar School, Firrhill High School, James Gillespie’s High School, Knox Academy, Lasswade High School Centre, Linlithgow Academy, North Berwick High School, Penicuik High School,  Portobello High School, Preston Lodge High School, Queensferry Community High School, St Augustine’s High School, St David’s High School, St Kentigern’s Academy, St Margaret’s Academy, St Thomas of Aquin’s High School, The James Young High School, The Royal High School, Trinity Academy, West Calder High School and Whitburn Academy.

Pupils in these schools who match any of the LEAPS Eligibility Criteria (see below) are entitled to participate in the following activities during S6:

1. First generation applicant to higher education
2. Adverse home circumstances (e.g. long term physical/mental illness or disability of a close family member; large or complex family such as step family; family break up/single parent family; overcrowded accommodation such as shared room/no private study area)
3. Family on low income (e.g. entitled to free meals; in receipt of education maintenance allowance; in receipt of benefits; long-term parental unemployment)
4. Adverse personal circumstances (e.g. subject to negative peer and/or community, such as bullying in school; living in care; other adverse home circumstances)

 Explaining our Eligibility Criteria
Statistical evidence shows that young people with little or no family experience of higher education are themselves less likely to participate in higher education. Parents continue to be key influencers in the career plans of their children yet those with no involvement in higher education may be unaware of the benefits, let alone the perceived complexities of choosing then applying to university. This can potentially lead to a lack of meaningful advice or in some cases discouragement when the subject of university arises at home. For these reasons LEAPS targets young people showing academic potential but who would be first generation in their family to apply to higher education. We also aim to work with the parents of these young people, providing them with the opportunity to explore the realities of higher education (the benefits and the costs) through campus-based events as well as parents’ evenings in school. A simple explanation of ‘first generation’ is a student who grew up in household where there had been no parental experience of higher education in the conventional sense. Young people with the following circumstances DO fall into the first generation category:

1. where parental study of higher education has been a recent development or is ongoing (for instance a parent may be studying as a mature student)
2. where a parent attended a university but this was undertaken part-time whilst working, in order to gain a professional qualification or similar
3. where a parent gained a degree or similar qualification through distance learning or the Open University but did not participate in the ‘conventional’ university experience
4. where a young person has family other than parents who attended university (e.g. aunt, uncle, cousin, older brother or sister) but a parent or parents did not participate
5. where a parent attended a college that has only subsequently become a higher education institution (for instance a training college that has since become a university or university college)

Meanwhile, pupils with the following circumstances would NOT fall under the ‘first generation’ category (although they might match one or more of the other LEAPS eligibility criteria):

1. where a parent attended an institution that wasn’t a university but nevertheless WAS a higher education institution at the time (e.g. polytechnic, teacher training college)
2. where a parent attended a university or equivalent institution outside the UK

Just as family background has the potential to impact upon involvement in higher education, there is evidence which shows that young people from low income backgrounds are less likely to participate in degree-level study. For this reason LEAPS aims to target talented young people from poorer households and backgrounds. The guides that we use to identify low income background are as follows:

1. where a pupil is entitled to the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)
2. where a pupil is entitled to free school meals (irrespective of whether these are uptaken)
3. where the household is in receipt of benefits i.e. income support
4. where there has been long-term parental unemployment in the family
5. where the young person is living in overcrowded accommodation (for instance is sharing a room and does not have space to study – at LEAPS discretion)

Other forms of disruption to a young person’s home life can potentially impact upon the likelihood of fulfilling his or her potential at school (and the likelihood therefore of achieving the grades necessary to access the ‘ideal’ higher education course). A young person with a close family member suffering a long-term mental or physical disability or illness may find it more difficult to focus on his or her school studies or may spend time caring for a relative – time that might otherwise be devoted to homework, revision or other private study. Similarly a young person who feels that his or her school performance in S4-S6 had been affected by parental break up or complex family circumstances can opt into our programme. Meanwhile alcohol, drug or physical abuse within the household are almost certain to disrupt a young person’s studies.

We recognise that other adverse circumstances can affect a young person’s performance at Standard Grade or at Higher, such as bereavement of a close friend or family member or negative peer pressure (including bullying). We will consider other adverse circumstances on a case-by-case basis, consulting guidance teachers where necessary.

It should be noted that we do not necessarily presume that a young person experiencing adverse circumstances will have had their school grades affected – we ask young people to consider whether their circumstances are likely to have negatively impacted upon their studies.

How we identify eligible pupils
In Group 1 schools we work with teachers to identify pupils showing academic talent and invite them to participate in activities from S2 onwards. For some events we agree with schools to work with entire year groups. In Group 2 schools meanwhile we visit schools to deliver presentations during S5 and S6 where we address entire year groups, introducing LEAPS and explaining our eligibility criteria. Young people are encouraged to ‘opt in’ to our activities but there is no pressure on a young person who is entitled to support to take up this provision. Where a student is in doubt as to his or her eligibility, or uncertain whether to accept support from LEAPS, we encourage that individual to discuss the situation with his or her parents/carers or guidance teacher.

In most cases, identifying whether a young person is ‘LEAPS eligible’ is relatively straightforward although where there is any doubt LEAPS will consider whether an individual’s circumstances merit participation in light of the ethos of our programme, consulting the individual’s school in this process.