Arden University is proud to continue its partnership with the charity, The Brilliant Club, to deliver the Make Your Mark programme, an attainment-raising initiative designed to support Year 10 students from less advantaged backgrounds.
Running in both Greater London and Greater Manchester, the programme supports students to improve their GCSE performance in core subjects by combining curriculum-aligned tutoring in English and Maths with the development of essential study skills. Through small-group tutorials across 10 hours of tutoring, trained university students work in-person with young people.
This year’s programme builds on the strong results from 2024-25, with over 1300 hours of tutoring delivered, supporting 173 secondary school students across 16 schools. The programme demonstrated strong impact across subject knowledge, study strategies, cognitive strategies, and academic self-efficacy. At the end of the programme, students were provided the opportunity to visit their local Arden University campus and take part in a subject masterclass and graduation ceremony.
Key student outcomes:
- 27% increase in English study strategies, with more students believing they can use different methods to write creatively
- 13% increase in students feeling confident tackling longer maths tasks and spotting the key information needed to solve them
Year 10 student, “The Make Your Mark programme was good, it helped me understand more about analysing written work and also helped boost my confidence in creative writing in a fun way.”
Tutors also reported benefitting professionally, with enhanced teaching skills and confidence in supporting students from a diverse range of backgrounds. 89% of tutors now feel confident using their experience in future job applications.
In 2025-25, Make Your Mark continues to offer vital academic support to young people across Greater London and Greater Manchester.
Interested in your school taking part? Get in touch and find out more by emailing outreach@arden.ac.uk.