headstart into Higher education
Headstart Into Higher Education is a programme funded by ICET to increase the number of care experienced children who progress to, and succeed in, higher education and move into sustained employment.
Care experience remains one of the strongest indicators of educational disadvantage. Compared with the general population, young people who are or have been in care are significantly less likely to attend university, and less likely to complete their course if they do. Talent is everywhere; opportunity is not. Headstart exists to change that by widening the opportunities.
Working with Virtual Schools
Every local authority has a Virtual School for Looked After Children. These teams, led by a Headteacher, work across education and social care to champion and improve educational outcomes for children in care.
ICET is working in partnership with the Camden Virtual School to pilot a new approach to university progression.
The Education Navigator
Research by University College London identified the importance of consistent, personalised support in improving higher education outcomes for care-experienced young people. One of the most effective elements was a dedicated individual working alongside students over time - described as an Education Navigator.
We have funded a Navigator role embedded within Camden Virtual School.
The Navigator has identified 30 young people aged 14–21 with the potential to progress to university. Each receives tailored, sustained support designed to:
● Raise aspiration and confidence
● Strengthen academic attainment
● Build cultural and social capital
● Support successful applications
● Improve resilience and persistence.
Support includes university visits (including residential stays and summer schools), one-to-one tuition in challenging subjects, help with personal statements and applications, and, crucially, a trusted adult who remains alongside them throughout their journey.
Early signs are encouraging. Some participants are already at university, and others are actively applying.
Independent Evaluation
ICET is committed to demonstrating both impact and value for money. An independent evaluation is being led by the University of Birmingham, working with experts from the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers and the University of Cambridge.
The programme began in 2023. As longer-term outcomes emerge, the evaluation will assess progression, completion rates and cost-effectiveness, with the aim of establishing a model that can be adopted more widely.
Headstart Into Higher Education is designed to provide a practical, scalable way of helping looked after children not only reach university, but thrive once they are there.
About the Inner Circle Educational Trust
Inner Circle Educational Trust (ICET) is a grant-making charity focused on widening access to higher education for looked after children and care leavers.
While the Trust was repurposed in 2020, its origins date back to 1984.
Our Purpose Today
Today ICET is an independent grant-making charity.
We do not make grants directly to individual students. Instead, we fund programmes and partnerships that:
● Improve progression to higher education
● Strengthen completion rates
● Address structural barriers facing looked after children
● Build evidence of what works.
Our focus is strategic and long term. By investing in evidence-informed approaches and rigorous evaluation, we aim to support models that can be sustained and replicated.
You can learn more about the programmes we fund here.