First Chances Fife Foundation

The First Chances Fife programme is currently undergoing a reevaluation and has not started for the 2024-2025 year. Please bear with us while we work on this. We will be in touch with an update as soon as we can.

First Chances Fife Foundation works with P7 to S3 pupils from Fife primary and secondary schools to build early familiarity with university and college environments. The Foundation phase supports pupils to grow their motivation and self-esteem whilst they interact with current students and academics to explore a range of practical and theoretical subjects. It will set them up to progress onto First Chances Fife Senior Phase.

The programme is delivered via a series of online and in-person sessions and events that bring in schoolteachers, university and college staff, academics, and student ambassadors from the University of St Andrews. Each year culminates in an annual Summer School in St Andrews.

Numeracy

Pupils will attend a numeracy event hosted by Fife College. They will be set a variety of problem-solving tasks that they must solve in small groups within a given time frame. Topics will create a strong foundation for pupils progressing into the S1 Programme – World of Science.

Literacy

There are three key events associated with this unit:
- Book Buzz
- Standout Statements
- Poster
Book Buzz

This event aims to generate excitement about reading. Kindles are loaned to all P7 pupils participating in First Chances Fife with digital books from a wide variety of genres selected and pre-installed by the University of St Andrews. P7 pupils will have the opportunity to hear from a guest speaker and ask questions about reading and writing. Additional challenges may be set to encourage pupils to engage with the reading list at home.

Standout Statements

During this event pupils will return to thinking about the characters in their reading list with an emphasis on soft skills. P7 pupils will be guided to think about an essential component of the university application process – the personal statement, including how to write one and what to consider.

Posters

The P7 Summer School is an opportunity for pupils to explore the university town of St Andrews whilst learning to work with specialised software to design and print their own promotional poster. Parents and carers will be invited to a special certificate ceremony where P7 will ‘graduate’ into the S1 Programme – World of Science.
S1 focuses on an interactive learning experience for pupils to increase their understanding of scientific ideas and approaches as well as the impact of new developments in science. Pupils will develop skills in conducting experiments, laboratory work and understanding new technologies, and will start to think about what it would be like to be a university or college student.

An example of some of the events that may be offered are:
- Discover CSI – pupils will think about what it takes to be a criminal investigator and get some practical experience.
- Science student for a day – an opportunity to explore the science facilities at the University of St Andrews.
- Discover Engineering and the Built Environment – practical experience with engineering including digital engineering.
- Discover Science – an exploration of science subjects offered by the University of St Andrews.
The S1 Summer School consists of two science-themed days of Summer School activities.
The S2 programme begins by supporting pupils to make an informed decision on what subjects they will study in S3 by introducing them to future options available to them at university and college. Subsequent events will empower pupils to explore the value of their local community within a global context by examining similarities and differences between the lifestyles, values and attitudes of people in the past and present. Pupils will consider various social, economic and environmental systems from around the world and use this to drive reflection on their own country.

The S2 Summer School offers a complete overnight experience of what it would be like to live as a student, including academic and social activities which build on the 'living local, thinking global' theme.
Using the reflective and critical thinking skills they have been developing from P7 to S2, pupils are supported to create their own projects on an inspirational person with a Scottish connection.

S3 is also an entry point for Fife Schools who do not have an S1 or S2 cohort and these new pupils will be welcomed to First Chances Fife and work alongside their peers.

The S3 project is split into four key components:
- PowerPoint presentation
- Essay
- A research logbook
- Online mentoring and communication with student ambassador
Progression to the next year of the programme is dependent on a pass mark of 50% in the S3 project.

Support is provided by an assigned student mentor from the University of St Andrews as well as university and college staff. Pupils will communicate with their mentor via our online mentoring platform.

The S3 Summer School gives pupils the opportunity to engage in further in-person activities with their peers and will serve as a celebration of their hard work throughout the Foundation Phase. S3 pupils will officially ‘graduate’ to progress onto the First Chances Fife Senior Phase.

First Chances Fife Foundation

P7 Programme 2022-23 - Numeracy and Literacy

S1 Programme 2022-23 - World of Science

S2 Programme 2022-23 - Living local, thinking global

S3 Programme 2022-23 - Research project