We're passionate about building strong, meaningful partnerships with schools and colleges. Whether you're looking to inspire your students with university taster days, host trainee teachers, or collaborate on professional development and community projects, we’re here to help.
Business & Community Engagement
The Business & Community Engagement Team at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) comprises of Apprenticeships, Business & Community Engagement, Commercial Research, Knowledge Exchange and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Collaborative Partnerships, and Social Purpose Projects.
The University deliver a suite of professionally-focused Higher and Degree apprenticeships including Career Development Professional for aspiring Careers & Guidance Advisors, Business, Leadership & Management, Project Management and Teacher apprenticeships; both Primary undergraduate and primary and secondary postgraduate routes with QTS.
The Lincolnshire Open Research and Innovation Centre (LORIC) can support schools and colleges with data, research, knowledge Exchange and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.
The Ermine Library and Community Hub provides opportunities for community cohesion and bridges any gap between the academic institution and the community. Examples of how schools can get involved with community engagement through BGU include:
- Black History Month events
- Parents / carers to explore adult skills and family learning
- Volunteering & work experience opportunities for those aged 16+
We also have the graduate portal where we would welcome schools to advertise vacancies / volunteering and everything in between to BGU Students and Alumni.
As part of working collaboratively our department would seek to understand the market demand for teaching apprenticeships in schools and seek consultation on future programme development, including Skills Bootcamps.
Outreach Team
Our outreach team provides free information and advice sessions for schools and colleges across the whole of the UK. We can tailor our activities to meet the needs of your school/college and the audience. We work with students in Year 9 and above and we are happy to deliver any of our sessions in your institution, or on our campus here in Lincoln. Our sessions are designed to raise aware of the benefits of Higher Education and inspire your students to think about their futures. In addition, we are happy to support with activities that you are running at your institution, e.g. careers fairs, university fairs, assemblies or drop-down days.
Presentations and workshops
Our presentations and workshops are available for all schools and colleges and can be tailored to meet your requirements.
Out standard sessions are:
- Intro to BGU
- Benefits of Higher Education
- Student life
- UCAS and Personal Statements
- Which Course? Which Uni?
- Student Finance
- Budgeting
- Routes into Teaching
- Critical Thinking
- Revision Skills
- Guest lectures
Pre Teaching Award
Our Pre-Teaching Award is a flexible programme delivered by schools and colleges with the support of Bishop Grosseteste University. The award is an enrichment activity for year 12 students who are interested in a career in education. We are happy to meet you at your school/college to talk about the award in more detail and to see how it can fit in with your requirements.
University Campus Visits
Our campus visits provide an excellent opportunity for your students to enhance and enrich their current studies. Through spending a day at our university your students will get a taste of university life and the opportunity to meet some current students.
- Whole Year Group Visits (2 hours intro to HE, Campus Tour and Student Q&A)
- University Experience Day for up to 50 students (4 hours Intro to HE, Campus Tour, Workshop activity and Student Q&A)
- Subject Taster Days for up to 50 students in Years 11 – 13 (4 hours, days typically involve a campus tour, an overview of subject area(s) and subject taster activities.
Travel bursary for post-16 up to £250 for schools within Lincolnshire.
Widening Participation Programmes
At BGU we are committed to Widening Participation, we run two programmes to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds and those facing challenging personal circumstances. Both First Steps and Next Steps aim to develop the independent learning skills required at university. The programmes are available for students in schools/colleges throughout Lincolnshire (or those on
the border of surrounding counties).
• First Steps: is built from a combination of successful taster days and outreach sessions engaging students from Year 9 through to Year 11. Schools can opt into one or all year groups with each programme consisting of a one-hour visit to your school (Step 1) followed by a full day visit to BGU for Step 2 of the programme.
• Next Steps: is a four-step programme which we offer to sixth forms and colleges. The four steps occur at regular intervals from December to July of Year 12 and includes two one-hour visits to your school/college and two full day visits to BGU
And lots more
Please get in touch on outreach@bishopg.ac.uk to make a booking or discuss bespoke support for your students. Other types of activities we have been able to set up with schools in the past have been:
- Extended Project Qualification support
- Use of our library and e-resources on taster days
- History and English None- Exam Assessment (NEA) days
- GCSE and A Level English Cinema visits to watch film adaptations of English texts in our on-campus cinema alongside supportive workshops with our English Team.
CPD support for school staff.
Conferencing and Events
BGU are able to rent out our facilities and support your events on our campus here in Lincoln. We offer all of our services at a competitive rate for schools and colleges.
The types of opportunities we are able to support you with are:
- Cinema screenings for reward trips
- Theatre hires for performances
- School proms and graduations
- Lecture theatre hires for award evenings
- Classroom space for meetings, staff CPD or field trips
- Residential accommodation for school exchange groups
- Summer Schools
- Any commercial events that schools are planning
From using our spaces, to booking our catering – we would love to support.
To find our more and discuss you needs please contact: conferencing@bishopg.ac.uk
ITE Programmes
Placements Office
At Bishop Grosseteste University we are proud of our heritage as a teacher training institution. Since 1862, we have been at the forefront of developing the outstanding teachers the young people of our region deserve. We are also immensely proud of our continuous growth and development. Our recent Ofsted report of 2024 identified that the support trainees receive is an ‘absolute strength of this provision.’ Our achievements were also echoed by the Daily Mail University Guide 2025 which rated the university as 1st for Teaching Excellence.
Of course, these achievements are indicative of the strength of our whole partnership. If you are already working with us, I would like to thank you for your commitment. The role you have played in terms of offering placements, mentoring trainees and working collaboratively with us to develop our ITE programmes is greatly appreciated. If you are new to the partnership or are considering joining us, you are warmly welcomed.
Since successfully securing re-accreditation with the DfE, our ITE provision has developed significantly. A key aspect of this work is to strengthen our links with partners to provide challenging, innovative and transforming programmes as part of the new landscape of Initial Teacher Education.
Through our steering groups, mentor feedback and working closely with our Teaching School Hubs, the BGU partnership offers excellent networking opportunities. Our BGU curriculum exceeds the requirements of the Core Content Framework, and its evidence base is grounded in the latest research.
We would be delighted to work with you. We are eager to work collaboratively with valued partners such as yourselves as we believe that through sharing our combined wealth of skills, knowledge and talent, we will ensure that our partnership is at the forefront of producing the next generation of outstanding teachers.
If you feel that you could host trainee teachers, please click this link.
