DCU Access Service
Secondary Schools Programme
The Access Service Schools Programme works with 23 schools in the north Dublin area located in three Local Area Partnership boundaries: Ballymun, Finglas Cabra and Northside.
Our pre-entry activities in these schools are designed to support students to achieve their potential at second level, raise awareness about third level, increase the number of students participating at third level, and support positive attitudes to education in the community as a whole.
For further information on our secondary school activities please contact Edel McCarron at Tel: 01 700 6040 or edel.mccarron@dcu.ie.
- Accenture Access Achievement Awards
- TAKE 5
- Discover DCU
- Student Shadowing
- Easter Revision
- Second Level Tuition Programme
- Campus Visits
- School Talks and Visits
- Writing Competition
- Attendance Awards
- DCU Debating Competition
- 2nd Year Talks
- Web Research Workshop
- DCU Summer Scholars
- Other Events
Accenture Access Achievement Awards
2009 Accenutre Access Achievement Award Recipients pictured on stage in The Mahony Hall with Accenture Employees
Managing Director of Accenture Ireland, Mark Ryan pictured with Secretary of DCU, Martin Conry
The Helix in Dublin City University hosted the 13th annual Access Achievement Awards on December 10th 2009.
Sponsored by Accenture, almost 400 second level students were recognised for their various accomplishments and achievements in the areas of
- Academic
- Sports
- Arts & Culture
- Community Spirit
- Special Nomination.
Over 50 students involved in 3 clubs and societies in DCU volunteered their time to perform an array of talent on the evening, ranging from juggling to singing to dancing to performing jazz music.
The Achievement Awards scheme was launched by the DCU Access Service in 1997 for students from secondary schools in the North Dublin region. It is designed to recognise, reward and encourage excellence in both the academic and extra mural aspects of a students school life. The Access Achievement Awards are an important strand of the DCU Access Service Schools Programme, which fosters positive attitudes to education and encourages young people to remain at school and consider third level education as a viable option for them.
"Earlier this year, Accenture launched its *Skills to Succeed* initiative which aims to build skills that will enable people all over the world to develop themselves and participate in the economy. This initiative is fundamental to our corporate citizenship efforts, bringing together our passion, experience and constant commitment to developing and nurturing talent. As part of this, we are delighted to support the 2009 DCU Access Achievement Awards." Sarah Farrell, 2009 Chairperson, Accenture Charities Committee
“The Access Achievement Awards are an extremely important initiative, which helps to inspire hundreds of young people by making them aware of the opportunities open to them through a third level education, we are delighted Accenture have agreed to support this wonderful initiative ”, said Ita Tobin, Head of the Access Service.
Congratulations to all those who received and award and sincere thanks to the sponsors Accenture Ireland and to those who assisted in the coordination and delivery of the event.
For further information please contact Edel McCarron
TAKE 5
Take Five is an exciting and innovative five-day access initiative jointly organised by the Access services of the following third-level institutions: Dublin City University; Dublin Institute of Technology; National University of Ireland, Maynooth; Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin.
The initiative is aimed at Transition Year students in schools linked to the access initiatives of the five colleges. It is designed to give such students an opportunity to explore the various options available to them at third-level by spending a day on the campus of each institution. Each day is jam packed with interactive lectures, demonstrations, activities and sports. Students also work on various projects throughout the week with the help of third level students; these include marketing, music, drama and photography.
For further information please contact Edel McCarron
Discover DCU
Discover DCU is a series of workshops run delivered to students from schools linked to the DCU Access Service. Workshops are facilitated by the staff of the DCU Access Service and Student Ambassadors. Discover DCU aims to support and complement the work of the guidance counsellor and other teachers in the school. Throughout the workshops students are encouraged to think about options open to them when they leave school and to raise any concerns that they may have. They are also encouraged to consider Third Level as a viable option and are informed of supports in place that can facilitate this.
For further information please contact Edel McCarron
Student Shadowing
Held over 2 separate days in mid March, the Student Shadowing Day aims to introduce Transition Year and Fifth Year students to a slightly more in-depth picture of undergraduate life.
The school student will attach him or herself to the first or second year student to whom they have been allocated and follow them around for the day. This will involve visits to the library, lectures, coffee, lunch and for some the gym or one of the many clubs and societies on campus. The day generally ends with performances from some of the clubs and societies on campus.
The allocation is in line with the subject area in which the school student has expressed an interest.
For further information please contact Edel McCarron
Easter Revision
The Easter Revision Course is aimed at students from our 24 link schools in North Dublin who have applied through the HEAR or Acess DCU scheme. The Revision Course aims to provide support tuition in six Higher Level and two Ordinary Level Leaving Certificate subjects in order to increase students' performance in their upcoming exams. Students study their three chosen subjects throughout the week. Every year we ask the participating students to complete Evaluation Forms which continually reveal that students feel they benefit greatly from participating in the Revision Course.
For further information please contact Edel McCarron
Second Level Tuition Programme
Supplementary tuition delivered by DCU students on a voluntary and paid basis is available to students in our link schools. This tuition is arranged on a needs basis. DCU students providing such tuition undergo training and work closely with the teaching staff in the link schools. For more information contact Colette Keogh.
Campus Visits
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We offer each of our link schools the opportunity to bring students onto campus for a tour and a talk by a staff member and an Access student. These visits can incorporate a workshop, library tour or sports activity depending on the group size, time of year etc.
Linked schools attending school plays in The Helix are encouraged to coincide their visit with a campus tour.
The Access Service are also delighted to welcome community groups and youth agencies onto campus for tours and a talk by a staff member to promote positive educational experiences.
For further information please contact Edel McCarron
School Talks and Visits
During the school year a member of the Access Service will make several visits to link schools with information about Access routes to Third level and how to apply. Sixth years are given indepth talks about the application process and the criterion they need to fill to be a successful.
For further information please contact Edel McCarron
Writing Competition
The DCU Access Service Writing Competition is held annually in March to encourage students in participating linked schools to explore the use of the English language in response to a famous thought provoking quote. Essays could be written in a variety of styles, including journalistic, creative and scientific
The competition in 2009 was facilitated by the Irish Centre for Talented Youth. Students linked to DCU Access Service compete in a separate Access category in two age divisions, Secondary School and Primary School. The competition was judged by a panel of Irish authors including the world renowned author Roddy Doyle the winning entrants receiving a Dell laptop.
For further information please contact Edel McCarron
Attendance Awards
A new initiative being introduced for the 09/10 academic year for 1st to 3rd year students is the DCU Access Service Attendance Awards. This award aims to encourage and reward those students within our link schools who achieve highest attendance records throughout the academic year.
One winner will be chosen from each year group in May to receive the award. Winners will be presented with a DCU Hoodie as reward for their achievement.
For further information please contact Edel McCarron
DCU Debating Competition
2009 Competition Winners from St Aidans CBS Whitehall
Coordinate by the DCU Debating Society and held in May the Debating Competition is offered to schools linked to the DCU Access Service.
Students from participating schools attend an intensive half day debate training seminar delivered by the DCU Debate society a week in advance of the competition.
During the training the competing students are then given their motions and are coached on the various methodologies of debate.
On the debate day, students debate in two rounds, the 4 highest ranked teams after the second round are invite to debate in the final with the winning team being awarded DCU Hoodies.
For further information please contact Edel McCarron
2nd Year Talks
2nd year talks are ran in conjunction with school visits to 6th year students. During an interactive 45 minute workshop student will work with DCU Access Service Staff to assess and develop their learning styles, study skills and time management skills.
Ideally the 2nd Year talks will be either preceded or followed by a Talk delivered 6th year students by the Access Service.
For further information please contact Edel McCarron
Web Research Workshop
Coordinated by DCU Library, the Web Research Workshop is an add-on to the Take 5 Programme. Students from link schools involved in the Take 5 programme are invited to attend a one day workshop which focuses on getting the most from the internet when conducting research for their school projects with a big emphasis on the importance of the evaluation of online sources. The session included plenty of hands on activities, a discussion on the pros and cons of social networking and a tour of the Library.
Students look at:
- Search strategies and tips
- Google tricks
- What about wikipedia?
- Websites everyone should know about
DCU Summer Scholars
Linked schools are invited to have students apply for a number of reduced cost places on this new exciting new two week summer programme.
DCU Summer Scholars aims to introduce college courses to students in a fun and motivating way. It allows students to engage in new subjects and those they inspire to study. Alongside the studying new courses, students will have the opportunity to participate in sport and recreational activities. Students can choose between a commuter course or a residential stay.
www.dcu.ie/summerscholars
For further information please contact Edel McCarron
Other Events
The Access Service regularly receives information about one-off events around Dublin that we believe will enrich the educational experience of students in our link schools. Such events range from interactive maths lectures to science festivals to drama workshops. In collaboration with guidance counsellors, teachers and principles in our link schools we make every effort to sponsor students' involvement in these events.
