In collaboration with the Dental School’s Council (DSC) we have spaces for 70 students in Year 11 from across the Midlands to join us virtually in exploring Dentistry. This interactive experience is by Health Education England and will encourage open discussion around admissions to Dental Schools, the skills required to succeed, and what it's like being a Dentistry student. We will also look at a range of career opportunities available within the field. We invite guests from a range of disciplines to share their knowledge with you, with many sessions being led by our current undergraduate students. More information on how to apply will be available soon.
Inclusion
This event will be hosted online as a Zoom meeting. There will be multiple sessions made up of:
We expect students to turn on their microphone and camera to engage with the activities. There will also be opportunities to post questions through a Q&A box as well as engage in the event chat box.
Any presentation slides used will be read out loud to all participants. We will also turn on closed captions for participants to read what is being said.
We have built in multiple breaks into each day to give students the chance to take time away from the screen.
We want this event to be inclusive, and for all participants to feel that they can take part comfortably. Once the application deadline has closed and all successful participants have been selected, we will be in touch to discuss if there is any way that we can support you with this event.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for the programme students must be currently studying at a state school*, and either be:
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In, or been in, local authority care (this is defined as being looked after by a local authority, foster parents/other family members, at home with their parents under the supervision of social services, in a residential children's home or in another residential setting such as a school or secure unit. This can also cover someone who has experienced a period of three months in the care of the local authority within the last ten years.)
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An estranged student whois studying without the support and approval of a family network
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An asylum seeker or refugee.
Please note: we would expect that students who attend selective state schools are not eligible for the programme. This is because we have adopted the principle of focusing on students who have experienced social and educational disadvantage. We recognise that there may be exceptions to this case.
Or, eligible students for this programme may also hold a minimum of two of the following:
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Studying in a state school that achieved below the national average Attainment 8 score (we will use the England average score of Attainment 8 to be of 46.2 out of 90) at GCSE. If this is not available for applicants, previous school information can be used where they had attended to the age of 16.
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Studying in a state school that achieved below or well below the national average Progress 8 score (this will be any school that gets below zero). If this is not available for applicants, previous school information can be used where they had attended to the age of 16.
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From a school with a high percentage (23.8% or above) of students receiving free school meals. If this information is not available for their current school e.g. they are attending a college, we will accept the free school meal data for the school attended at age 16.
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Living in a geographical area with low levels of progression onto higher education. This is available at www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/young-participation-by-area/search-by-postcode/. When using POLAR we will ue POLAR4. POLAR4 students from quintile 1 and 2 will automatically meet this criterion.
Additional criteria
Students must also:
- have the potential to study dentistry and be capable of achieving the minimum grades required for entry (whether that is for standard entry programmes or programmes with a gateway year)
- An interest in STEM subjects and be considering studying science in their post-16 studies and medicine post-18
Students that studied outside the UK and took their GCSEs/equivalent overseas) would still need to meet two of the eligibility criteria (school criteria would be excluded).
Apply now
Apply now via the Online Dentistry Summer School Application: DSC Online Dentistry Summer School Application - 2024 (onlinesurveys.ac.uk)
Contact us
Get in touch with the MDS Outreach team by emailing mdsoutreach@contacts@bham.ac.uk.