A partnership announced between the GLA and London Higher, the representative body for higher education in the capital, is supporting universities across the capital to expand holiday-time programmes for young Londoners from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds.
The initiative forms part of the Mayor of London’s Holiday Hope programme, a £6m investment that aims to support 250,000 young Londoners from vulnerable backgrounds. London’s higher education providers, with their extensive experience of running summer schools and holiday-time outreach projects, are ideally placed to support Holiday Hope objectives.
Through a series of pilot projects delivered during the 2026–27 academic year, universities will create new opportunities for young Londoners to develop skills, explore future study and career pathways, and build confidence in a supportive environment. The partnership will take a “test and learn” approach, supporting a range of existing programmes to grow in scale and reach.
Joanne McCartney, Deputy Mayor for Children and Families, saw the partnership’s impact first-hand this week, visiting a Holiday Hope zine making workshop delivered at Arts Network. The workshop was part of a new transition programme supporting south Londoners, developed by the Access, Engagement and Success Team at Goldsmiths, University of London. It is one of several projects delivered by London Higher members and partners across the capital, supporting care-experienced young people, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, young people at risk of not being in education, employment or training (NEET), and other groups currently underrepresented in higher education.
The outcomes will include:
- More than 200 positive opportunities created for young Londoners from widening participation backgrounds during 2026-27 via a range of projects
- An evaluation framework and guidance resources on co-delivering holiday-time outreach activities with youth sector partners, published in spring 2027.
- Strengthened referral pathways between higher education providers and other local partners, creating sustained support journeys for young Londoners as they explore careers and study options.
- A blueprint for expanding university involvement in Holiday Hope activity across London in future years.
Commenting on the partnership, Dr Richard Boffey, Head of Regional Collaborations and Insight at London Higher, said:
“We are delighted to be working with City Hall and our members on an initiative that builds on the sector’s longstanding commitment to widening opportunity for young Londoners.
As anchor institutions, our members have a crucial role to play in creating a more joined-up education and skills system that supports young people to thrive.
This is a further illustration of higher education’s critical role as part of Team London, helping to deliver the shared mission of a more prosperous, inclusive and opportunity-rich city for every Londoner.”
Joanne McCartney, Deputy Mayor for Children and Families, said:
“We’re determined for London to be the best city to grow up in and are delighted to be working with London’s universities to support and provide opportunities to young people as part of the Mayor’s £6m Holiday Hope scheme. The capital’s higher education providers have a wealth of experience and expertise, and by opening up their campuses and programmes over the holidays for free, they’re helping more young Londoners build the skills and confidence to shape their own futures, as we build a better London for all.”
Ends
For media enquiries, contact Anna-Paulina Norbury, anna.norbury@londonhigher.ac.uk
About London Higher
London Higher is the membership organisation for universities and higher education institutions across the capital. As the largest representative body of its kind in England, London Higher represents the full diversity of the capital’s vibrant higher education sector, from small, specialist conservatoires and research institutes to large, multi-faculty universities.
About the Holiday Hope partnership
The Holiday Hope programme is funded by the GLA and delivered by London Higher members and partners across the capital, supporting care-experienced young people, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, young people at risk of not being in education, employment or training (NEET), and other groups currently underrepresented in higher education.
The programmes for this phase of activity are:
Summer 2026
- Shaping Tomorrow youth conference for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller young people, delivered by a consortium including the Traveller Movement, King’s College London, London Metropolitan University, St Mary’s University Twickenham, and others.
- The University of Westminster’s Westminster Creatives Summer School, targeting young west London residents who are underrepresented in higher education.
- A university readiness programme supporting an increasing number of commuter students as they start higher education, delivered by Goldsmiths, University of London.
Autumn half term 2026
- An on-campus programme for care leavers in London, delivered by the University of Roehampton and building on their successful summer residential for this cohort.
Winter break 2026
- A two-day Civic Leaders’ Academy for Year 10 pupils across inner London, delivered by SOAS, University of London.
February 2027
- A higher education progression programme supporting young Londoners who are at risk of becoming NEET, delivered jointly by the University of Greenwich and London School of Management Education.
