Schools interested in the Young Applicants in Schools Scheme (YASS) should allocate one person to be the co-ordinator and The Open University will advise that person about the scheme and answer questions.
Throughout the year we run sessions for YASS co-ordinators. Please get in touch to find out more.
Our Introduction to YASS resource pack for co-ordinators includes materials which can be used in school:
We can also arrange a visit or virtual meeting for individual schools. We can meet with staff or pupils to discuss YASS or deliver a presentation.
Your school will be responsible for selecting and registering suitable students. Information for teachers on how to register your pupils can be found here.
The process differs from school to school, but often the YASS co-ordinator will meet students and their parents before the courses begin to prepare them for what lies ahead. In some cases parents have been so impressed with the courses that they have decided to do an Open University course themselves!
Click here for a diagram (.pdf) outlining the steps, and find out more about support resources that are available.
The Open University encourages schools to:
If you are unsure if some students will cope with a full course, The Open University offer a fantastic range of free courses through OpenLearn. There are over 700 courses and students can work at their own pace and start whenever suits their timetable. This is a great opportunity for students to get an idea of what to expect from independent university study.
If a student registers for a YASS course and subsequently decides they don’t wish to study / continue with it, at any point before or after their course starts, then the school co-ordinator or student should let the YASS team know as soon as possible.
If our team isn’t notified of the student’s wish to withdraw from YASS, and the student doesn’t engage with the course, they will receive a ‘fail’ result at the end of it.
Email Scotland-YASS@open.ac.uk
You can also join our mailing list to receive updates for schools and educators.