Gateway Qualifications is pleased to support the Keith Fletcher Memorial Access to HE Prize for students on Access to HE courses.
As an AVA, Gateway Qualifications is invited to nominate one Access to HE student for each prize category: Outstanding Academic Achievement and Outstanding Commitment to Study.
We seek approved Centres delivering our Access to HE Diplomas for 2023-2024 to nominate students for these categories. Gateway Qualifications will then choose from these nominees and submit two entries for the Prize.
Please note:
- The same student cannot be nominated for both categories.
- After completing the below form, additional information may be required before Gateway Qualifications can put a student forward for the next stage of the nomination process.
- Nominations may be used in Gateway Qualifications publicity and promotion of the Access to HE Diploma. Winners and runners-up will be used in national Access to HE publicity.
- By nominating, you declare that you have obtained prior permission from the student nominee to use their details in any subsequent publicity relating to the awards.
The winners of the national event will receive a certificate and cheque for £750. Runners-up will receive £350 to help with their future studies.
Closing date to submit your nominations to Gateway Qualifications – 31st July 2024
Closing date for AVA applications submitted for the national prize – 1st November 2024
Judging takes place – Early December 2024
Winner announced – Mid/End of January 2025
Prize Presentation – Spring 2025
Next stages of the nomination process
Outstanding Academic Achievement
For your student to be put forward for the Outstanding Academic Achievement category, we will contact you for some supporting evidence. This will include an electronic copy of any work to support the student’s nomination. Scanned copies of handwritten or word-processed work with handwritten tutor comments are required. No paper copies will be accepted.
Examples of work submitted as evidence might include copies of essays, projects, research, reports, artefacts produced by the student as recorded in photographs, video clips, etc, recordings of student performance, and personal writing (poems, stories, other texts).
Outstanding Commitment to Study
If your student is chosen to be put forward for the Outstanding Commitment to Study category, we require a supporting statement from both you as the nominator and the student detailing how they meet the criteria. It should indicate the types of barriers that the student overcame and identify any skills they displayed in pursuing their studies.
Whilst the privacy of the student should be respected, it will help the panel of judges to assess the nomination if some detail regarding the challenges facing the student and how they met these challenges is provided. For nominations in this category to be taken forward, a student’s personal statement must be included with the nomination. Gateway Qualifications can assist with obtaining this statement.
Background about the Memorial Prize
Keith Fletcher worked in the South West of England for many years within its successive AVAs and was a great supporter and enthusiast of Access to HE. In memory of Keith’s commitment, several AVAs agreed to award prizes for Access students drawn from across the regions for 2010-11. After a successful presentation event in London, it was decided to develop this as an annual presentation. All AVAs across England and Wales now support the prize.
