Reach Edinburgh
Reach Edinburgh is a Widening Participation project for eligible secondary state school students in S4-S6 in the south east of Scotland who are interested in studying law, medicine or veterinary medicine at university.
Reach is a national Widening Participation (WP) project, funded by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).
The project aims to support eligible S4-S6 pupils in local state secondary schools who are considering pursuing degrees or careers in law, medicine or veterinary medicine.
Law, medicine and veterinary medicine are very popular and competitive programmes, which require more than just good school exam results. To be successful in your application, you will also benefit from extensive research into the programmes themselves and possible career pathways.
This will help to demonstrate that you have a realistic idea of the life, skills and qualities required of a lawyer, doctor, or vet.
Advice and support
Reach is a multi-exit programme. We will offer you encouragement, and impartial advice on these careers areas, as well as give you guidance on school subject choices.
We will also help you with all aspects of the UCAS application process for any of the three career areas you are interested in.
Application support
Reach Edinburgh staff will support you through all stages of the pre-application process, including subject choices and work experience. We will also help you through the application process for law, medicine or veterinary medicine.
Events
Over S4, S5 and S6 we run career exploration events, which will provide you with valuable insight into your chosen subject area.
Our programme provides activities and events relevant to your area of interest, as well as your current stage in the pre-application or application process.
Events and activities may include, but are not limited to:
- One-to-one pre-application guidance for you, your family and advisers
- Advice and guidance for your subject choices and extra-curricular requirements
- Workshops on personal statements, interview techniques and the UCAT
- Work experience placements
- On-campus career exploration workshops and events
- Opportunities to meet and shadow current students
- Information sessions for parents
We will always contact you with information about upcoming events relevant to you.
Eligibility
Reach Edinburgh works with eligible S4-S6 pupils attending state secondary schools in:
- Edinburgh
- The Lothians (East Lothian, Midlothian & West Lothian)
- Falkirk
- Stirling
- Scottish Borders
- Clackmannanshire
If you attend a state secondary school in any of the above local authority areas AND meet any of the below criteria, you will be eligible to sign up for Reach Edinburgh:
- you are Care Experienced; or
- you live in a Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile 1 or 2 postcode area; or
- you are a Young Carer; or
- you are estranged from your family; or
- you are a refugee or asylum seeker; or
- you are entitled to or are in receipt of Free School Meals (FSM)
Eligibility criteria explained
Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile 1-2
You can use the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation to find your postcode category.
Use the link below and follow the steps:
Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
1. Type your postcode into the ‘area finder’ box on the left
2. Click ‘GO’
3. Hover at the bottom of the yellow marker that appears on the map
4. If the ‘current data zone’ box on the right of the screen states ‘Quintile 1’ or ‘Quintile 2’ then you are eligible to register with the project.
Young Carer
We define a Young Carer as a young person who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member.
This means caring for someone, who due to illness, disability, mental health issues, or an addiction, cannot cope without your support.
Estranged from your family
Estranged students are usually without the financial or emotional support of their family due to a breakdown in the relationship.
Do I meet the criteria?
If you are unsure whether you meet any of our criteria, please contact us directly and we will be happy to help you.
Register to join
You can register to join Reach Edinburgh by completing our online form:
Register to join Reach Edinburgh
Sign up for an event
If you are already registered with Reach and want to sign up for an upcoming event, use the link below to visit our events booking form:
If you attend a state secondary school in another area of Scotland, you may be eligible to sign up with one of the other Reach providers in Scotland.
Please use the links below to find out more about the Reach partner that is closest to you:
We have put together a list of resources freely available on the internet related to law, medicine and vet medicine. These resources will assist your research and develop your understanding of our subject areas.
The resources can be used by any pupil – not just those signed up to Reach Edinburgh.
Contact us