What is Compass?

The University of Sydney's Compass-find your way to higher education ('Compass') project aims to encourage primary and secondary school children from low socioeconomic backgrounds to participate in higher education.

The key goal of the project is to build attainment and aspiration.

To do this, the Compass partners will develop a series of outreach, mentoring and professional development programs that aim to

• increase school completion rates
• raise community expectations, student attainment and aspiration.

Compass launched in 2009 with two secondary schools and six partner primary schools in the Sydney region. In 2010 the program will extend to a further two secondary schools in south-west Sydney, and their partner primary schools.

The project currently has funding for three years. This includes $3.4 million from the federal Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (the Structural and Diversity Adjustment Fund), $2 million from the University of Sydney, and $100,000 from the NSW Department of Education and Training.