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This paper is about providing effective access into higher education for mature aged prospective students who are socio-economically disadvantaged, either because they come from poor families or because they are currently living in poverty, or both. It sketches the national policy and program context in which efforts have been made to provide such people in our community with a fairer share of the benefits of higher education, and the disappointing outcomes of this work. It then explores a successful entry course which is currently being offered as a collaborative initiative between a university and a number of adult re-entry secondary schools. The unusually positive outcomes from this course, in terms of retention, success, and progression to award level study, are in marked contrast with the poor educational outcomes for similarly disadvantaged students in the large numbers of bridging courses which are offered by universities throughout the country, funded by the Commonwealth's Enabling Program. The paper aims to identify those elements which appear to have been significant in producing these excellent outcomes, in order that they might be replicated elsewhere and inform new developments nationally. It also explores the implications of this analysis for higher education access programs for educationally disadvantaged adults, for adult re-entry secondary education, for collaboration between the secondary and higher education sectors, and for the current boundaries between them.