High flying Hyndburn pupils boost university chances with Oxbridge programme

High flying pupils from a Hyndburn high school got to find out how they could boost their chances of going to a top university, as part of Blackburn Sixth Form’s ‘Get into Oxbridge’ programme.

Ten pupils from Year 11 at Hyndburn Academy took part in a workshop held at Blackburn Sixth Form, learning about the skills and attributes needed to have a successful application to get into Oxbridge or other Russell Group universities.

The ‘Get into Oxbridge’ workshop covered topics such as the application process for the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, including personal statement planning and preparing for future admissions tests and interviews. It also covered topics focusing on top academic subjects including medicine and law.

Erin Gainford, 15, from Rishton attended the event along with her twin sister Ruby, Erin said: “The workshop has been very beneficial, especially for preparation for Oxbridge applications. The advice has been really valuable, because it’s a lot more specific than the general careers advice we’ve previously had.”

Ruby added: “I’ve really enjoyed the session, it’s been very engaging and I now feel like I have a much better understanding of what I’ll need to do to get into a good university. I’ve learnt that I need to start preparing for my application early to improve my chances of success.”

David Jones, Blackburn Sixth Form High Achievers Coordinator said: “The pupils attending from Hyndburn Academy have been very switched on and have taken the session very seriously, they are a credit to their school. It’s clear to see that they have the attributes needed to succeed. I hope that they will take away the advice given, and start acting on what they need to do between now and applying for university.”

The workshop comes after Blackburn Sixth Form became the East Lancashire hub for the OxNet programme in September. The programme aims to give information and advice about applying to Oxford, Cambridge and Russell Group universities.

It is an intensive 12-month academic programme for Year 12 pupils living in the North West, North East and London, which leads to a residential at Pembroke College at Oxford University. The course involves a mixture of study days, essays, series, Easter conferences, summer schools and talks.

This year Blackburn Sixth Form has had five of its students apply to either Oxford or Cambridge universities.

For schools wanting to find out more about the ‘Get into Oxbridge’ workshops, or the ‘Get into Law’ or ‘Get into Medicine’ workshops, please contact Chloe Williams, at [email protected] or call 01254 292531, or Kim Stanley at [email protected] or call 01254 292542.