St Dunstan’s College celebrates Oxbridge success

St Dunstan’s College, Catford, south London, is delighted to announce six students have been offered places at Oxford and Cambridge.

Speaking about the Oxbridge success, Head Nick Hewlett, said:

“The whole College is delighted with this news, and many congratulations to the students for their hard work and commitment throughout the application process and as they prepare for their final examinations this summer.

“I also want to thank the Futures team for their support during this period, and we look forward to celebrating all our Sixth Formers’ offers as they come in over the coming weeks. I also look forward to recognising Year 13’s achievements at the Sixth Form Graduation Ceremony next term.”

Samuel, who has been offered to read Classics at Balliol, Oxford, said:

“I am absolutely thrilled, I cannot wait to immerse myself in Literae Humaniores and be taught by the hefty names that populate my bookshelves.”

He added:

“My thanks to the school are vast and absolute: without the generous bursary and scholarship that have allowed me to attend St Dunstan’s, I would have never stepped foot in a Latin classroom nor be in a position to apply to Oxford, let alone receive an offer.

“I am especially grateful to Ms Butryn and her wonderful Classics department – who have unfalteringly shared their passion, encouragement, and support throughout all my time here – as well as the Oxbridge team for being a steady tiller in the deadline sea.”

Dita, who has been offered a place to read English Literature at Corpus Christi, Oxford, said:

“I was really happy to receive an offer, the interviews had been so enjoyable and so I was just excited at the prospect of being able to continue discussing and learning from these academics. 

 “The school has been really thorough in helping us at every stage of the application. Everything was always prepared and thought out well in advance, and we were given lots of guidance for all aspects of the process, from personal statements, to interviews and entrance exams.”

Susannah, who has been offered a place to read Psychology at Cambridge, also added:

“It feels so amazing to have gotten an offer- especially with my friend getting one for the same course. I’m really grateful to all the teachers who helped me with the application, staying for hours with me after school multiple times per week. I felt a bit guilty taking up so much of their time, but it has all paid off in the end. Thank you!”

Head of Sixth Form, Alex Brewer, added:

“We are delighted for them, and the diversity of these subject areas, showing the breadth of A Levels on offer here as part of our St Dunstan’s Sixth Form Diploma. Our programme is flexible, choice driven, forward-thinking and ambitious, and is designed to help students transition successfully to an adulthood of personal flourishing.”

Speaking about the Sixth Form support at the College, Ayano, who has been offered a place to read Psychology at Cambridge, explained:

“I had the opportunity to have many mock interviews with both internal and external teachers. These helped me build my confidence for the interview. I was also given the time and support in the run up to the interview to research and practice by all my teachers.”

Ariene, who has been offered a placed to read History at St John’s College, Oxford, added:

“The school was supportive as soon as I said I wanted to apply and gave me structured work to do throughout the process. I had a lot of help with my admissions test as well as lots of time given to interview practice which helped to build my confidence not only for the interview itself but also in my subject generally. So, I’m very grateful for the school’s support throughout the process.”

Natasha, who has an offer for Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford added:

“I am grateful for the hours of coaching, guidance, extra teaching, mock interviews and relentless support I received. The strong sense of community here at St Dunstan’s makes such undertakings a reality and gave me the confidence needed to be successful in the application. The teachers here provided a lot of care and advice to ensure I was well equipped for each stage of this long journey.”