Oxbridge school day to inspire state pupils

The event has been organised by Harrogate Ladies’ College for teenage pupils who are in years 10 and 11.

Dr Joe Organ and Jenny O’Hare from Oxford and Cambridge will lead a day of hands-on seminars and discussions designed to give anyone thinking about applying to Oxbridge a better idea of what the elite universities are looking for in a potential candidate.

School pupils from Harrogate, Ripon, Skipton and Tadcaster will also get to meet current students from Oxford and Cambridge.

Harrogate Ladies College’s new principal Sylvia Brett said: “I hope the event will be both aspirational and inspirational.

“We want young people who are 14 and 15 and just beginning to think about their futures to get a realistic idea of what is actually involved in applying and being a student at Oxford and Cambridge.

“That is why it will be valuable for them to be able to speak to current students.”

Mrs Brett told the Yorkshire Post that she hoped it would help pupils to understand that Oxbridge universities are searching for candidates with an “academic passion.”

The day will begin with Dr Organ and Miss O’Hare giving an introduction to the universities.

This will be followed by breakout sessions led by current undergraduates of the two universities and a panel discussion chaired by Mr Richard Tillett, Harrogate Ladies’ College’s assistant head and head of sixth form.

He said: “The conference aims to give pupils and parents a sense of the reality, rather than the myth, of life at our two most famous universities. It will discuss entry procedures and what the universities look for in applicants, including the important issue of A-level subject choice.

“Given that the two universities do look for different qualities from those of many other institutions, it is important that pupils are made aware of their approaches before they reach the sixth-form.”