Oxbridge aspirations at Outwood Academy Danum
Outwood Academy Danum in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, hosted an event for Year 9 students, inviting three former students back to share their journeys from Outwood to Oxbridge.
The event was an inspirational session for a small group of Year 9 students who the school believe have the potential to apply to Oxford or Cambridge one day with hard work and dedication. The three former students prepared PowerPoint presentations on their journey from Year 9 to Oxbridge which they shared during the session.
Claire Du Puget, HeppSY Administration Officer at the school, talked us through the itinerary for the session:
Three of our Oxbridge Alumni visited Outwood Academy Danum on Friday 24th May 2019. Each alumnus discussed their Post 16 and Post 18 choices, their pathway to Oxford and Cambridge and how the school supported them with their application process.
They discussed their time in Higher Education and emphasised how obtaining an Oxbridge degree has benefited their career pathway. By sharing their stories, our Oxbridge alumni showed our students just what can be achieved by studying hard and making the right choices.
In their presentations, they emphasised the value of aiming high, being curious and ambitious. They also advised our students to use their spare time productively, keeping up with hobbies because ‘what makes you different makes you’.
The session was extremely inspiring for our students and we are now organising visits to The University of Oxford and The University of Cambridge for July and October.
Kirsty, one of the former students invited back to the school, said, “I wanted to pass on how proud I am to be a Danum girl because of the great start the sixth form gave me, so this was my chance to give something back. Also it was a nice surprise to be reunited with an old friend from the school play, circa 2001!”