We were very lucky to receive a visit form Hannah Wilbourne from Oxford University, Exeter Collage. The aim was to encourage pupil achievement by raising students’ awareness of Oxford university and allowing them to learn about the benefits of higher education.

Hannah began by addressing any misconceptions students may have about higher education and attempted to overcome perceived barriers to entering Oxford university. Hannah provided information relating to Universities in general, why people go to university and how decisions they make at this stage of their education will impact their future, as well as giving an insight into student life.

This University workshop was intended to raise the aspirations and motivation of students.

Here are some follow up statements written by students who attended the workshop:

• "I thought the Oxford University talk was both interesting and inspiring because it taught us key information about Universities and gave a clear message to all on the Aspire programme. It taught us we need to work hard to achieve our personal goals and persevere with challenging tasks. I personally learnt a lot from the talk; I thought it was beneficial for everyone because it was inspirational and motivational, as well as relatable. I hope to partake in more workshops in the future!" - Isla Gibson
• "I’m very grateful that I had this opportunity, the Oxford university talk inspired me for my future and taught everyone doing the aspire challenge what you can achieve from going to university. I feel the talk helped to motivate everyone and myself for doing the best we can possibly do at secondary and it was also interesting and useful to know what university is like. I also think it has helped everyone be more resilient in the challenging aspire tasks as it is now very clear what benefit we will receive from doing them. I feel the talk was a great idea and I’m so glad I participated in it." - Charlotte Curnow
• "It was a nice surprise when we were called for this talk. I felt that the representative explained everything clearly and stopped me worrying about going to university when I’m older. There were lots of interactive aspects which helped everyone understand the point that she was trying to get across within the talk. When I heard about all the extra-curricular clubs and committees, I thought it would be fun! Even though there are long hours of study it is worth the wait to get your degree and to go onto big things! I’ve found out that you can study whatever you want for a whole three years. I want to go to university because it broadens your options when you start looking for a job. This visit really motivated me, and I’m considering going to Oxford when I have finished school. Even though I’m still quite scared about it, this fantastic visit has reassured me!"
• "I think that the Oxford University visit was an interesting and an amazing opportunity to learn about universities and what we need to start thinking about. It was a very useful event because we learnt what we needed to prepare for and what we should expect. We learnt about how they work, mainly Oxford and we learnt that the financial part of going to University was nothing to panic about. I’m grateful that I was part of this, but I am grateful as well for the fact that they took the time to do this. It was fantastic." - Katie Chapman