Three former pupils of King Henry VIII Comprehensive School in Abergavenny who attend Hereford Sixth Form College are among students celebrating incredible success with Oxbridge applications.

Twenty high achieving students, 31 per cent of those who applied, have been offered prestigious places to study at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

These include former King Henry VIII Comprehensive School student Gethin Clement, Manon Formiggia and Louis Bryan plus Anni Rees. former Crickhowell High School student and Matthew Williams (former St Alban’s RC High School student).

The total number of successful applicants has risen to 72 offers in three years, which puts Hereford Sixth Form College in competition with the best independent schools in the country.

Last year, The Spectator reported on the most successful schools for receiving offers to Oxford and Cambridge, and Hereford Sixth Form College was placed sixth when ranked in order of the applicant to offer ratio.

STEM subjects continue to be hugely successful, with offers for Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, Medicine and Natural Science! Particularly impressive are two students who have offers to study PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) and two for Classics.

This breadth of subjects demonstrates the depth of academic rigour across the subjects, and the diversity of the interests in the gifted and talented cohort.

Anni Rees, a former Crickhowell High School student, has received an offer to study Modern Languages at the University of Cambridge.

Anni is very pleased with her offer: “I feel very honoured; however, it still hasn’t sunk in yet. Having done my GCSEs in a small high school, the grandeur of Cambridge always seemed very far away. Hereford Sixth Form College made the possibility of applying there more realistic for me.”

Students who are considering applying to competitive universities have access to the College’s dedicated Reach programme, which aims to help students make an informed decision about their futures. These weekly sessions encourage students to consider the right options for them, whether this is Oxford or Cambridge, other top universities, or highly competitive degree apprenticeships.

Students who start on the Reach programme receive the bespoke support they need to compete with the best in country, and many students who complete the course choose to go on to Imperial, UCL, Warwick and Bristol, to name a few!

The College maintains close links with Oxford and Cambridge, but also an increasing circle of successful alumni who mentor the students through the application process. Before the interviews, students benefitted from a full afternoon masterclass with Arron O’Connor, from Oriel, Oxford, about the process. 18 former students returned to the College to lead workshops on interviews, ranging from Architecture to Archaeology

The College also ran an evening session for the families of interviewees with Ellie Wood, from Christ’s, Cambridge, so the whole family were aware of the process. Matthew Williams, a former St Alban’s RC High School student, has received an offer to study Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge. Matthew is very happy with his offer, “I’m grateful for all the support and encouragement I’ve had through the admissions process. The Reach programme supported writing and improving my personal statement, as well as preparation for my interview. My teachers were also really supportive by reading and suggesting improvements for my personal statement and were always there to ask for help whilst preparing for the admissions test.”

Vicky Orsmond, creator of the Reach programme, says “Once again our students have overcome the hardships of the pandemic and have proven themselves to be up there with the best schools in the country: our students are so academic, so driven, so impressive. It has been such a joy being able to support them through the process, and I know we will all keep in touch- I’ll likely be interviewing them for my YouTube for their hints, tips and support for future students of Reach!”

Commenting on this success, Principal Peter Cooper said; “As the table from the Daily Telegraph shows, the College has really become a national player in the Oxbridge admissions stakes. All credit to our students, teaching and support teams and the excellent connections and programmes run by our careers staff. An excellent effort and result all round.”

For more information on Hereford Sixth Form College, visit the website www.hereford.ac.uk