OXBRIDGE oFFERS FOR sEVEN bLACKPOOL sIXTH sTUDENTS

Seven Blackpool Sixth students have recently received the amazing news that they have been offered places at two of the world’s top universities.

Four students have secured offers of places from Cambridge University: Sara Kundan Khan for Economics, Mahan Zolfpour for Natural Sciences, Alexis Thompson for Archaeology and Katy Gordon for English Literature.Three students have offers from Oxford University: James Fallon for Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, Katie Jones for Jurisprudence (Law) and Xander Sieradzki for Biochemistry.

All the students said that they were delighted and very surprised by the news. Xander, a former Highfield Leadership Academy pupil, commented, “I was shocked as I didn't believe I would get in but when it settled in, I was so excited. My parents were also very excited and proud and my friends were thrilled for me.” Katie Jones, who also previously attended Highfield Humanities Leadership Academy said, “I didn’t really think I’d even have the opportunity to apply until later in the year, and I still don’t really believe I've got an offer!”

For some of the students, applying to Oxbridge has been a long term aim. Katy Gordon, a former St Mary’s Catholic Academy pupil, said, “I’ve been interested in Cambridge since I was in primary school, as my dad admired the university and encouraged me to pursue an education in literature. I started considering applying after achieving higher GCSE grades than I thought I would get.”

For others like Alexis, a former Armfield Academy student, the idea has come more recently through the encouragement of her teachers at Blackpool Sixth and the opportunity the college provided to visit the university. She noted, “When I visited Cambridge, the course and facilities there were fascinating and the staff seemed really invested in the subject.” 

Students with Oxbridge offers (L to R): Alexis Thompson, Xander Sieradzki, James Fallon, Sarah Kundan Khan, Katy Gordon, Mahan Zolfpour. Not pictured: Katie Jones.

Achieving an offer of a place at either Cambridge or Oxford means successfully passing through a very demanding selection process, involving exacting interviews and, in many cases, additional entrance exams. James Fallon, who joined Blackpool Sixth from Hodgson Academy described it as “hard work but ultimately very rewarding.”

All the students speak very highly of the support they’ve had from the college to help them with their Oxbridge applications. Mahan Zolfpour Arokhlo, who had done his secondary education in Iran, mentioned that the support with his personal statement at the application stage was something he particularly appreciated. Others mentioned the practice interviews the college had set up as extremely helpful. James added, “I was encouraged to apply from very early on, and supported through the entire process.” Sara, a former St Mary’s Catholic Academy student, added, “Blackpool Sixth has been the backbone of my application. All the teachers have been so helpful and supportive throughout.”

All seven students are now getting ready for their A level exams inspired by the prospect of progressing to their chosen universities. Some already have long-term career plans such as Katy who is aiming for a career in journalism or education and Xander who would like to go into biotechnology research. They are all extremely motivated by the prospect of progressing to these world-renowned institutions.

The students are part of the Excellence Programme at Blackpool Sixth which provides an extremely extensive range of subject-based and extra-curricular activities and support for academic high-fliers. The programme includes specific help with the application and selection processes for the most prestigious universities such as Oxbridge, other Russell Group universities and medical schools. The students also have the opportunity to complete an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) which helps them learn invaluable research and academic writing skills which will set them in good stead for their university studies. 

Peter Wright, Excellence Programme Coordinator at Blackpool Sixth commented, “It is fantastic to see the students making strong applications to world-class institutions, such as Oxford and Cambridge. The students worked incredibly hard in accessing all of the support from the Excellence Programme to successfully navigate the various admissions tests and interviews. We’re very proud of them and it is further proof that our young people from Blackpool and the surrounding area can aim for the very top.”