State school in deprived area that’s got 41 Oxbridge offers
A STATE school in a deprived area of London is celebrating after 41 pupils received offers from Oxford or Cambridge. Each year, Brampton Manor Academy has seen more pupils offered places at the elite universities – but 2019 has broken all previous records.
The Newham school set up its sixth form in 2012 in the hope of getting more disadvantaged students into top institutions.
Two-thirds of the pupils with offers will be the first in their family to attend university, while half have had free school meals – an official indicator of poverty. Almost all are from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The achievement is significant as Oxford and Cambridge have faced repeated accusations of elitism. Black people and those from more deprived communities are under-represented at the two universities, and they are under huge political pressure to change this.
The universities have complained in the past that not enough suitable applicants are coming forward due to poor preparation by schools.
At Brampton, one student received an offer in 2014. By 2018 it had reached 25, of whom 20 began their studies in the autumn.
If all 41 students get the A-level grades to hold onto their places this year, the school will have doubled its record in just 12 months.
The academy’s executive principal, Dr Dayo Olukoshi, told a local newspaper: ‘We were delighted when last year we sent 20 students to Oxbridge, having seen the number increase gradually from just one offer in 2014. For this to have more than doubled again is phenomenal.’
Among the pupils hoping to get the grades is Dorcas Shodeinde, who received an offer to study law at St Catherine’s College, Oxford.
She has been in care since she was 14 but has not let that hold her back. She said: ‘When I was put in care all I knew was that statistically care leavers don’t do very well.
‘I was determined that my future would be different. Brampton made me believe I was good enough to go to Oxford, and I can’t believe I’ve now got an offer.’
Fellow pupil Rama Rustom has received an offer to study English at St Hilda’s College, Oxford. The daughter of Palestinian and Syrian parents, she came to the UK as a refugee from Saudi Arabia in 2013 and spoke Arabic as her first language.
She said: ‘This offer sets my family on a new path. Lots of people outside school said I couldn’t do it, but my teachers always believed in me.’
Victor Idowu, who has an offer to study medicine at Selwyn College, Cambridge, will be the first in his family to go to university. He said: ‘This is something that I have wanted my whole life.
‘It’s made my family really proud. The application process was challenging but being surrounded by other students going through the same thing made it a lot less daunting.’
The sixth form is selective, with all candidates interviewed before being offered a place. There are up to 3,000 applications for 300 places, and some pupils live a twohour commute away.
‘Teachers always believed in me’