Medway students experience Oxford

18 July 2022

We were delighted to recently welcome a group of Medway sixth-formers to Hertford for a residential as part of our Swiftstream outreach programme.

The 24 students from Medway in north Kent (one of the college’s outreach link areas) stayed for two nights as the culmination of an access programme that started back in October. The Swiftstream programme began virtually in the autumn, with a series of after-school webinars combining application advice with academic taster sessions in a variety of subject areas.

Welcoming the students to Oxford was a gratifying moment for our outreach team, who have been planning the programme since 2019 and ran it online for two cohorts in 2020 and 2021.

It was really special to be able to host prospective applicants in college for the first time in over two years, especially as an online participant from 2020 was able to join us and talk about her experiences as a current Oxford student.

Nathan Stazicker, Outreach & Communications Officer

The students were able to visit the University Open Day and participate in admissions workshops to find out more about personal statements and admissions tests. They also enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour at the Bodleian’s Weston Library and even took part in a guided punting evening, featuring lots of friendly ducks!

The 24 participants came from eight state schools across Medway, which ranks in the top quartile of most deprived local authorities nationally for education.