 MORE than 100 bright students from Tyneside got to taste life at a top university when they visited Cambridge. The pupils, all of whom are high-achieving Year 10s, came from 26 different schools in Newcastle. The trip, which was funded by Newcastle Aim Higher, was organised to raise aspirations in terms of higher education and to demonstrate that Cambridge is accessible to all with academic ability. All the pupils were hosted by Jesus College, one of the 29 undergraduate colleges that make up the university. Jesus College works with state schools in the Newcastle area to encourage applications from academically ambitious pupils. The Year 10s were divided into four groups, each group spending one night at Jesus College, where they were given talks about Cambridge, tours of the university and an undergraduate-style lecture, and were able to meet current Cambridge students from Newcastle. “I thought Cambridge would be posh and stuck up, and would just take people from wealthy backgrounds,” said Sara Kane, 15, of Benfield High School. “Now I know that’s not true at all and I would think about applying.” Drew Harding, 15, a pupil at Walbottle Campus, agreed: “I thought Cambridge would be full of upper-class people. But it’s just like other universities and takes people from all backgrounds.” Both Drew and Sara will be the first in their families to go to university. One of the teachers on the trip, Diane Pearmain, the gifted and talented co-ordinator at Kenton School, said: “It makes a huge difference to be able to take pupils to Cambridge to stay overnight and meet undergraduates. To be made welcome in a top university and treated so well makes it a very valuable trip.” Among the current Cambridge students who had volunteered to work with the pupils was Chris Allen, a former pupil at Gosforth High School who has just completed his first year studying natural sciences. “My school brought some of us here in Year 10 and it made me think about applying. I have really enjoyed my first year,” he said. “Talking to the pupils it’s clear many think you have to be rich to be at Cambridge. In fact, Cambridge is one of the cheaper universities to study at, as you rent your room in term time only, there are no transport costs once you’re here and there is a lot of support for people from less well-off families.” | 
Northumberland
