Record rates of pupils from maintained schools in Wales have been offered places to study at Oxbridge this year.
The latest round of admissions data released by Oxford and Cambridge universities today show more than 100 will begin at the two elite institutions this September, if they get the A level grades required.
All have already got through tough interviews and admission tests as part of the process. Around one in four students applying to Oxford and Cambridge from Wales are offered places.
One of those celebrating is Harrison Taylor, the first pupil ever from Newport High School to achieve an Oxbridge offer in the school’s 10-year history.
The 18 year-old is among 69 Welsh state-educated students to get Oxford offers this year. The university has seen applications from Welsh state-educated students rise by 13% since 2016.
Newport High, which was put in special measures by schools inspectorate Estyn in 2017, covers the areas of Bettws, Malpas, Crindau and Brynglas and around 45% of pupils live in the 20% most deprived areas in Wales.
Of the 212 Welsh students who applied to study at Cambridge, 67 have been offered a place this year, a 31% offer rate.
This compares with 59 offers from 243 applications last year, an offer rate of 24% while in 2017 Cambridge made 57 offers from 216 applications, a 26% offer rate.
Newport High applicant, Harrison, said has always wanted to go to Oxford University.
He now has to achieve an A* and two As in his maths, further maths and ICT to fulfil his dream to study economics and management there.
“The interviews for Oxford are around half an hour so they ask a lot of questions which can be really tough,” the A-level student said.
“My parents have been really supportive and encouraging throughout the whole process. They know I’ve always dreamed of studying somewhere like Oxford so they stepped in to help me when and where they could.
“I think we were all completely amazed when I finally got my acceptance offer as I’ll be the first person in my family to go anywhere like that.
"And I still can’t believe I’m the first person in the school’s history to receive an offer from Oxford. I just hope I can make my dream a reality and succeed in securing my place at Oxford in September.”
The teenager, whose mother is an administrator at the police station in Newport and father is a branch manager for G4S security,. said the Welsh Government’s Seren programme to get more state educated pupils from Wales into top universities, helped his application.
Seren, launched in 2015, offers around 2,000 of “the brightest and most academically-able students” from state sixth forms and colleges opportunities to attend workshops, seminars and higher education outreach events to encourage them to aspire to get into leading universities in Wales, the UK and US.
“Being invited to join Seren at the end of year 11 was a real honour,” added Harrison.
Students taking part in Oxford University’s Seren-Jesus College Summer School in 2018 had the highest offer rate to date of 27%, with 11 of the 41 applicants from the scheme offered places.
Oxford’s director of undergraduate admissions and outreach, Dr Samina Khan, said: "We are committed to selecting the best students from across the country and are committed to our bespoke outreach work with Welsh students.
“Through our collaboration with Seren, Welsh schools and students, we hope to continue to encourage more talented Welsh applicants of all backgrounds that Oxford can be, and is for them.”
Dr Sam Lucy, director of admissions for Cambridge Colleges, said: “We look forward to welcoming a new contingent of talented students from Wales later this year.”
