Worcester Sixth Form College host Worcestershire HE Plus Launch Event

Worcester Sixth Form College was the venue on Wednesday, 13th February for the first ever meeting of the Worcestershire HE Plus programme.  HE Plus is an initiative run by Cambridge University which aims to encourage students from a wide range of backgrounds to aim high in their studies and aspirations.  Worcestershire is the most recent of these programmes to be set up in the UK.  Six schools in the region are working together with the Sixth Form College: Trinity High School in Redditch, Stourport High School, Droitwich High School, Christopher Whitehead Language College, Prince Henry’s Evesham and Pershore High School.

Over 160 students are joining together for a sequence of after-school lectures and lessons on a wide range of subjects.  In this first session students were able to choose between 10 different topic areas, including: a practical talk on cardiovascular treatment, a lecture on how studying language can solve crimes, a talk on the benefits and dangers of fracking, a discussion of medical ethics, an extension Maths class and a lecture on women in Greek drama.  As well as teachers from the schools involved, the sessions on the programme are also being taught by tutors at the University of Worcester, practising medical consultants and a former UK ambassador.

Dr Mark King of Christ’s College Cambridge spoke to students at the launch event along with Becky Taylor, the Widening participation Project Coordinator at Cambridge University.

Many students on the programme will also have the chance to attend a residential course at Christ’s College Cambridge with masterclasses and tours of the university.

Ed Senior, Principal at Worcester Sixth Form College, said: “We want to see our young people challenged by new and difficult subject matter, to develop their love for learning and to be aspirational in their choice of University. HE+ aims to give the students these opportunities which is why we are excited to launch the programme in Worcestershire.”

Worcester Sixth Form College offers the Ambition Programme to further support students applying to competitive universities and courses.