Oxford joins Target Oxbridge programme supporting Year-10 school students

Oxford has joined forces with the University of Cambridge to support Target Oxbridge’s Year-10 programme, which offers 14- and 15-year-olds of black African and Caribbean heritage early support in their preparations for a successful application to the universities.   

The Year-10 programme was originally launched in 2021 by diversity recruitment specialist Rare with Trinity College, Cambridge.  It follows the success of Target Oxbridge’s flagship programme, which for the past ten years has been helping black heritage British students in Year-12 make successful applications to Oxford and Cambridge.  Since 2012, Target Oxbridge has helped over 400 students to secure offers to the universities. 

The programme includes a series of webinars designed to introduce Oxford (and Cambridge) and give a sense of what it is really like to study here, as well as providing practical guidance around A-Levels, and information the diverse courses offered by the two universities, such as Human Sciences, Mathematics and Philosophy, and Economics and Management.   

Participants will have the opportunity to join a mini lecture and Q&A by an Oxford or Cambridge tutor, as well as have access to black Oxford undergraduates and graduates to find out about their own experiences, the Target Oxbridge team, and the Oxford and Cambridge Outreach and Admissions teams. 

Samina Khan, Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach, said ‘Our work with Target Oxbridge continues to move us towards our aim of inspiring and enabling talented minds from all backgrounds to consider studying at Oxford. I’m delighted this new Year 10 project with Target Oxbridge and Cambridge can help inspire another generation of students from black African and Caribbean heritage realise their goals.’ 

Naomi Kellman, Senior Manager for Schools and Universities at Rare, and Target Oxbridge founder, said, ‘I am very pleased to be working with both Oxford and Cambridge on the Target Oxbridge Year 10 programme this year. We have seen significant demand for this programme and have been impressed by how keen the students are to begin planning for their university applications. I am excited to see so many Target Oxbridge Year 10 students apply to our Year 12 programme and cannot wait to continue supporting them on their journey to university. I hope that by working with both Oxford and Cambridge on this earlier intervention we can continue to grow the number of Black students gaining places at Oxbridge.’ 

Find out more about Target Oxbridge here.