BSix Opening the Way to Oxford - August 27th, 2008

Nine students from BSix, the sixth form college in Kenninghall Road Hackney, have just returned from a week of study at Pembroke College,Oxford University. They spent a week studying just as an Oxford undergraduate would. They were set an essay title on the first day, read and researched in the university libraries alongside an undergraduate mentor and then presented their findings to an Oxford Don in a tutorial.

It wasn’t all study, though. Students were given a lecture by a 34-year old Professor of Chemistry who is working on a cure for malaria. They also attended a theatrical production of George Orwell’s Animal Farm at the Oxford Playhouse and, of course, took a punt down the river Cherwell! Femi Davies, a BSix A Level student, described it as “a great experience”. The Summer School made him realise ‘the importance of diligence’ and “I got to know that people fortunate to go to Oxford are just interesting, fun and hard working people”. Deandra Tuitts also felt the same way: “My week at Oxford was amazing. We had to work really hard. We met some great people and produced some great work”. Dr Peter Claus, a history tutor at Pembroke, explained that this was just what he had hoped for. “We get so few applications from young people in Hackney that we want to encourage young people to experience Oxford, so that they can understand what is involved – lots of hard work and organisation – and they realise that they can do it”.
Equally, the Summer School aimed to involve BSix staff. Four of them attended Pembroke for the week and three of them did reading and research on organisational culture. “It was such an exciting, humbling experience”,

Chidi Okolo, BSix’s Head of Maths and ICT, explained. “To be able to debate with Oxford academics and to use such fabulous research facilities was a dream”. The three of them, including Kizito Anyanwu Head of Business and Taiwo Adeshina Director of Finance, are intending to follow up their work with the world-famous Oxford Business School. The Summer School is part of a unique collaboration between BSix and Pembroke College. The aim is to increase the number of young people in the East End who apply, and then flourish, at Oxford University. BSix’s Principal,Ken Warman, explains: “Our mission is to make sure that young people in Hackney and beyond have access to the best universities and therefore the best jobs in the country. This will not happen overnight so the BSix-Pembroke collaboration is a long-term venture which will help to transform the opportunities available for young people in Hackney”.
An official launch of the scheme, including presentations by Summer School students and Oxford Dons, will take place at BSix in October. Teachers, pupils and their parents will be invited to come along, hear about the scheme and take part.