The University’s flagship access programme, UNIQ, takes place this month, with Worcester being one of the Oxford colleges hosting students from UK state schools and colleges. Throughout July, four cohorts of around 180 students in total will be sampling Worcester’s college life during their weeklong, residential summer courses.

17-year-old Abdisalan said: ‘I was really impressed by the attention to detail throughout the College. The gardens are a great place to sit down and chat with friends after academic sessions on UNIQ. The College provided hot food vans in the gardens one evening, which was a great idea given the nice weather.’

The UNIQ students have the opportunity to study a subject, attending lectures and seminars led by Oxford academics and work throughout the week on an essay, which they discuss at the end of the week with a tutor. The whole experience helps the students to make informed decisions about higher education and make competitive applications to Oxford.

It is the ninth year that Oxford has run the UNIQ summer school. Martin Handley, UNIQ coordinator, said: ‘Around 60 per cent of students who have been on our UNIQ programme go on to apply to Oxford with many making successful applications. By inviting students to Oxford, we are able to raise the aspirations of bright pupils from under-represented backgrounds, together with supporting them through our digital platform. We are able to show students that Oxford has a lot to offer and give them the necessary support to build their confidence to make a competitive application.’

www.uniq.ox.ac.uk