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A group of Year 11 ‘Top Talent’ Harris Dulwich Boys’ students braved the December chill recently and headed over to Chobham Academy to attend the Oxford Super Curricular Day to meet Oxford University English students as they began to consider their options for A-Levels and life after school.

The day began with a university-style lecture, delivered by a PhD student, which focused on introduction to the different ways one may approach a text at A-Level and university as the students delved into feminist, Marxist and ecological readings of Macbeth. Several of our students demonstrated confidence, curiosity and ambition as they showed no fear in providing answers on the witches in a packed lecture hall with pupils from various other Harris Academies.

The cohort was then split into several smaller groups and attended sessions akin to a university tutorial, led by the Oxford student volunteers. This provided the students with a taste of what studying English at a university would be like. These absorbing sessions encompassed a range of topics from unseen poetry analysis to Shakespeare to mythology.

After lunch, we were back in the lecture hall and Oxford University (pictured) itself was at the forefront of discussions as the 900-year-old institute was demystified and presented as a viable option for further education. There was a virtual tour of St Anne’s Hall and an insight into the clubs and societies available at Oxford. Plenty of extra-curricular guidance was also offered to help inspire students to pursue English at A-Level and beyond, while also providing a useful basis for discussions in interviews should our students wish to pursue a place at Oxford University.

Overall, the day in Stratford was a huge success and students spoke excitedly about English, A-Levels and their education after school on the journey home!