A state school in one of London’s poorest boroughs has achieved a record number of offers to Oxford and Cambridge universities. Brampton Manor in Newham secured 41 conditional offers this year, surpassing its previous record of 25 last year.
Among the successful students is Dorcas Shodeinde, who has been in care since she was 14. She has received an offer to study Law at Oxford. “I wanted to prove that it’s not the end of the world,” she said, adding that she nearly did not apply due to fears about leaving London.
Nearly all of the offer holders are from ethnic minority backgrounds, two-thirds are the first in their family to attend university, and half qualify for free school meals. Lydia Khechine, who fled Algeria aged 12 without speaking English, has an offer for History and Politics at Oxford. Rama Rustom, a refugee from Saudi Arabia, has an offer for English at St Hilda’s College, Oxford.
Brampton Manor opened its sixth form in 2012 with the aim of improving progression to top universities for disadvantaged students. The school provides every student with their own textbooks, has a study centre open from 06:00 to 19:30, and employs five Oxbridge graduates dedicated to university access.
Sam Dobin, director of sixth form, said there is “no secret formula” and that the school takes a traditional approach without gimmicks. The students’ motivation is partly inspired by seeing photos of former pupils who received Oxbridge offers displayed around the school.
