More than 250 pupils from 30 schools and colleges in West Yorkshire took part in a schools conference run by Selwyn College at Elland Road football stadium in Leeds last Friday.

An annual event, the conference is a joint initiative between Selwyn College and St John’s College, Oxford, and is coordinated by Aimhigher Leeds.

Eight Cambridge students of the current Cambridge students who helped make the event a success came from state schools in and around Leeds, and travelled back to their home city to help put across the message that Cambridge is open to all, regardless of school or family background.

The chance to talk to people from similar backgrounds is vital to shatter stereotypes and show pupils that they would fit in, both academically and socially, according to Sarah Illingworth, a former pupil of Notre Dame Sixth Form College in Leeds who is now studying economics at Cambridge.

“Access events like the Elland Road schools conference make a real difference. I wouldn’t have applied to Cambridge if I hadn’t taken part in an access event run by Cambridge at my school,” said Danielle Labor, 19, who is studying social and political sciences at Cambridge, and also went to Notre Dame SFC.

“The key messages we want to get across are that Cambridge welcomes suitably qualified applicants from all backgrounds and that successful applicants go on to have a tremendous experience at the university, both socially and academically,” said Mike Sewell, Admissions Tutor at Selwyn College.

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