Emmanuel serves teachers taster menu of Sebastian Faulkes and Richard Holmes

Rather than concentrating exclusively on access and admissions, the event included talks by two well-known alumni of Emmanuel – the novelist Sebastian Faulks and the military historian Richard Holmes. Both spoke about their experiences of studying at Cambridge and their subsequent careers, complete with the professional challenges they have faced.

More than 50 teachers, from both the state and independent sectors, took up an invitation to come and spend two days in Cambridge. Welcoming them, Dr Robert Henderson, an Admissions Tutor at Emmanuel, said that he and colleagues wanted to minimise the “chalk and talk” and give participants the chance to get to know each other informally.

“We want to learn from you, just as much as you want to learn from us,” he told his audience. “Our aim is simply to give you a taste of what it’s like to study at Emmanuel and give you the chance to meet our Fellows and ask questions. We also hope you’lll have an enjoyable time.”

Sebastian Faulks studied English at Emmanuel in the 1970s. Starting his talk with the question “What is university for?”, Faulks described how he had defied the notion that English was a non-vocational course by making writing his vocation. He focused on the importance of imagination and “making things up”, saying he inhabited his characters: “floating above them a bit like ectoplasm and then dropping in on them”.

He ended by urging teachers to encourage their brightest students to apply to Cambridge. “If your students have real passion for their subject and good study habits, then they should think about applying. They will be challenged, which is quite right as our children need challenging, but they will also be kindly looked after.”

Richard Holmes, who studied history at Emmanuel in the 1960s, taught military history at RMA Sandhurst for many years, and is currently Professor of Military and Security Studies at Cranfield University and the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. He gave a lecture on ‘The British Soldier on the Western Front 1914-18’, drawing vivid parallels between the experiences of British troops in that conflict and those in Iraq.

Several teachers said that the chance to hear from Sebastian Faulks and Richard Holmes had inspired them to attend the conference. Sarah Loftus from Wakefield Girls School, West Yorkshire, said that, as an English teacher, she was thrilled to be attending a talk given by Sebastian Faulks, whose novels have been A level set texts.

“I’m always keen to gather information to feed back to our pupils to help them in their applications. Each year we have some really able students, but some tend to be self-effacing and find it hard to believe that they are as good as anyone else in the country,” she said.

Judith Betney, who teaches at Exeter College in Devon, said simply: “You don’t get an opportunity like this very often – to stay at a Cambridge College and meet top authors - it’s inspirational!”