A TOTAL of 10 students from a Hereford college are Oxbridge-bound next year.

The Hereford Sixth Form students will be studying a variety of courses at Oxford and Cambridge and joining the likes of Theresa May, J R R Tolkien, Stephen Hawking and Alan Turing as alumni when they have completed their degrees.

Students have benefitted from enhanced preparation thanks to the Cambridge sponsored HE+ programme, Oxford Pathways and other initiatives which offer extension classes, masterclasses from visiting lecturers and the chance to visit both cities.

Those students offered places at the University of Oxford are Grace Davis, who went to Llandrindod High School and will be studying philosophy, politics and economics, Cara Exall who went to Millais School in Horsham who will also read philosophy, politics and economics, Dora Grasby who attended Hereford Cathedral School and will study Japanese and Cecilia Hyde who went to Chase High School and will study chemistry.

They are also joined by Will Thomson who was at the Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School and will study music and Charles Wellings who was a pupil at Monmouth School and will read English.

Four students have been offered places at the University of Cambridge. They are Ieuan Best who went to Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw and will study human, social and political Sciences, Savannah Dixon who is formerly of Hereford Cathedral School and will be doing an engineering degree, Oran Johnson who went to Wigmore High School and will study music and Sam Spedding also previously from Wigmore High School who will be doing mathematics.

Ieuan Best said: “Receiving the offer to study at Cambridge gave me an incredible feeling which I could never have anticipated. I’ve had amazing support from the tutors every step of the way, from inspiring me to apply in the first place to helping me get ready for the interview.”

Jonathan Godfrey, principal at Hereford Sixth Form College, said he was pleased such a large number of students had been offered places.

"The application to offer ratio at the college is well above the national average, reflecting the excellence of teaching and the support given to our most able students," he said.

"The breadth of subjects covering the arts, social sciences and science is very pleasing. Special congratulations should go to the music department, following a student being offered a choral scholarship at Queen’s College, Oxford last year, two more students have gained places this year.”