Academic Attainment Programme 2024-2026
Supporting high-achieving students to reach their full potential
Applications for the Academic Attainment Programme 2024-2026 are now closed
Lucy Cavendish College is the most diverse College in Cambridge, admitting over 90% of our UK students from state schools. As part of our commitment to widening participation, we are delighted to launch our flagship virtual outreach programme, the Lucy Cavendish College Academic Attainment Programme, for the fourth year running. This free programme will provide around 1000 high-achieving state school students with comprehensive supplementary academic support tailored to their stage in the curriculum, giving them the best chance of achieving their full potential. For this year, the programme has been expanded to cover not only Year 12 (S5 - Scotland/Y13 - N.I), but also Year 13 (S6 - Scotland/Y14 - N.I), so students will continue to be supported during the crucial final stages of the UCAS application process, and in the final months of their A-Level (Scottish Highers/IB) studies.
The programme has proved very beneficial for students in the past years, with 9 in 10 receiving offers to study at Russell Group universities, and over the past 2 years participants have almost doubled their chances of being offered a place at either Oxford or Cambridge. Following the 2022/23 programme, 90% of participants felt that the programme had provided them with the resources and support to achieve the grades they wanted at A-Level (Scottish Highers/IB), and 98% of participants felt confident that they knew how to make a competitive application to Cambridge and other top universities.
"The AAP was a great benefit to my academic development, with it broadening my horizons to topics beyond the A-Level curriculum. I gained more confidence with approaching new unfamiliar topics." - AAP participant
What does the programme involve?
The programme will begin in November 2024. In Year 12 (S5 Scotland/Y13 - N.I), students will participate in regular subject-specific enrichment classes in each of their core A-Level (Scottish Highers/IB) subjects, subject taster sessions, and monthly Peer Discussion Groups, allowing them to continuously develop their subject-specific knowledge, as well as their oracy, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Students will also complete a Supracurricular Exploration Project in May, helping them to explore their subject interests further and think more seriously about possible degree choices. Throughout, students will also receive advice from our Admissions Team on every stage of the application process so that they can make their university applications as competitive as possible.
In Year 13 (or equivalent) students will continue to be supported by the Admissions Team as they navigate the application process, and will be offered subject-specific revision sessions ahead of their exams in the summer.
The programme was even featured on ITV news - watch here!
Find out more about each aspect of the programme and how it unfolds over the two years by exploring the dropdown boxes below.
The Enrichment Curriculums are series of four, linked, 90-minute academic sessions on a particular subject area. Each Enrichment Curriculum is carefully designed and delivered by a subject expert to strengthen students' skills and knowledge, and to enrich and extend A-Level (Scottish Highers/IB) content. The specific aim of these sessions is to provide students with additional support to achieve top grades in their current studies.
Students will be enrolled on Enrichment Curriculums relevant to their subjects, which may include the following:
| Maths | English Literature |
| Further Maths | History |
| Biology | Economics |
| Chemistry | Politics |
| Physics | Geography |
| Computer Science | Philosophy/Religious Studies |
| Languages (French, German, Spanish) | |
Students will complete preparatory work for each session and will also have the chance to do follow-up extension work after the session.
These sessions will take place from November to March, and students can expect to have approximately one Enrichment Curriculum session each month for each of their A-Level (Scottish Highers/IB) subjects that is listed above.
Alongside these subject-specific sessions, students will also attend monthly peer discussion groups from November to March. In these sessions, students will be asked to think about one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and share their ideas with a group of their peers studying a range of subjects. These sessions aim to provide students with the opportunity to build confidence, sample the discussion-based teaching which is at the heart of Cambridge, and develop their problem-solving skills and enquiring mindset.
Students will be set some information to read before the session, on which they will share their ideas with the group.
During the February half-terms, students will be able to take part in taster sessions in a range of subjects, to explore the wide range of subjects and careers available and to start thinking more seriously about their future university choices. Subject-specific sessions may include:
| Architecture | Anthropology |
| Computer Science | Classics |
| Engineering | Linguistics |
| Medicine | Law |
| Psychology | Philosophy |
| Veterinary Medicine | Sociology |
From May half-term to the beginning of the summer holidays, students will complete a Project relating to their subject interests. The Supracurricular Exploration Project offers students the opportunity to consolidate their independent subject exploration, develop key skills necessary to achieve the top grades at A-Level (Scottish Highers/IB), boost their university applications, and share ideas with other students with similar aspirations and subject interests. Students will research an academic topic that is of interest to them and that relates to their future degree choices, then produce a poster about it, and then present this poster and their findings to their peers as well as subject experts in a Poster Presentation Session, with opportunities for questions and discussion.
A wide range of skills and guidance sessions will take place over May half-term to support students through this process.
You can use the link below to view the exhibition of posters from the 2023/24 supracurricular exploration project.
Students' academic enrichment will be supplemented by monthly practical university readiness sessions from November to March, which will provide information and guidance on how to make a competitive application to Cambridge and other top universities.
This will be supplemented over the summer holidays between Year 12 (S5 - Scotland/Y13 - N.I) and Year 13 (S6 - Scotland/Y14 - N.I), as students will participate in a university application 'bootcamp', where they will be able to work on making their university applications as competitive as possible with the guidance of the Lucy Cavendish College Admissions team. Students will benefit from comprehensive guidance on writing a competitive personal statement, and preparing for the initial stages of the UCAS application process.
At the beginning of Year 13 (S6 - Scotland/Y14 - N.I), students will be offered further applications support from the College's Admissions Team, as they complete and submit their personal statements and UCAS applications ahead of the UCAS deadline. They will also receive support with preparation for admissions assessments and interviews as these begin in the autumn and winter.
The final stage of the programme will take place between January and April of Year 13 (S6 - Scotland/Y14 - N.I), and will support students with the final stages of their A-Level (Scottish Highers/IB) studies. Students will be offered subject-specific revision sessions from experts in their fields of studies to support them in achieving the best possible results in their summer examinations, ensuring that they meet the grade requirements for top universities, and can reach their academic potential.
Important Practical Information
Academic commitment
The programme will usually involve at least one 90-minute session each week from November 2024 to March 2025, with some additional commitments the following academic year. For some sessions, students will need to complete preparatory work so they are able to make the most of the session. There will also be an option to complete some extension follow-up work if students wish to deepen their knowledge of a particular subject after the live online session has taken place. This independent work will usually take around 30 minutes.
We do not expect students to be able to attend every session, but we do hope that students will commit to attending the programme as fully as they are able to. Continuation onto the second year of the programme is contingent on students regularly participating during the first year.
From May 2025, students will also be required to produce an academic poster as part of the Supracurricular Exploration Project. This must be submitted and presented during the summer holidays of 2025 (exact date TBC).
Accessing the online programme
All live sessions will be taking place over Zoom. Session recordings and resources for all sessions will be uploaded to a webpage, which will be made accessible to students on the programme. Students will therefore need a reliable internet connection, a working webcam and microphone, and a pen/paper to take notes with and complete work.
Who is eligible for the programme?
In order to be eligible for the programme students need to:
- Be in Year 12 in England or Wales, S5 in Scotland, or Year 13 in Northern Ireland in the academic year 2024/25
- Be attending a non-fee paying school in the United Kingdom
- Have achieved at least 5 grades 8-9 in their GCSEs (or equivalent, such as A grades in National 5s or A*s in Welsh GCSEs)
- Be studying post-16 academic qualifications (A-Levels, International Baccalaureate, Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers, or equivalent)
- Be aiming to achieve at least A*AA in their A-Levels (AAA in Scottish Highers/Advanced Highers/42 points with 776 at HL in the IB/equivalent)
We hope to support as many eligible students as possible through the programme. However, if the programme is oversubscribed, we will prioritise students based on a combination of academic merit and the following Widening Participation priority criteria:
- Are in care or care-experienced
- Are eligible for Free School Meals
- Belong to an underrepresented ethnic group:
- Black British African or Black British Caribbean
- British Bangladeshi/Bengali, Pakistani or Arab
- Roma, Gypsy or Traveller
- Have experienced disruption in their education such as:
- Medical/health issues (including mental health), particularly those that have resulted in long or extended periods of absence (over 8 weeks) from school in the last 6 years
- Bereavement of a close family member (e.g. parent/carer) in the last 6 years
- Being a young carer
- Becoming a parent
- Being an asylum seeker or refugee
- Becoming estranged from close family members (e.g. parents/carers)
- Moving schools two or more times in the last 6 years
- Other (to be specified)
- Have a disability or Special Educational Needs
- Attend a school with low progression to Oxbridge
- Attend a school with low attainment
- Are resident in an underrepresented UK region
- Are resident in areas with relatively low participation in higher education (using POLAR4) or in areas with less advantaged socioeconomic characteristics (using IMD)
"I have been able to have serious conversations about going to Oxbridge and learn from Cambridge itself what it takes to be a Cambridge candidate. What would initially seem a daunting experience has been made easy, accessible and understandable." - AAP participant
How do I apply?
The deadline to apply is 9am on Monday 7th October, and applicants will need to ask their teachers to verify their application by 9am on Friday 11th October.
Please take a look at the drop-down boxes for detailed guidance on the application.
In the form, we will ask you for the following:
- Your basic details: first name and surname, date of birth, postcode, school/college
- Name and contact details of your referee teacher
- Your GCSE (National 5/equivalent) grades
- Your A-Level (Scottish Highers/IB) subjects
- The degree courses in which you are currently interested
- Short personal statement in support of your application
- Further contextual information related to our Widening Participation criteria
- Information about making any adjustments should you attend the event
- Your parents'/guardians' permission to attend this event
- An opportunity to sign up to our prospective applicant mailing list
You must provide us with the contact details of a teacher referee, who we will contact to verify the following:
- Your eligibility for the programme
- Your postcode
- Your achieved GCSE (National 5/equivalent) grades
We will also ask if they believe that you will benefit from the Academic Attainment Programme, and be able to manage the Programme's academic commitment alongside their current studies.
You must discuss this opportunity with your teacher so they are aware of what information they need to verify and provide by the deadline of 9am on Friday 11th October. You must also ensure that they are happy for you to include their contact details on the form.
Your teacher should automatically receive a link to the verification form when you submit your application form. If they do not receive this email (and they have checked their spam box), then please get in contact with us as soon as possible at outreach@lucy.cam.ac.uk.
The personal statement is useful for us in order to understand a bit more about whether the programme would be a good fit for you academically. You might like to explore the following:
- Why you chose to apply to this programme
- How you think this programme would benefit you academically
- How you think this programme would help you achieve your goals in relation to University
- Anything else you think we should know
The character limit is 3000 (around 500 words).
Please try not to worry too much about writing this; it is just one piece of information that is useful to us when shortlisting applicants.
Contact us
Please do not hesitate to contact our Outreach Manager, Hayley Hilson, and Outreach Assistant, Anna Foskett, at outreach@lucy.cam.ac.uk should you have any questions or concerns.
Access and Outreach
Further opportunities for prospective applicants and their teachers