Access Sidney

We're always keen to work with state schools, colleges, students and teachers to provide information and support for potential applicants, and have a number of programmes and projects which we currently run to this end.

We also have a range of recorded content on our YouTube Channel. This includes tours of the College, admissions advice, pre-recorded admissions interviews and much more.

For a full list of upcoming events and opportunities the explore below.

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Area Links Scheme

As part of the University's Area Links Scheme Sidney works particularly (but not exclusively) with schools and colleges in the following regions:

• Stoke-on-Trent
• Staffordshire
• Lancashire
• Blackpool
• Bury
• Oldham
• Tameside
• Warrington
• Wigan
• London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. 

We know that for many people and schools it might not be possible to attend an event in Cambridge, and our admissions staff therefore visit schools and colleges around the country, and these areas in particular, to deliver talks and workshops to students and teachers.

Please get in touch with our Schools Liaison Officer if you would like us to deliver any content for your students or staff.

Sidney Webinars 2023

What are they?

We regularly run free webinars for school students who are targeting university and who may be considering making an Oxbridge application. These will be delivered by Sidney Sussex admissions staff and will also feature College undergraduates and academic staff to provide a full picture of life at the College and the University of Cambridge.

Topics covered will be aimed at KS4 and KS5 (or equivalents), but anyone is free to attend these sessions (students, teachers, parents etc.) and can book a place by following the links next to the titles in the table below, once you've done this we will send you details of how to attend the Zoom webinars. 

After every webinar you will receive an email with the recording of the session.

You may also find it helpful to attend one of our monthly Q and A sessions which will cover similar topics to the webinars but will be solely dedicated to answering questions from participants (see below).

When do they take place?

They will be taking place throughout 2023. Every session will be repeated 3 times along with the provision of a recording for those who have completed the relevant form.

Sign-up links will be included in the table below and we will normally open booking two weeks before events. Please not that you will only be sent the link only if you sign up 24 hours before the session.

We update our timetable regularly, but for now here are the webinars we have forthcoming:

Date and Time Title Registration February 20, 24 and March 1 17:00-18:00 Supercurriculars: What they are and why they matter The event is now finished. March 13, 15 and 22 17:00-18:00 Targeting Oxbridge: Making Competitive Applications  The event is now finished. April 18, 20 and 28 17:00-18:00 Subject Matters: Making Post-16 Choices (A-Levels etc.) https://cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1XlxQGHq0ssp3Iq May TBD Teachers and Advisers: Supporting Student Applications TBA June TBD Personal Statements TBA August TBD Student and College Life TBA September TBD Finalising Applications and Admissions Assessments  TBA October  TBD Targeting University: Post-16 Choices TBA November TBD Interviews TBA

How are they delivered?

All sessions will be delivered as webinars via Zoom. This means that you will be able to ask questions throughout the sessions but for safeguarding reasons will not be able to control your microphone or webcam. 

You will be able to view the webinars via any device (computer, tablet, smartphone) as long as you have an active internet connection, with no need to download anything or set up an account. 

Sidney Monthly Q and As 2023

What are they?

Every month we run a free themed Q and A session for school students as well as parents/guardians and teachers. These will have a different theme every month, covering the different stages of the preparation and submission of a university application.

These will be delivered by Sidney Sussex admissions staff and will also feature College undergraduates and academic staff to provide a full picture of life at the College and the University of Cambridge.

This session will not include a presentation but will be completely open to questions from the audience. You may also find it helpful to combine it with attending our webinar series.

Topics covered will be aimed at KS4 and KS5 (or equivalents), but anyone is free to attend these sessions and can book a place by following the links next to the titles in the table below, once you've done this we will send you details of how to attend the Zoom webinars. 

 

When do they take place?

They will be taking place throughout 2023. Sign-up links will be included in the table below and we will open booking two weeks before most events. 

Please not that you will only be sent the link only if you sign up 24 hours before the session.

 

How are they delivered?

All sessions will be delivered as webinars via Zoom. This means that you will be able to ask questions throughout the sessions but for safeguarding reasons will not be able to control your microphone or webcam. 

You will be able to view the webinars via any device (computer, tablet, smartphone) as long as you have an active internet connection, with no need to download anything or set up an account. 

We update our timetable regularly, but for now here are the webinars we have forthcoming:

Date and Time	Topic	Registration
February 22nd 17:00-18:00	Supercurriculars: What they are and why they matter	The event is now finished.
March 23rd 17:00-18:00	Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at University (with current students)	The event is now finished.
March 28th 17:00-18:00	Sciences at University (with current students)	https://cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6nxwEtn9WwIzXM2
April 19th 17:00-18:00	Open to all questions	https://cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0OFKnKKh8zOqOgK
May TBD	Teachers and Advisers: Supporting Student Applications	TBA
June TBD	Personal Statements	TBA
August TBD	Student Life	TBA
September TBD	Admissions Assessments	TBA
October TBD	Open to all questions	TBA
November TBD	Interviews	TBA

 

Link Area Online Outreach Sessions

For the 2021-22 academic year, Sidney Sussex College are offering our link schools a package of bookable online outreach sessions designed for students and teachers that can be delivered entirely remotely in a safe and flexible manner at no cost to the schools.

These sessions have been put together following consultations with teachers in our partner schools and we hope that they meet the needs of you and your students.

What are they?

• Live virtual sessions delivered by the Sidney Sussex SLO or the Admissions Director covering a range of topics linked to progression to university-level study and University of Cambridge admissions. 
• Session content is focused on the needs of different year groups: aspiration-focused sessions for KS3 and KS4 students; KS5 sessions focused on attainment and Oxbridge application support. 
• Teacher-focused sessions are also available, providing practical support and information so they can support students with Oxbridge applications and write effective student references. This can be for a single teacher or a larger group.
• All sessions will be delivered as Zoom Meetings (on our own account) and are designed to fill an up-to 60-minute slot. Timings can be arranged and adapted to suit your school timetable and minimise disruption for your students.
• Schools can book sessions and time-slots in advance, with Zoom links then being sent to the teacher running the session on site. 
• Schools can book multiple sessions for the same group of students if they want to dovetail the linked sessions over the course of the year.
• All sessions are provided at no cost to the school as part of the outreach work done by Sidney Sussex College and the University of Cambridge

For bookings or enquiries please contact our Schools Liaison Officer

West Midlands Collaborative Outreach

We are excited to announce the launch of West Midlands Webinars, a new series of online sessions run by Cambridge and Oxford Colleges for Year 12 students at state schools or sixth form colleges in the West Midlands.

The webinars are suited for anyone who hopes to apply to competitive universities: if you’re a high-achieving student, intellectually curious and ambitious, these webinars will be a great start for your university journey.

Full details can be found on the dedicated webpage here.

Open Days and Taster Days 

School groups and individual students are welcome to come and visit us in Sidney at one of our Open Days or Taster Days. Many of these events have subject-specific content and are a great way to find out more about what it's like living and studying at Sidney Sussex College.

LPN Summer School

Each year Sidney Sussex works in collaboration with Christ's and Murray Edwards Colleges to run a summer school in August for Year 11 students who live in areas of low participation to higher education (we've abbreviated 'low participation neighbourhood' to 'LPN', hence the name). 

Find more information and the application form on our LPN webpage.

HE+ Project

HE+ is a collaborative project between the University of Cambridge and Cambridge Colleges, working together with groups of state schools and colleges in 18 regions of the UK.

The HE+ project is unique in that it encourages schools and colleges to collaborate to form regional consortia and to engage their highest-attaining students in a sustained year-long programme that is designed to encourage and prepare these students to make competitive applications to top universities, including the University of Cambridge.

Sidney Sussex College is responsible for working with the HE+ hubs in Stoke and Wigan & Warrington, organising a number of events with these groups during the school year, as well as an annual residential for each.

The HE+ website has free resources and material produced by Cambridge academics, including guided activities and suggestions for further reading. This material is available to everyone, regardless of whether they're part of HE+ or not, and is a great place to start if students are looking to go beyond the syllabus!

Beyond the syllabus

Want to find out more about what a subject is like outside of the classroom? We can help with that!

We have collated information and resources from a wide variety of different media on every subject offered at Cambridge.

Prospective applicants, and teachers supporting these students, can find these resources on our Beyond the syllabus page, for use in super-curricular studying, or for extension classes in school! 

Sidney Sussex and Churchill Webinar Series 

We are excited to collaborate with Churchill College to deliver a series of webinars for students in years 11 and 13. These webinars are open to everyone in those years. See below for more details:

Year 11

This session will explore choosing A-level subjects and University subjects with an emphasis on specific A-level prerequisites for certain University courses. Content will not only be applicable to Cambridge so we welcome applications from all students. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the session both to the lead of the session (either the Sidney Sussex or Churchill Schools Liaison Officer) and the Admissions Director (either of Sidney Sussex or Churchill). It runs on:

14th of November: 5-6 pm

25th of November: 5-6 pm

2nd of December: 5-6 pm

Sing-up here: https://cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8dc5i1j5aDpS4xE

Year 13

This is targeted towards Year 13 students who have submitted an application to either Cambridge or Oxford. Although we do not claim to represent the University of Oxford, there are a lot of similarities between our interview processes so students applying to Oxford are welcome to attend. This webinar will briefly cover the interview process, provide useful techniques and explore some mock examples. It is useful for those who have attended interview training before as well as those who are not sure what to expect from the interview. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the session both to the lead of the session (either the Sidney Sussex or Churchill Schools Liaison Officer) and the Admissions Director (either of Sidney Sussex or Churchill). It runs on:

15th of November: 5-6 pm

24th of November: 5-6 pm

Sign-up here: https://cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6Qh3Nb6523yfUBo

How it works

You are asked to indicate your preferred date and we will do our best to allocate everyone to their first choice. You will receive a Zoom link 24 hours before each event. 

Please get in touch with either Maria at slo@sid.cam.ac.uk or Natalie at schools.liaison@chu.cam.ac.uk if you have any questions. We hope to see many of you there!

 

 

Year 12 and Teachers/Advisors: University of Cambridge North-West Student Conference 

Pembroke, St John's, Peterhouse and Sidney Sussex Colleges are visiting the North-West in March to deliver an Admissions-themed conference.

The event is free of charge, and will include talks from Admissions Tutors and current students covering:

• How to make a competitive application to Cambridge
• Writing personal statements
• Interviews
• The student experience, and student support
• Careers information
• Q&As

Admissions Tutors and current students will also be on hand throughout the day to answer any student or teacher questions that you may have. There will also be free parking available for coaches and cars. 

The venue will have a cafe on the day, which attendees would be welcome to use to purchase refreshments and food. 

Expressions of interest

State schools are invited to express their interest in bringing a group of students to these events by completing this expression of interest form. Please note that spaces are limited to 20 students per school, and students who attend the event should be on track to achieve at least A*AA at A level, or 40 in IB with 7,7,6 at Higher Level. If you wish to bring more than 20 students, please indicate this in the booking form, along with your reasoning. 

Please direct any questions to Maria, Sidney Sussex Schools Liaison Officer, at slo@sid.cam.ac.uk.