Cardinal Vaughan Community Supports Oxbridge Applicants

Last month we saw 40 Cardinal Vaughan Sixth Formers put through their paces in mock entrance interviews for Oxford and Cambridge. In four out of the last six years, Cardinal Vaughan has sent more students to Oxford or Cambridge in any year than any other Catholic schools in the country – private or state.

We’re tremendously proud of the achievements of former students winning places at these world-class Universities and want to do everything we can to help the next generation. This is why, each year, we arrange for Sixth Form students to take part in mock interviews run by Oxford and Cambridge graduates drawn from Vaughan alumni and supporters of the school.

This year, there were a total of 40 mock interviews conducted by 19 volunteers, all giving very generously of their time to help our students shine. Subjects covered included Medicine, Land Economy, Architecture, Natural Sciences and Law.

Ruairi Coyne, who left Cardinal Vaughan in 2020 and is currently studying Land Economy at Cambridge said of the evening: ‘I was really impressed with everyone I met. It was a fantastic opportunity to give back’. Nelson Fernandez-Serraro, who left the school is 2020 and is now studying PPE at Trinity College, Oxford, added: ‘It was fantastic to speak to all the students who are interested in PPE. As alumni, we’re here to support in any way we can. The Vaughan really supported me. The key piece of advice I shared with them in my feedback session was to always signpost their thinking to the interviewer. I wish them all the very best.’

Paul Stubbings, Headmaster, comments: “Initiatives like this show the Vaughan community at its best and most supportive as our alumni come back to share their experiences and mentor the next generation. We are also hugely grateful to other interviewers who are friends of Vaughan or have a connection to our teaching staff who were so generous with their time and expertise. I was especially pleased with the feedback from the interviewers commenting positively on the preparation and passion showed by the Sixth Form students taking part.”

The programme is run by Ms Davies-Evitt, Head of Classics and Future Pathways and herself a Cambridge University graduate.

Thank you to our alumni who supported our mock Oxbridge interviews