Free tutors see grades rise for Stem sixth-formers

More than 700 sixth form students have increased their grades and secured places at top universities after taking part in a free weekly tutoring programme.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) said pupils who took part in Cambridge University's STEM SMART scheme performed better than their peers.

The university said the project aimed to mitigate educational disruption caused by the pandemic and bridge attainment gaps in maths and science A-level subjects.

Prof Lisa Jardine-Wright, University of Cambridge physics lecturer, said the scheme had the capacity to support every science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) sixth former in state schools for free.

The University of Cambridge said the scheme was launched in response to challenges faced by state schools teaching physical sciences, in particular physics.

It said in England there was an estimated national shortage of at least 3,500 physics teachers.

Jasmine Covell, 18, who is now a first year natural sciences undergraduate at King's College, Cambridge, said Oxbridge had not been on the radar where she lived as most people applied to local universities to save on accommodation costs.

She studied A-level biology, chemistry and maths at a college near Middlesbrough and was in Year 9 when the first lockdown took place.

"It definitely helped with catching up on work we'd missed during Covid," she said after completing the Cambridge scheme.

"We got behind on some of the content, particularly the more advanced stuff, so it was great to get the extra learning through STEM SMART."

Ucas analysis of the scheme compared the first two cohorts (1,120 pupils) with 9,000 pupils from similar backgrounds.

It said those who received the tuition were more aspirational and sixth formers from more disadvantaged backgrounds saw the biggest average grade boost.

Samuel Iranloye, 19, joined the first cohort while studying A-level maths, further maths, physics and chemistry in south-east London.

Now a second-year engineering undergraduate at Churchill College, Cambridge, he said his experiences visiting the university during the scheme influenced his choice.

"The extra tuition also helped consolidate the learning in school. It also helped me when it came to preparing for my university admission tests," he said.

The scheme aimed to address an attainment gap that already existed in the UK, which was then exacerbated by the pandemic, said Prof Jardine-Wright, a co-director of the programme.

She said: "This is about levelling the playing field and enabling students from educationally disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds to access Cambridge and other competitive universities."

Ucas found students who engaged the most in the scheme saw their results rise by a grade, were up to four times as successful in achieving A*s as their peers, and were almost twice as successful in securing a place at Oxbridge.

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