CSFC Cambridge

On 6th November, our Year 12 students benefited from an inspiring Alumni Mentoring session, featuring 12 alumni from CSFC: eight from our Cardiff campus and four from Cambridge. This engaging event provided a unique opportunity for students to gain first-hand insights into university entrance, exam success, adapting to university life, managing academic demands, and navigating the world of work.

The session exemplified the strength of our alumni network, a standout feature of our careers programme. Our former students shared their personal journeys, offering practical advice and encouragement. The mentors also addressed student questions, providing invaluable perspectives on the transition from sixth form to higher education and beyond. The interactive discussions allowed our Year 12 students to explore pathways to success and reflect on their aspirations with renewed confidence.
We are proud to offer such enriching opportunities that connect current students with successful alumni, reinforcing our commitment to preparing them for life after college. Two further mentoring sessions are planned for later this academic year, ensuring that more students can benefit from the wisdom and support of our alumni community. We thank our mentors for their generosity and the inspiration they provided to our students.

Enrichment Week launched with the inaugural meeting of the CSFC STEM Ambassadors. It was inspiring to see so many students enthusiastically contribute with ideas for our new community STEM outreach initiative. Through this program, our students aim to ignite a passion for STEM in children by hosting engaging workshops for local primary schools. Inspired by Cambridge University’s extensive outreach programs, our students are giving back to the community and contribute to the vibrant STEM network here in Cambridge.

Our aspiring medics recently enjoyed an inspiring visit to the Whipple Museum, where they participated in an exclusive, hands-on session led by esteemed academics. Students had the rare opportunity to handle historic anatomy textbooks and engage directly with artifacts like early microscopes and X-rays, tracing the evolution of medical knowledge through time. The experience sparked thoughtful discussions on the ethical dimensions of medical research and offered a unique perspective on the remarkable progress humanity has made in medicine—while highlighting the many discoveries still to come in areas such as DNA and genetics. This visit provided invaluable insights into the history and future of medicine for our students.

Our psychology students recently visited the Magistrates’ Court, where they observed real hearings and witnessed the justice system in action. This immersive experience allowed them to reflect on key psychological themes such as the reliability of eyewitness testimony, the impact of biases, and environmental factors that can influence criminal behaviour. The hearings, sparked thought-provoking debates, applying critical thinking to explore complex questions about human behaviour and the factors that shape it. This visit offered our students a valuable, real-world perspective on psychology’s role in understanding and addressing criminality.

On 1st November, our Year 12 students participated in a dynamic Critical Thinking Accelerator workshop. This six-hour intensive programme focused on developing essential skills for intellectual resilience, critical analysis, and effective argumentation—key attributes for academic success and university preparation.

The workshop introduced students to fundamental concepts such as cognitive biases, statistical fallacies, and techniques for constructing and deconstructing arguments. Interactive sessions included exploring experimental designs, analysing data critically, and understanding the impact of biases on decision-making. Students were challenged to question assumptions, critique ideas effectively, and articulate their thoughts under time pressure—valuable preparation for university interviews, especially for humanities and social science subjects.

Participants praised the highly interactive nature of the workshop, which included one-on-one discussions, pair work, and personalised feedback. By the end of the day, students were more confident in defending their views, challenging others, and approaching complex problems critically and creatively.

This transformative experience aligns with our college’s commitment to fostering independent thinking and academic excellence. Critical thinking skills are crucial in navigating hurdles such as university interviews!

Our students enjoyed a visit to the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), where they had the exciting opportunity to interact with advanced robotics and learn about cutting-edge developments in sustainable energy. The visit provided hands-on insights into the future of energy technology, inspiring students to think about engineering’s role in building a more sustainable world.

After reviewing a tremendous number of personal statement drafts and discussing university application strategy with students, in a host of eventful 1:1 meetings, last month we were finally met with the early deadline for UCAS applications. The early deadline (15th October) is for those applying to Oxford or Cambridge, in addition to specific subjects (Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine). All other students can submit by the regular “equal consideration” deadline of January 2025. However, our approach is to have all applications, no matter the subject or university, submitted by the early deadline (as we feel this enhances application success). In fact, as we submitted so many applications in September, we had some exceptional UCAS conditional offers for students well before the early deadline: of our Year 13 students received at least one offer from a Russell Group university before 15th October.
Offers, all before 15th October, came from 10 different Russell Group universities (Birmingham; Cardiff; Exeter; Leeds; Manchester; Newcastle; Queen Mary London; Sheffield; Warwick; York). Also, before the 15th October, we had offers for seven different subject areas – Biomedical Sciences; Chemical Engineering; Computer Science; Economics; Mathematics; Mechanical Engineering; Physics).

Excitingly, fast forward to November and the UCAS offers have continued to flow in. For example, we now have an average of one Russell Group offer per student (a huge increase from last month). Universities include Durham and King’s College London (KCL). We will hear from G5 universities and Medicine applications later in the year.

We have also shifted some focus onto international applications, including the US, Hong Kong, Canada and Australia, with some early decision deadlines spread between October and December. Towards the end of September, it was a fantastic experience to take a group of students to explore a US university fair in London, as seen in the photograph above. Students were accompanied by Dominic Fuge (Head of Careers and Higher Education) and Didi Surensoy (Head of House and Psychology Teacher).

Turning the focus to Year 12, too, we have sent additional surveys out to help students further refine their subject and university preferences. Students can either book meetings in advance or simply knock on the office door, as part of our open-door policy. We have seen an increasing number of Year 12s using the Careers Service and our incorporation of strategic workshops and super-curricular activities will further intensify as we progress throughout the year. In the first week of November, Year 12 students had the opportunity to meet with some of our alumni (11 students came back to offer their experience and knowledge of university). It was really rewarding to witness the year 12 cohort surround our alumni and ask very engaging questions.

As we approach the first set of mock exams, in PSHE we have started to look at developing organisational strategies. Being organised and efficient is vital for coping with the next few years both during their A Levels and beyond when they enter university. While some people may be naturally more organised than others, it is nevertheless a skill that everyone can develop with time and practice. We began in PSHE last week by reflecting on our current strategies, before looking in more detail at how to use calendars to manage deadlines and tasks. We also discussed the importance of measuring productivity by what we have actually achieved rather than the time we have spent studying.

At CSFC Cambridge, independence and ownership are two core values which we aim to develop in our students, as they are key traits which UK universities look for in applicants and which are necessary for tackling the next stage of higher education successfully. As we move through our cycle of mocks and exam practices in the build up to the summer external exams, students will continue to be encouraged to proactively and independently manage their time and learning.