Oxford University festival aims to inspire pupils

More than 500 students attended the Oxplore festival from 20 schools and colleges across Devon and Cornwall

Hundreds of young teenagers from across Devon and Cornwall have learnt about higher education at a festival in Bodmin.

The University of Oxford said the two-day educational festival, held at Callywith College last week, was designed to "reach, inform and inspire" children.

More than 500 students aged 11 to 14 from 20 different state schools and colleges attended, the university said.

Students from the South West made up 8.2% of total UK undergraduates admitted to Oxford in 2023, according to the university's figures.

The festival was designed to "reach, inform and inspire" young people

Ella Kyle, from Camborne, has just graduated from Oxford with a 2:1 in Earth Science.

Before attending Oxford, she said she had thought people at the institution would be "a bit posh", unlike her family or the friends she had grown up with.

But she said she found "we all had a lot in common".

The Oxplore festival had university staff and students run interactive workshops and activities, such as trying out a virtual reality bike, having a go at keyhole surgery and touring the solar system in a mobile planetarium.

Dr Samina Khan, the university's director of undergraduate admissions and outreach, said: "It's not just about applying to Oxford, it's about giving them aspiration and information about higher education and life choices."