High Performers Programme celebrates an outstanding first year of success

Birkenhead Sixth Form College is celebrating the success of the first cohort of students to complete its High Performers Programme, following an exceptional year of academic challenge, enrichment and achievement.

Launched in 2025, the programme was created to support the College's most academically ambitious students, helping them develop the knowledge, experiences and confidence needed to secure places at leading universities, competitive degree apprenticeships and ambitious career pathways.

Over the past year, students have embraced a wide range of opportunities designed to stretch them beyond the classroom. They have undertaken independent research, developed advanced critical thinking skills, explored super-curricular learning and represented the College in prestigious national competitions across subjects including Chemistry, Mathematics, Economics, History, Physics and Classics.

The programme has also taken students beyond the College, with visits to world-renowned universities including Oxford, Cambridge and Lancaster, alongside university open days and Higher Education Week, where students met representatives from more than 20 universities to explore their future options.

To help students make informed decisions about their next steps, the College welcomed a wide range of guest speakers from professions including Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, Law, Engineering and Scientific Research. Students also gained valuable insight from Oxbridge graduates and university admissions specialists, giving them first-hand advice on succeeding in highly competitive fields.

Alongside these experiences, students have already completed the first draft of their UCAS personal statements, prepared for admissions tests including UCAT, LNAT, TMUA, ESAT and STEP, and secured meaningful work experience in sectors such as Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine and Engineering.

The impact of the programme has been significant.

Collectively, students completed more than 1,452 hours of higher education outreach, while 95% achieved the nationally recognised benchmark of at least 11 hours of outreach activity, a level identified by the Higher Education Access Tracker (HEAT) as significantly improving progression to leading universities.

Twenty students also secured places on some of the UK's most prestigious outreach and access programmes, including Oxford UNIQ, Cambridge HE+, Liverpool Scholars, Sutton Trust Summer Schools, OxNet, Arts Emergency and Pathways to Engineering, further strengthening their university applications and broadening their aspirations.

These achievements reflect the ambition and commitment of students who have embraced every opportunity to develop academically and prepare for their next steps.

The High Performers Programme is about more than preparing students for university applications. It develops the confidence, resilience and academic curiosity that enable students to thrive at university, in degree apprenticeships and throughout their future careers.

Whether their ambition is to study Medicine, Engineering, Law, Languages, the Sciences or another highly competitive subject, the programme provides the challenge, support and opportunities to help them achieve their goals.

Head Student Sophia, who is part of the College's High Performers Programme, said:

"The High Performers Programme has given me opportunities I never thought I'd have. It's helped me feel much more confident about applying to university and made me realise what's possible."

As the College celebrates the success of its first High Performers cohort, the programme is already making a real difference to students' futures. By opening doors to exceptional opportunities and encouraging students to aim high, it is helping the next generation develop the confidence, knowledge and experiences to achieve more than they ever thought possible.