Engaging Tomorrow’s James Herriots

The sixth formers considering applying to this year’s Sutton Trust university summer schools will almost certainly be too young to remember the iconic BBC series All Creatures Great and Small. The enduring image of James Herriot preparing for the intimate examination of a cow, will not have the same resonance for them as it does for those of us for whom the show was regular Sunday teatime viewing.

But we hope that more recent TV shows and current celebrity vets – as well as the considerable attractions of a career in Veterinary Medicine – will encourage many young people to apply to the new Sutton Trust summer school at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC). Over a week in July, the summer school will offer practical dissections, farm-based sessions and laboratory activities. The participants will also be given guidance on the application process and interviews. The RVC’s academic staff will be supported by student ambassadors from the college who will be ready to help the summer school students settle in and to offer a varied programme of social activities. It promises to be week of great fun and inspiration.

The RVC joins nine other leading universities on the Sutton Trust programme, which will offer 1900 places this year. Evaluations show that young people who take part are more likely to win a place at a leading university, and to get in to their host university in particular- bringing the career they want that little bit closer.

This year is a good year for the programme. Not only has a generous grant from Barclays allowed us and our university partners to offer a record number of places, but there will be more wrap around support than ever before too.  Thanks to the Wolfson Foundation and the Garfield Weston Foundation, 2014 will bring more follow up e-mentoring for summer school students, more help with personal statements and other elements of the application process, as well as more support for teachers through an expanded Teacher Summer School programme.

There are of course constant challenges in ensuring the summer schools remain effective in meeting their goals.    Getting at the right students is key, and the Trust will be doing more over the next few months to access those hard to reach schools and colleges which send relatively few students to the most selective universities. Northern Ireland, Wales and the North East are particular priorities.

A criticism levelled at the summer schools is that they are too little, too late. Certainly, the Trust understands – and has documented through its research – that many able low/middle income students are lost by the time the sixth form arrives. Which is exactly why we support a great deal of work which starts earlier, and why we plan a massive expansion of activities in key stages three and four, to build that pipeline of talented young people who are in a position to apply to elite higher education when they are 17 or 18.

But we believe that intervention is necessary at every stage. We know that youngsters from the backgrounds the summer school programme targets remain hugely under-represented at selective universities. So giving these bright young people a boost in Year 12 – to encourage them to apply to top universities, to give them the added incentive to study hard to get the requisite grades, and to equip them to make the strongest possible applications – is an important dimension of improving social mobility.  Most importantly, our evaluations show it works.

Meanwhile, we hope a new cadre of vets will emerge from the summer schools we are supporting at the RVC, just as previous summer school students have found success in law, medicine, public service, education, business and other walks of professional life. James Herriot would surely welcome a new group of bright young things following in his muddy foot steps.