The chair of an education foundation will be speaking at an event to mark the first year of a new programme which aims to increase the number of disadvantaged students in Lancashire going on to study at a top university.

Sir Rod Aldridge, chair of the Aldridge Foundation, will be speaking at the celebration event at Darwen Vale High School on Thursday July 13.

The event will celebrate the successful launch of the partnership between national education charity, The Access Project, and The Queen’s College, University of Oxford.

According to statistics, students eligible for free school meals are almost three times less likely to make it to a top university compared to those not on free school meals.

And regionally, only 15 per cent of North West students who began a degree course at university in 2020-21 were from an area of low participation in higher education.

The Access Project, therefore, provides a blend of mentoring and subject tuition for disadvantaged students, alongside university trips which may not otherwise be possible for some pupils.

Students receiving this support are almost twice as likely to go to a top university, according to research from the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Praveen is a Year 10 student at Darwen Vale High School who is enrolled on the Access Project programme.

He said: “My tutor asks what I need to focus on and then we work on that area. My mock grades have improved, and the tutorials have helped me to be more confident on topics in literature.

“The mentoring has made me more aware of what I can do in the future and what my options are.”

The Queen’s College, Oxford was originally founded for students from the North West and it has already helped The Access Project deliver tutoring and mentoring support to 80 Lancashire students in its first year.

This support has included facilitating visits to the college, providing volunteer tutors and helping to resource the charity’s core programme.

Dr Lindsay Turnbull, outreach fellow from The Queen’s College, Oxford, said: "It’s so exciting for the Queen’s College to be engaging in Darwen schools.

“We have deep roots in the North West and this partnership signals our continued commitment to the region.

“We’re determined that all students, no matter what their financial status, should have the same opportunity to study at the university of their choice, including the University of Oxford.”

Freddie Redfern, assistant principal (personal development) at Darwen Vale High School, added: "Darwen Vale has been lucky to partner with The Access Project this academic year.

"We have had so many success stories. The event on Thursday is a great way to showcase the work that has been done throughout the year."

The Access Project’s programme director, Emily Price, added: “As we reach the end of The Access Project's first year in Darwen we are incredibly proud of the work we have done to start embedding our programme.

“We have laid the foundations for supporting 80 students to get the grades and the knowledge to support them in their journey to accessing top universities. We are excited for the future.”