6th form year : oxbridge does school approach child' and is there a trigger point of grades

[StarieNight]

I'm just wondering dd got 5 x 9 possibly 6.
Rest 8.
I'm wondering if there is a trigger point of grades to ask the child

If she is really committed to it she needs to do her research now. Many will have done so a year or more back. Depending on subject/college applied for there may be additional tests in autumn of year 13, example work to submit, interview prep and a strong ps to draft as part of the UCAS application. Evidence of passion for the subject might include entering essay competitions, attending sample lectures, short courses, seminars, reading beyond the curriculum etc. Open days are usually during summer term year 12 and the school may arrange visits for those they want to put forward and support in the process. However unless her A level pg are all A or A stars she may fall at first hurdle,

At my kid's 6th form, information sessions about Oxbridge were held from the first term of year 12 and then regularly after that. Nobody was asked but a lot turned up. There's lots of info on the Oxford and Cambridge websites. My daughter went to a Cambridge residential a couple of months ago with school and we took her to the Oxford one (which was subject specific) even though she could have gone with school. She booked into the Oxford one herself. Predicted grades were given at the end of yr 12 but she also got predicted A Level grades based on GCSEs as she entered 6th form. Everything tallied.

You could ask the school about the HE+ programme at Cambridge (also google it). My daughter's school had a bridge over to a specific college at Cambridge (it's a state school) through this programme and after visiting, this is the college my daughter's happy applying to. This is how she managed to get on a Cambridge residential. My daughter said staying overnight gave her a real sense of whether she wanted to apply or not.

If your daughter is applying to Oxford and Cambridge be aware that her UCAS form will need to be in a bit earlier - I think it's mid-October. But the school may have an internal deadline before then.

There is loads of info on websites. You and your dc should spend some time reading the Oxford and Cambridge (and imperial and UCL and Durham/edinburgh/ Bristol/ etc etc) websites and things will come into focus. There isn’t a hidden cabal of info - don’t worry! Read the ucas website for guidance on thr general process and timetable. Find you when your schools starts its ucas prep and presentations. Probably in spring term. Consider going to an autumn open day or two if any vaguely interesting universities are nearby - attending a good subject talk and lab tour at any uni can be really helpful to get ideas flowing. And meanwhile your DC should focus on the transition to A levels and reading /watching lectures or programmes about biology to extend her knowledge and ranges of interest (writing down what she does for future reference )

My daughter's school identified potential oxbridge students in Y10 and then a final set in Y12.

College choice is something to worry about later. It doesn’t matter that much and can be decided late in the day. Ideally she could go to an open day and see where she likes the atmosphere of, but if she struggles to decide she can always do an open offer and let the system pick for her. For the time being much more important to research the course and think about whether it is what she wants.

It doesn’t matter if the school approaches her or not - if she wants to apply she can do.

It doesn’t matter if the school approaches her or not - if she wants to apply she can do.

However, remembering to indicate in good time that she intends to, so that whichever members of staff are involved in providing her reference don't find out at the last minute that she is one of the students with an early application deadline... The school should provide details of the dates by which they require UCAS dorms to be completed for the entry deadlines.

And those gcse grades suggest looking at top tier universities may well be sensible. As year 12 progresses, school will at some point be able to give some guidance as to whether she is heading towards Astars and As at A level that are level needed. But alongside, start browsing the other great options too

My daughter at State Sixth form was approached in second term of year 12, for the achieving higher programme. Unfortunately no one had told them she had dropped out of sixth form.
Most colleges teach most subjects (the exceptions are more obscure colleges or unusual subjects). Cambridge is Natural Sciences whereas Oxford is more subject specific.
But it's worth anyone looking at them, and seeking out master classes etc. she should also talk to her tutors and so on. They aren't for everyone, she might not like the syllabus, the teaching/exam style or even the cities. And lots of people do move there for post grad.
But I would recommend looking at lots of different places.

No approach from school in my son’s case, and no Oxbridge information sessions. He just decided he wanted to apply and informed them. Some teachers tried to dissuade them because of the “pomp and arrogance”. No test prep, feedback on PS was “v strong academically, not so much extracurricular”. He had to tell them Oxford does not care.He got in.

If someone wants to apply, they can. It is not up to the school to decide, and it can be done without the school’s specific support.

I am an Oxford tutor and do admissions for a similar subject (not biology) on my college

Your DD does not need permission from her school! Please don't wait to be invited! She has strong GCSEs and if her predicted grades match the usual offer for her subject (two As and one A star) she is likely to get an interview.

Having super curriculars ("I attended a workshop on CRISPR" etc) on her UCAS form shouldn't help her get in so don't worry about that. However, nurturing her love of the subject, which can be done by attending workshops but can be done just as well by reading popular science and following relevant content online, will help her shine at interview.

There may be an online aptitude test in Y13; if so it is worth prepping with online resources

Have a look at UNIQ summer schools run by Oxford; if she is eligible this is the single most helpful thing she could do

Good luck to her whatever path she chooses

There is no straight biology course at Cambridge, you apply for natural sciences. DS attended a Zoom for interested biologists and I cannot overstate how many times they said you need maths, you must have strong maths. DS got A* in maths but he does not have a love of it and that Zoom put him off. 'If I wanted to do lots of maths I'd be choosing a maths degree.'
I'm pretty sure straight biology is a fairly new course at Oxford and that DS would have been in an early cohort, so he chose to apply to established departments rather than risk teething problems. There is probably much positive information available now.
Good luck to her!