On Wednesday 7 November a group of year 10 and 11 students visited the beautiful city of Oxford. We began the day by visiting University College and admiring the marble statue of Shelley, which is very topical because of his poem 'The Mask of Anarchy' about the Peterloo Massacre. We were fortunate to have an inspirational talk from the Schools Liaison Officer, Eleanor Chamings-Manley. She discussed possible courses that we could take at Oxford and how the application process worked for Oxford and Cambridge. We then had a tour around the college from current students who told us not only about their academic studies but also about the wide range of activities available to an Oxford student.

Walking through the Bodleian Quad, we took the opportunity to look at the Wilfred Owen exhibition and then enjoyed visiting the Divinity School and learning about Charles 1 and his parliament in Convocation House. Having had lunch on the steps of the Bodleian Library, we enjoyed  a visit to the Weston Library to see their current exhibition: From Sappho to Suffragettes. We also enjoyed playing the Tolkein game.

After this we went to Blackwell's bookshop where we were given a tour of the Norrington Room and had a fascinating talk in the Antiquarian Book department. We were also very fortunate to have the chance to see the Gaffer's Room where the founding member of Blackwell's had lived and worked, as this is not normally open to the public. Chloe and Tara won the Blackwell's Amazing Quiz.

It was a really enjoyable experience which made us  think seriously about applying to Oxford or Cambridge in the future.