Events round-up
Events round-up
Find out more about the events run by the Widening Participation (WP) Team during the 2024/25 academic year.
Leytonstone School
On Thursday 15 May, the SCLOs were visited by Leytonstone School, who came to Cambridge for the day to learn more about the University. The students learnt about typical student life at Cambridge, enjoying a ‘student carousel’ with some of our current Downing undergraduates, as well as a tour of St Catharine’s College. The team were grateful to be joined by Professor Michael Bravo, Downing Fellow in Geography and Professor at the Scott Polar Research Institute, who gave a fascinating lecture on the Environment and Sustainability.
The Offshoot Foundation: Deaf Perspectives
On Tuesday 29 April, the WP Team was joined by The Offshoot Foundation, a charity that has been working with students from King Edward VI School in Bury St Edmunds and Northgate High School in Ipswich on their Deaf Perspectives project. Deaf Perspectives: Past, Present and Future is a collaboration between students and the Offshoot Foundation to create a series of short films focusing on different aspects of deaf life. Whilst visiting Downing College, the students found out more about university life at Cambridge, particularly for deaf members of the community.
A huge thank you to the Offshoot Foundation for their support in putting this special day together.
Naz Legacy Diversity Day 2025
On Thursday 3 April, the WP Team welcomed students from Caterham School and Jamiatul Ummah School to Downing College. They were joined by the Naz Legacy Foundation, whose work involves supporting a series of educational and cultural enrichment opportunities for young people from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds. The day was filled with various activities to introduce the students to the University of Cambridge, including a fascinating visit to the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences.
A huge thank you to the Naz Legacy Foundation and COSARAF for their support in putting this special day together.
Regional Conferences
This Spring, Downing’s Admissions and WP teams were involved in two major regional Conferences hosted by the University of Cambridge: The North-West Conference (Monday 24 March) and the East Midlands Conference (Tuesday 1 April). Downing partnered with several fellow Colleges, including St John’s, Sidney Sussex, Magdalene, Peterhouse, Pembroke, and Christ’s. Ongoing sessions throughout the day included Interview Support, Subject Talks and College Information Stands, where students and their supporters could gain greater knowledge and confidence in making a competitive application to the University of Cambridge. The Downing Admissions Team greatly enjoyed engaging with hundreds of prospective students, parents and teachers from the East Midlands and Northwest of England.
Oxford and Cambridge Information Days
The Oxford and Cambridge Information Days (OCID) are a series of collaborative outreach webinars led by colleges across Oxford and Cambridge with responsibility for access and engagement across the Southwest of England. Usually taking place in February, this annual event aims to support students, teachers, and parents across this region by providing accurate, accessible, and engaging information about applying to Oxford and Cambridge. This year’s OCID series consisted of four webinars: Student Life, Admissions, Teachers & Advisors, and Parents & Supporters.
