Queens’ College celebrates 5 years in partnership with IntoUniversity Bradford

To mark the milestone, representatives from Queens’, including President Dame Menna Rawlings, Senior Tutor Dr Andrew Thompson and Admissions Tutor Dr Susan Haines, travelled to Bradford to take part in the fifth-anniversary event. They had the chance to meet the staff behind the centre and some of the students benefiting from IntoUniversity’s support.

Dame Menna said: “I’m delighted to be in Bradford to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the IntoUniversity centre. Social mobility matters deeply to me, and I’m proud that Queens’ College, Cambridge supports this initiative, which inspires and supports young people to fulfil their potential, whatever their background. I’m also grateful to the supporters who make this partnership possible. Here’s to the next five years!”

Creating opportunities for young people

In 2024/25, 56% of school leavers from IntoUniversity Bradford East progressed to university, compared with 11% of young people living in the area around the centre.

Through its partnership with Queens’ College, young people from Bradford have had opportunities to experience university life, meet students and staff, and broaden their horizons, alongside the vital funding that supports the centre’s work. To date, 225 students from IntoUniversity have visited Queens’ College, meeting university students and staff and exploring what higher education could offer them.

Dr Rachel Carr, CEO at IntoUniversity, said: “Over the past five years, IntoUniversity Bradford East has built strong relationships with young people and families, creating opportunities for students to develop their confidence, discover new interests and explore their futures. Our partnership with Queens’ College, Cambridge, is a crucial part of this, helping young people experience university life and see the possibilities open to them. We’re incredibly proud of what the centre has achieved alongside our partners, and look forward to supporting many more young people across Bradford in the years ahead.”

Outreach in the community

Queens’ College has a dedicated Bradford Schools Liaison Officer, Dr Cathy Wardle. Cathy is based in Bradford and leads our work with schools across the area. Examples of the support for Bradford schools currently include:

• In-school Assemblies, Presentation and Workshops: Cathy is available to deliver talks, presentations and workshops in school, for both sixth form and KS3/4.
• UCAS and schools careers fairs: As well as attending the Leeds UCAS discovery days, subject to capacity Cathy is also happy to attend Bradford school careers events on behalf of the University of Cambridge.
• KS4 Access Visits to Queens’: Thanks to the generous support of our alumni donors, each year we are able to offer fully-funded places to a small number of schools via our Bradford KS4 Outreach Days.

IntoUniversity is an education charity that supports young people facing disadvantage to achieve a university place or another positive post-school destination. It currently operates 46 learning centres across England and Scotland, supporting more than 60,000 young people each year.

Find out more about our access and outreach: https://www.queens.cam.ac.uk/applying-here/access-and-outreach/

You can contact Cathy here: slo-bradford@queens.cam.ac.uk