Over 90% of this year’s Seren graduates went on to participate in higher education, with 53% gaining a place at a Russell Group University.
The Seren Academy aims to support the most able learners to have the ambition, capability, and curiosity needed to fulfil their potential, regardless of their socioeconomic background. The programme has been designed to ignite curiosity, empower choice and advance potential to increase learner participation in higher education at leading universities. The academy is currently supporting approximately 23,000 learners from Year 8 to Year 13 across all schools, sixth forms and colleges in Wales.
Kyle Greenland was part of the inaugural cohort of Seren students. He went on to study at Imperial College London where he completed a BSc in Medical Biosciences, an MRes in Cancer Biology and is currently in the final months of a PhD. He said:
One of the biggest challenges I faced in school was having the confidence to apply to universities. Seren gave me the confidence to push beyond my comfort zone, explore academic institutions, and take the leap into studying a STEM course.
The variety of workshops Seren offered helped me explore different fields, from physics and maths to medicine, so I could figure out which area of STEM resonated with me most. Meeting with admissions tutors and academics from different universities provided invaluable networking opportunities and helped me understand what life at university would really be like.
The support Seren gave me made it possible for me to aspire to and achieve higher education goals I once thought were out of reach.
After graduating from the Seren programme, Carys Bill attended Oxford University where she studied Earth Sciences. She is now also completing a PhD at Imperial College London. She said:
Seren opened my eyes to the world and gave me opportunities which motivated and challenged me to step out of my comfort zone.
Through summer schools, masterclasses and workshops, Seren kickstarted my journey from a sixth former lacking self-confidence to achieving an integrated master’s degree in Earth Sciences from Oxford University and now working towards a PhD at Imperial College London.
Whilst at school, Seren helped me figure out what I wanted to study next and gave me the confidence to apply to Oxford and I'm so grateful for that, the opportunities I've had through my degrees to travel the world for field work and conferences, meet and work with amazing people from many different countries and to be involved in lots of cool projects have been incredible.
Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle said:
I am so proud of our Seren graduates and the achievements they have made. Seren is an amazing network that has had a huge impact on the accomplishments of our young people by enabling our high achieving learners to discover the options available to them.
Having the knowledge of these opportunities, and the confidence to apply, is essential for our learners and young people to be able to choose pathways which they find fulfilling and align with their own goals.