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Last Thursday a total of 90 year-10 pupils from six schools in the south east spent the day sampling life at Cambridge through talks and interactive sessions, based at locations chosen to give them the chance to see both departments and Colleges.

̽��ֱ��day began with an introductory talk about the ̽��ֱ��, followed by a quiz, held at the West Road Concert Hall. Breaking into two groups for the afternoon, the pupils walked into the centre of town to have lunch at Trinity College and Sidney Sussex College.

Tucking into a plate of toad-in-the-hole in the dining hall at Trinity, 14-year-old Alex, a pupil at Newport Free Grammar School in Essex, said: “I definitely want to come here to study psychology or maths. You would have to work hard at Cambridge but it also seems a relaxed place.”

Founded in 1588, Newport FGS is a comprehensive serving a largely rural area. Head of year 10, Mark Norman had brought 14 pupils from the gifted and talented strand. He said: “A day like is tremendously valuable for able pupils in this age group. Cambridge becomes a real place for them, not just a name. Although our pupils live close to Cambridge few will have been into any of the Colleges or have a grasp of how the ̽��ֱ�� works.”

In the afternoon an interactive session encouraged pupils to challenge their thinking and give them a taste of undergraduate level teaching. PhD student Jenny Chamarette guided them through the process of analysing the first five minutes of Chris Marker's 2004 film Chats perches. In small groups, the students developed their responses to the film, presenting their ideas to the audience and earning applause from their peers.

Michael, 15, a pupil at Hinchleywood School in Surrey, said: “ ̽��ֱ��visit has been perfect. It has helped destroy the stereotypes that Cambridge is posh and elitist. I'd feel happy applying and I've already been looking at the philosophy course on the Cambridge website.”

Located in Esher, Hinchleywood is a high-achieving comprehensive that is increasingly ambitious for its most able students. ̽��ֱ��school's Gifted and Talented Coordinator, Caroline Atkins, said: “Visits like this are really worthwhile in raising aspirations and showing pupils the opportunities open to them.”

Several pupils from both schools said they had been surprised to learn that Cambridge was not an expensive university for students to study at. Fifteen-year-old Luke, from Newport FGS, said: “Because it's so famous and the buildings look so beautiful, and because it's such a top university, you would expect it to be expensive. So I am really pleased to hear that it isn't.”