A NATIONAL charity has teamed up with The Queen's College, Oxford and select Cumbrian schools and colleges to help less advantaged students secure a university place.

The new programme by the national education charity Access Project comes after data from the Department of Education suggests that Cumbrian students eligible for free schools meals are three times less likely to get into a top university than students who are not.

The same data also suggests that the number of students on free school meals securing a place at university has fallen in the past year.

To combat this trend, The Access Project and Queen's College, Oxford will help deliver tutoring and mentoring to 80 students from Workington Academy, The Whitehaven Academy and West Coast Sixth Form when the programme launches on Monday, October 17.

Nigel Youngman, headteacher at The Whitehaven Academy expressed the importance of the potentially life-changing initiative.

He said: "We were absolutely delighted to be selected to join The Access Project.

"We can’t wait to see the impact on these fine students of Whitehaven. This is the start of a partnership that can and will change life prospects,” he continued.

One of the first Cumbrian pupils to be enrolled in the programme is Evie, a Year 13 student from Workington who has large aspirations for her future.

She said: “I applied to The Access Project to increase my confidence in my studies and broaden my depth of understanding and wider knowledge surrounding my A-Levels.

"I looked into the experiences of others who have been part of the programme and they were all so positive that I wanted to be involved and acquire the skills I need for my upcoming exams and university.

"My aspirations are very high but I have confidence that The Access Project can help me to excel and make these dreams a reality," she added.

Queen's College, Oxford has a historic tradition of taking in students from the north of England and provost Dr Claire Craig said she was keen to continue this and incorporate Cumbria into the programme.

She said: “The Queen’s College was founded in the 14th century with the priority of reaching those from disadvantaged backgrounds in the north of England.

"Our commitment to providing an education for the brightest and best, regardless of their backgrounds, has endured over the centuries.

"I am delighted that we will be focusing our efforts in traditional College heartlands like Cumbria.”