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More than 700 state school students who were given free weekly tutoring by Cambridge University academics following the COVID-19 pandemic saw their A-level grades rise and secured places at top universities, after taking part in the STEM SMART programme.  

The most engaged of these students – more than 360 – saw their results jump by a grade on average across maths, further maths, physics, chemistry and biology. They were more than twice as successful in achieving an A* in maths, around four times as successful in achieving an A* in physics, and around twice as successful in securing an Oxbridge place than students from similar backgrounds who did not join the programme. 

Cambridge’s STEM SMART programme was launched in 2021 to help bridge attainment gaps in maths and science A-level subjects, and mitigate educational disruption caused by the pandemic. Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ has been involved with the programme since its launch and has contributed academic tutoring and mentoring, and places on a summer residential for the most actively engaged students. 

Last summer the College welcomed seventeen sixth-formers for a week long residential. Daytime sessions took place at the Cavendish Laboratory, where students attended lectures on topics ranging from theoretical physics to advanced mathematics. These sessions stretched the students’ understanding of complex scientific concepts beyond the sixth-form curriculum to prepare them for upcoming university admissions tests, interviews, and A-level exams. The residential emphasised the importance of collaborative work, and we saw strong friendships develop among the Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ group, despite most students never having met before. Evening activities included a twilight tour of the Museum of Zoology, a city scavenger hunt, and a formal hall at Trinity College. Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ undergraduate ambassadors in Medicine and Engineering supervised the group, offering insights into College life. 

Overall, the evaluation shows that STEM SMART students – or ‘STEM SMARTies’ as they have named themselves – were more aspirational, received higher grades, and were more successful at securing places at top universities. And sixth-formers from the most deprived backgrounds in the UK saw the biggest average grade boost in their A-levels across maths, further maths, physics, chemistry and biology, with physics students on average achieving a grade higher.