At the start of September twelve students from year thirteen attended a residential trip at the University of Birmingham. The trip was organised by the Academy to raise aspirations and to give students a taste of university life. The students arrived at the university on the Friday afternoon and were greeted by student ambassadors. They then received a talk from a University Advisor on the benefits of attending university and the application process. This included information on the A2B scheme and also advice on how to write an effective personal statement. Additionally, the student ambassador gave information about what university life is like and her own experiences of studying at the University of Birmingham. Students then stayed over in the Halls of Residence, giving them the opportunity to experience real student living. Those who attended found the experience really valuable and many of them stated that they would like to apply to study at the University of Birmingham this year.