The St Hugh’s College Teachers’ Summer School will be back in 2026!
Dates will be announced in January, so please check back then for more information.
About the Summer School
This four day residential conference at St Hugh’s includes:
- Information sessions aimed at demystifying the Oxbridge application process
- Useful practical tips to help with reference-writing and supporting students through Oxford admissions tests and interviews
- The opportunity to meet and speak with subject academics
Come and discover Oxford with us
We want you to experience everything our historic city has to offer – so we’ll also be visiting some of Oxford’s libraries, museums, and other attractions. We also have a lively social schedule planned, including punting and Formal Hall in College!
The Summer School is completely free of charge. Accommodation and meals will be provided. Attendees will have the option to arrive on the night of Saturday 23rd and stay an extra night before the programme starts, if travelling from further afield.
If you’d like more information, or if you have any questions about the summer school, please get in touch with us at outreach@st-hughs.ox.ac.uk
The 2025 St Hugh’s Teachers’ Summer School
Our fourth annual Teachers’ Summer School took place between 24th – 27th August 2025. This year we had our largest cohort yet, with 22 teachers joining us from state schools across the UK. As well as welcoming plenty of new faces, it was lovely to see some familiar ones as well, with two teachers from last year’s group returning to refresh their knowledge! In addition to our application workshops, a ‘Meet the Tutors’ session, and the teachers’ own presentations, a new feature in this year’s schedule was a session dedicated to student support, with information on the Careers Service, finance, student welfare, and disability support.
The Summer School was once again a huge success, and we were delighted to receive wonderful feedback from our participants – including the comments below.
“It has been such an extraordinarily valuable and rich experience and far exceeded my expectations… I have gained so much insight in so many areas and can’t wait to share that knowledge with colleagues but also with our most talented students.”
“The Summer School has been amazing. I was so excited before and even though I had high hopes it exceeded all my expectations. I feel more confident and knowledgeable now about how best to prepare the students in my school. Thank you!”
“I had an excellent experience at the St Hugh’s Summer School. I learned so much about the application/interview process, plus Oxford as an institution and a place. The course was brilliantly planned and delivered and I am grateful for the warm hospitality and generosity!”
“The Summer School was fantastic! It was extremely well organised with a varied programme of talks and events. Networking time with other teachers was really useful too. The whole event was really fun and I will recommend it to my colleagues at school. I hope to return too!”
“What a privilege to have been a part of the St Hugh’s Teachers’ Summer School. I feel extremely fortunate to have been given such an opportunity to learn so much about the application process but also the extraordinary work that the college and the university are doing to widen access and support those students concerned throughout their degree and beyond. […] Every single aspect of the conference was so carefully curated and made for an incredibly enriching experience. […] I returned energised and inspired, as well as eager to share such newly gained knowledge with both students and staff across our colleges. I can not thank you both enough for such a fantastic few days.”
The 2024 St Hugh’s Teachers’ Summer School
Between 18th and 21st August 2024, we hosted our third annual Summer School for teachers in the UK state sector. This year, we welcomed 19 teachers to St Hugh’s from all over the UK – attendees hailed from schools in London, Kent, Bristol, Southampton, Birmingham, Yorkshire, and more! In addition to the workshops run by St Hugh’s Outreach staff and the activities that took place across the wider University and city of Oxford, every teacher gave a short presentation about an initiative taking place in their own school that they are particularly proud of.
We are delighted that our attendees found the summer school both fun and inspiring, as you can see from some of their testimonials below.
“This has been a fantastic experience – really well planned and delivered programme. The sessions have been really useful and reassuring; the teacher presentations have been really thought provoking; the extra events have been such fun! It’s been great to meet other colleagues and have networking opportunities – I have made some excellent contacts as well as friends! Thank you so much!”
“The week has been of phenomenal benefit for me as an Oxford/Cambridge advisor. The opportunity to meet the admissions tutors and discuss best practice with colleagues from across the country has transformed my approach to the role.”
“St Hugh’s Summer School is an amazing opportunity from a personal CPD perspective, and is also a fantastic place to share ideas on good practice with colleagues from a range of disciplines to then implement in your own academy/school.”
“This has been a fantastic week and I feel so much better prepared to support Oxbridge candidates. […] Thank you so much, not only for the learning, your wonderful hospitality and generosity, but for giving us a new network of colleagues to share best practices.”
The 2023 St Hugh’s Teachers’ Summer School
Between 21st and 24th August St Hugh’s hosted its second Summer School for teachers and careers advisers from the UK state sector. Participants from Kent, Dorset, West Yorkshire, London & East Sussex spent four days in Oxford, taking part in information sessions and workshops, sessions with museum experts, meeting St Hugh’s academics, and enjoying some staple Oxford activities such as punting and Formal Hall!
We are very grateful to everyone who attended, and would like to extend special thanks to Sarah Lloyd at the Museum of Natural History, Wadham College, and the Oxford Botanic Gardens, as well as our very own Dr Jon Parkin, Dr Nick Perkins, Prof Rachel Tanner, and Prof Adrian Moore for their contributions to making this experience a success.
We were pleased that last year’s attendees found the summer school useful and enjoyable; here are a couple of teacher testimonials:
‘I just wanted to pass on how much I enjoyed the four days. […] It far surpassed my expectations. I feel much more prepared heading to my new school armed with all this information about the University and the admissions process.’
‘A fantastic course – I have learned so much about applications, other schools and Oxford itself. Its been inspiring not only to share with students, but also in reigniting that love of learning. Thank you’.
‘The Teachers’ Summer School has been such a powerful reset for me – I feel rejuvenated, inspired and encouraged from all the experiences you so wonderfully set up. From the clarity and openness of information to the generosity of staff, […] it’s been brilliant from start to end.’
‘Excellent experience – informative, fun, and expertly guided. Thank you!’
