UNIVERSITY applicants who attend sixth form in the Welsh Valleys and Newport are ten times less likely to get an offer to attend Oxford or Cambridge universities than their counterparts in Hertfordshire.

But the Welsh Government and Torfaen MP Paul Murphy, who went to Oxford University himself in the 1960s, have significantly reducing that figure in their sights.

Things have changed significantly since Mr Murphy was an undergraduate among dreaming spires, not least because at that time only about five per cent of the population attended university. In 2013 that figure had reached 49 per cent.

In a report for the Welsh Government published last week, Mr Murphy makes suggestions to boost access to Oxbridge, including the introduction of hubs around Wales that would make it easier for students and the universities’ colleges to interact about potential applications.

One in Gwent will be launched in the future and three pilot hubs will offer support children from 41 schools and colleges in Swansea, Flintshire, Wrexham, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf.

And although applications to Oxbridge in 2013 were their lowest since 1999, this academic year is showing an increase, Mr Murphy told the Argus.

He said: “The interest in for the current year, 2014/15, is an upturn from both Oxford and Cambridge. We haven’t got the details of that yet but they are still analysing them on a regional basis.”

Meanwhile, Joseph Ryan, the head of the sixth form at St Joseph’s School in Newport, said they have about 300 students in Years 12 and 13. Up to 90 per cent of those will go to university.

On what the school does with children who staff feel could get to Oxbridge, Mr Ryan said: “We start the process in Year 12 and we work with a group of children who have achieved very highly at GCSE so if they are looking to apply, they can.”

The school achieves by sending several students to universities with excellent reputations. Last year nine went to the University of Bristol, while Bath is another popular destination. Three students have already been offered unconditional places to study at the University of Birmingham next year.

Another recommendation is that the successful Teach First programme, which takes graduates straight from university and into schools, could be implemented further across Wales to inspire pupils to aim higher than they might have otherwise.

Other success stories lie in the private sector. Monmouth School’s headmaster Steven Connors said pupils there were nurtured for a number of years and that teachers give pupils the time to develop “special talents and academic enthusiasm”.

And 12 of their pupils – ten from their boys’ school and two girls from Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls – have this year been given the opportunity to reach Oxbridge colleges if they attain their grades in A-Levels this summer.

On the schools’ successes, Dr Connors said: “Oxford and Cambridge want independent learners who are prepared to think for themselves and to question received views.

“Developing self-starting and resourceful learners is our main goal at Monmouth School, the creation of a culture where intellectual creativity is highly-prized.

“This involves going beyond the syllabus and encouraging the students to challenge themselves. It is helped by the high level of achievement in the very strong mathematics, science and languages departments so all students are taught to be rigorously logical and involves giving students the opportunities for discussion and debate so that they can express their ideas fluently and with confidence.”