ASPIRE PROGRAMME
What is the Aspire Programme?
The Aspire Programme at John Leggott College gives you specialist support to apply for Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science, from admissions tests and personal statements to mock interviews.
It runs alongside your A Levels from Year 12 right up to the October UCAS deadline, with university visits, expert mentoring and links with leading universities and medical schools.
I want to...
Study Medicine, Dentistry or Vet
Aspire MDV ↓
Apply to Oxford or Cambridge
Aspire Oxbridge ↓
Prepare for interviews
MMIs, panels and Oxbridge ↓
Get a quick
answer
Aspire FAQs ↓
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Who is the Aspire Programme for?
Aspire is for John Leggott College students aiming for competitive universities, degree apprenticeships and professional careers, especially Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science.
It's open to students from any school background, across Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire and the Humber, as well as our international students. You don't need to have everything decided. If you're torn between Medicine and another health career, such as Pharmacy or Nursing, Aspire will help you explore your options.
What support will I get?
Competitive universities
Degree apprenticeships
Professional careers
TWO SPECIALIST PATHWAYS
What support will I get on the Aspire Programme?
Aspire has two pathways, each built around the admissions process for the courses you're aiming for. Choose one to see what's included.
OX
ASPIRE OXBRIDGE
Oxford and Cambridge
MDV
ASPIRE MDV
Medicine, Dentistry and Vet
Pathway 1 of 2
Medicine, Dentistry and Vet
ASPIRE MDV
Aspire MDV: Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science
Weekly sessions every Wednesday, 1–2pm during Upskill, preparing you for some of the most competitive courses in the UK.
You'll meet practising doctors, dentists and vets, as well as former John Leggott College students now on MDV courses or other routes into healthcare. Our Work-Based Opportunities Officer helps you find relevant work experience, which these applications expect.
Who we work with
YOUR ASPIRE JOURNEY
What happens on the Aspire Programme, and when?
Aspire starts in Year 12 and runs alongside your A Levels until your application is in. Here's how your time on the programme fits together.
1. Join your Aspire pathway
Choose Aspire MDV or Aspire Oxbridge and start weekly sessions in your Wednesday Upskill time.
When: Start of Year 12
2. Build your experience
University visits, relevant work experience and talks from admissions staff, so you know what your course expects.
When: Through Year 12
3. Prepare for admissions tests
UCAT preparation for MDV and subject test preparation for Oxford and Cambridge, with timed practice.
When: Summer of Year 12
4. Apply and interview
Personal statement reviews before the October UCAS deadline, then mock MMIs and panel interviews.
When: Autumn of Year 13
INTERVIEW PREPARATION
How will Aspire prepare me for interviews?
You'll practise the exact interview formats universities use, again and again, with feedback each time.
Many medical, dental and vet schools use Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs): a series of short, timed stations, each testing something different, such as communication, ethical reasoning or teamwork. Oxford and Cambridge interviews focus on how you think through problems in your subject.
Mock MMIs - Timed, station-based practice for Medicine, Dentistry and Vet applicants.
Panel interviews - Practise answering a panel of interviewers, individually and in groups.
Oxbridge interviews - Specialist preparation from experienced Oxbridge tutors.
Admissions tests - Preparation for the UCAT and subject tests for Oxford and Cambridge.
DESTINATIONS
Where can the Aspire Programme take me?
John Leggott College has been sending students to Oxford and Cambridge for more than fifty years. Aspire students also go on to Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science, and to other leading Russell Group universities.
CLASS OF 2026
Jess Trattles
A-LEVELS STUDIED
DESTINATION
Liverpool University to study Nursing
“I am really excited for my next steps. In September I will be joining the University of Liverpool to study Nursing! I am very pleased with my results and so grateful for all the help from my teachers at JLC!”
CLASS OF 2025
Steven Guo
A-LEVELS STUDIED
DESTINATION
Oxford University to study Materials Science
“The mock interviews with the Oxbridge tutors made a huge difference. I felt ready for my Oxford interview.”
ASPIRE PARTNERSHIPS
Which universities and organisations does Aspire work with?
Aspire connects you directly with the universities, medical schools and healthcare providers you're applying to, so you hear about admissions from the people who make the decisions.
Mansfield College, Oxford
One of our two Oxbridge link colleges, offering expert guidance and contact with the university.
Christ's College, Cambridge
Our Cambridge link college, supporting university visits, admissions guidance and subject enrichment days.
University of Lincoln Medical School
Their Head of Medical Admissions visits college every year to explain the admissions process.
Humber Outreach Programme
Specialist healthcare workshops at the University of Hull, giving you hands-on insight into medical careers.
NHS Talent Academy Hull York Medical School
Healthcare workshops and workplace insight events with local hospitals and care providers like Ascot House.
Visiting admissions teams
Representatives from Oxford, Glasgow and Brighton and Sussex Medical School have worked with our students.
QUALITY YOU CAN TRUST
How does Aspire support the Gatsby Benchmarks?
The Gatsby Benchmarks are the national standard for good careers guidance. Aspire contributes directly to four of them: Benchmarks 3, 5, 7 and 8.
03
Addressing the needs of each student
Aspire is built around your ambition. Whether you’re aiming for Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science, you get a pathway, mentor and preparation plan matched to your course and the universities you’re applying to.
05
Encounters with Employers and Employees
You’ll hear first-hand from practising doctors, dentists and vets, and from former John Leggott College students now studying or working in healthcare. With help from our Work-Based Opportunities Officer, you’ll also gain relevant work experience through partners such as the NHS Talent Academy.
07
Encounters with further and higher education
You’ll visit Oxford and Cambridge, attend lectures from university academics, and meet admissions staff from universities and medical schools, including our link colleges and the University of Lincoln Medical School.
08
Personal guidance
You’ll have one-to-one guidance from our Level 6 qualified Careers Lead, with personal statement reviews, admissions test preparation and repeated interview practice right up to the October UCAS deadline.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Aspire Programme FAQs
Quick answers to the questions students and parents ask most about applying to Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science from sixth form. Still have a question? Get in touch
Aspire is our specialist support for students applying to Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science. It has two pathways, Aspire Oxbridge and Aspire MDV, and runs alongside your A Levels from Year 12 until your application is in. It’s open to any John Leggott College student with the ambition and grades to make a competitive application, whichever school you come from.
Yes. Most Oxford and Cambridge students come from state schools and colleges: in 2025, around two-thirds of Oxford’s UK undergraduates and almost three-quarters of Cambridge’s did. We’ve been sending students to Oxford and Cambridge for more than fifty years, and through Aspire we work closely with our link colleges, Mansfield College, Oxford, and Christ’s College, Cambridge.
For Medicine and Dentistry, most students take Chemistry and Biology plus at least one other science or Maths. For Veterinary Science, Biology and Chemistry are usually needed, with a third subject of your choice. Every university sets its own requirements, so our Aspire team helps you choose the right combination before you start Year 12.
Most UK medical schools ask for at least a grade 6 in English, Maths and the sciences, and successful applicants often have mostly grades 7 to 9. Some medical schools put more weight on GCSEs than others, so we help you find the universities where your grades will count for the most.
For courses starting in 2027, the deadline is 6pm on 15 October 2026. It covers all Oxford and Cambridge courses and most Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science courses, and it’s months earlier than the deadline for most other courses. That’s why Aspire starts in Year 12, so your admissions tests, work experience and personal statement are ready in time.
The UCAT is the admissions test most UK medical and dental schools use. It’s a computer-based test with four timed, multiple-choice sections, and you sit it at a test centre in the summer between Year 12 and Year 13, before you apply. Aspire MDV includes dedicated UCAT preparation, and a bursary is available to help with the cost if you’re eligible.
It depends on your course. For 2027 entry, Oxford uses the ESAT for courses such as Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, the TMUA for Maths and Computer Science, and the TARA for courses such as PPE and Psychology, plus the UCAT for Medicine and the LNAT for Law. Some courses have no test at all. Oxford’s tests are sat in October, so we build your preparation into the end of Year 12 and the start of Year 13, and we’ll check exactly what your Oxford or Cambridge course needs.
No. The Medical Schools Council says a hospital placement isn’t essential. Medical schools value caring or volunteering roles, such as in a care home or hospice, and time spent observing healthcare, in person or online. What matters most is what you learn and how you reflect on it. Our Work-Based Opportunities Officer helps Aspire MDV students find placements, and we work with the NHS Talent Academy, local hospitals and care providers such as Ascot House.
Yes. If your interview is online, you can complete it in college using our dedicated IT facilities, with support from our Oxbridge tutors throughout. It means every student has the same quiet, reliable setup, whatever their situation at home.
The preparation you do on Aspire strengthens every application you make. You can apply for up to four Medicine, Dentistry or Vet courses and use your fifth UCAS choice for something different, and Oxbridge applicants have four other choices too. Students who don’t receive an Oxbridge offer often go on to other leading Russell Group universities, and our Careers Team helps you explore every alternative, including other healthcare courses and degree apprenticeships.
Through Aspire, your child gets a mentor, a structured programme of preparation and one-to-one advice from our Level 6 qualified Careers Lead, who specialises in Russell Group, Oxbridge and MDV applications. We guide them through every deadline, from booking admissions tests to the October UCAS deadline, and give them repeated interview practice, so they’re never preparing on their own.
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