JOINING the likes of Bill Clinton, Sir Isaac Newton and Sacha Baron Cohen, 14 Hereford Sixth Form students have been offered places at Oxford and Cambridge universities for next year.

Set to read subjects ranging from Anglo-Saxon to computer science, the students have come from nine different secondary schools.

Students are only allowed to apply to one of the two prestigious academic institutions, and, by chance, the class of 2014 are split 50/50, with seven students winning places at Cambridge and seven at Oxford.

Cambridge-bound are Ella Belfield, Emma Flint, Daniel Gethin, James Moruzzi, Katherine Newton, Tom Williams and Joseph Wright.

And heading to David Cameron’s alma mater are Georgina Baynham, Amy Cave-Brown-Cave, Kurtis Chisholm, Mair Floyd-Bosley, Anna Gunther, Harry Lawrence, Gordon Templeton.

Principal Jonathan Godfrey was quick to pay tribute to the hours put in by both students and staff to get through what is an extensive and challenging application procedure.

He said: “This is a fantastic testament to the skill and dedication of staff and the hard work of our students who are put through a rigorous process of preparation including mock interviews from external experts.

“As usual students from a range of backgrounds have gained places across a large variety of subjects covering arts, science and humanities.”

Six of the group are former Bishop of Hereford Bluecoat School pupils, with others coming from John Kyrle High School, Fairfield High School, Wigmore High School and Hereford Cathedral School.

With an extension programme that sees Oxbridge academics running masterclasses at the college for prospective students, HSF has had real success in recent years of getting students into the two elite universities.

Last year, the college had a best-ever 20 students offered places, with the Good Schools Guide calling the college’s approach “as good as it gets in the state sector”.

It follows more good news for HSF, which was recently named in the top two percent of A Level providers nationwide based on value-added reports by A Level Performance System (ALPS).

And the college will be celebrating its 40-year anniversary with a huge reunion for all ex-students and staff on July 5 – with more details on the event appearing on the college website nearer the time.