Cambridgeshire

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In 2024 we launched a Future Leaders hub in Cambridgeshire, building on our local legacy from when we ran residential courses at our Foxton centre.  

Our partner schools in Cambridgeshire

  • Swavesey Village College
  • Mark Rutherford Academy 
  • North Cambridge Academy

The experience I had while at the workshop with Villiers park was great. It helped me communicate with peers I usually wouldn't talk to and opened me up to new opportunities and taught me valuable life lessons which have benefited me with teamwork and communication skills. I really enjoyed this day, and I look forward to achieving more skills which will help me in the future.

Elliot, Participant in the Enrichment Partnerships Pilot

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I attended Villiers Park on a Biology residential in 2018, where I gained invaluable insights into university life, increased my scientific knowledge, and most importantly left with a sense of achievement and empowerment. Villiers Park inspired me to pursue my dream of studying Biology. As an alum, I now want to give back to young people from under-represented backgrounds, help them realise their potential and achieve their goals.

Josie Crisp, Progression Coach for Cambridgeshire

The experience I had while at the workshop with Villiers park was great. It helped me communicate with peers I usually wouldn't talk to and opened me up to new opportunities and taught me valuable life lessons which have benefited me with teamwork and communication skills. I really enjoyed this day, and I look forward to achieving more skills which will help me in the future.

Elliot, Participant in the Enrichment Partnerships Pilot

I attended Villiers Park on a Biology residential in 2018, where I gained invaluable insights into university life, increased my scientific knowledge, and most importantly left with a sense of achievement and empowerment. Villiers Park inspired me to pursue my dream of studying Biology. As an alum, I now want to give back to young people from under-represented backgrounds, help them realise their potential and achieve their goals.

Josie Crisp, Progression Coach for Cambridgeshire

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Our Activity in Cambridgeshire

Why Cambridgeshire?

Cambridge is the most unequal city in the UK, with stark contrasts between high-income professionals and deprived communities. The top 6% of earners make 19 times more than the bottom 20%, creating barriers for social and economic mobility. While areas like Cambridge City have higher overall educational outcomes, deprivation persists in pockets such as Abbey and King’s Hedges. A lack of affordable housing, limited transport connectivity and resource disparities in schools further exacerbate these issues, leaving students from deprived areas at a disadvantage. 

Our Local Team

News from Cambridgeshire

By Bronagh Sumner April 25, 2025
In September 2024, we were thrilled to have Emma Cross join our team as a Progression Coach in Hastings and Bexhill. Before working at Villiers Park, Emma worked as a teacher across multiple schools in East Sussex and internationally. What does your role entail? As a Progression Coach, my role involves supporting young people across Hastings and Bexhill ?" especially those from underrepresented backgrounds ?" in achieving their academic and career aspirations. I provide one-to-one sessions to help students develop confidence, resilience and goal setting skills as well as supporting students in identifying their strengths, interests and potential career pathways. This support could either be through university and apprenticeship applications, personal statements, interview preparation, internships or other alternative career pathways. I have also been involved in organising and delivering workshops around applying for university and managing exam anxiety. What did you do before coming to Villiers Park? I spent some time in Hong Kong studying and teaching English at a local primary school. Throughout my time teaching, I discovered a passion for learning about education in international contexts, so I decided to study a MA in International Education and Development at the University of Sussex. From this, I gained valuable insights on the impact of globalisation on education policy and practice. I also volunteered with the Hastings Sierra Leone Friendship Link, where I had the opportunity to travel to Hastings, Sierra Leone, and work with some amazing individuals, focusing on developing education and healthcare around the surrounding areas of Freetown. What is your biggest project at the moment? My biggest project now is supporting our Future Leaders with their Leadership Challenge projects. I spend a lot of time working with groups, supporting them with their project proposals and implementation. We have some great projects this year, such as a community beach clean, a research presentation around A-Level Law, teaching a Year 7 PE lesson and a whole school football tournament. What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing in your role? The biggest challenge I am currently facing is finding local and contextual apprenticeship and work experience opportunities for our Future Leaders. Hastings and Bexhill have a limited offering for these opportunities, so it makes it difficult for our Future Leaders to feel motivated and involved in apprenticeships. What is your favourite part about your job? My favourite part of the job is seeing the direct impact you have on students’ confidence and aspirations. Watching students grow and see them go from uncertain about their future to feeling empowered and motivated and building strong relationships with young people and being their trusted mentor who helps them navigate challenges. Also, knowing that your work is making a real difference in creating social mobility and giving students access to opportunities, like university insight days, they might not have had otherwise. What is a book you will always recommend? This is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone ?" high science fiction meets with poetic love literary! If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go? It has always been my dream to go to Japan! I’m fascinated by the culture and landscape ?" and Japanese food is my favourite!? Or New Zealand to see all the different locations where they filmed the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Who are your two dream dinner party guests? Wow! So many people I would choose... but I would have to go with Chino Moreno from the band Deftones ?" just so I can talk about all the things I love about his music! And Hakuri Murakami to talk all things literature. What would your perfect weekend look like? A perfect weekend would be brunch in my favourite cafe (must have good coffee!), a sunny walk around the South Downs with the dogs, ending up in a pub with good friends, food and a band!
By Bronagh Sumner April 25, 2025
Villiers Park and Roku, a pioneer in TV streaming, are proud to be working together to inspire the next generation of leaders in STEM, technology and entertainment.
September 23, 2024
In July, we were thrilled to hold our 2nd Year 10 residential at the University of Bath. This year 81 Future Leaders from our hubs across the country travelled to Bath, some by coach and some by ...
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