Ex-Learner Inspires Students with Cambridge Foundation Year Talk

Ambitious learners at Solihull Sixth Form College heard from an ex-student last week about an alternative route into Oxbridge.

Malikah Khan, who came to the College from Lyndon School, is undertaking a Foundation Year course in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Cambridge. She returned to College to share her experience of this exciting, fully-funded route into Higher Education.

Unlike traditional undergraduate courses, the Foundation Year has lower entry requirements – typically three B grades at A level or equivalent – and offers a broad curriculum spanning multiple disciplines.

Malikah commented:

"Cambridge is a great place to study. There is so much history and reminders of famous people who have studied there in the past. You feel like you are walking in the footsteps of inspirational people. The Foundation Year a really great programme to give you an idea of what to expect from studying at Cambridge and it gives you time to decide what course you might want to go onto."

There are a range of courses at undergraduate level that students can go onto if they get at least 65% in their Foundation Year, but students can also apply to lots of other universities they can apply to as well.

Jane McCard is English and Modern Languages Curriculum Leader and heads up the Stretch & Challenge programme at the College. She said:

"I taught Malikah and I know what a great young person she is. I'm delighted to see how well she is doing and grateful she agreed to come back into College to tell this year's Year 12 learners about this exciting opportunity. She delivered a valuable insight into the course and the application process and I hope it has inspired some of the current students, who are considering progression to Oxford or Cambridge after their studies with us."

12 January 2026