Secondary school students celebrated graduating from an academic programme with an aspirational trip to the University of Oxford.

Year nine pupils at Eden Girls' School in Walthamstow visited New College at the university where they were given a tour.

The students were all members of The Brilliant Club, a non-profit charity aiming to increase the number of pupils from under-represented backgrounds entering highly-selective universities.

The Brilliant Club's Scholars Programme included tutorials from doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and required students to submit a 2,000-word final assignment marked by Oxford PhD tutors.

Lessons were designed to be a full key stage above students current level of study.

One year nine student Sedra Afzali said: "The experiences and knowledge we have gained through The Brilliant Club have been amazing and it has given me something really fantastic to put on my CV to set me apart from other prospective university students.

"Our visit to the University of Oxford was very inspiring and gave us a flavour of what it might be like to study there. I feel really motivated now and know that with hard work and determination I too may be lucky enough to attend."

School principal Shahina Ahmad said: "We have high aspirations for our pupils and want to inspire and encourage them to aim high towards a whole new world of opportunities that they can achieve.

"There are some who may think that the University of Oxford is out of reach but we firmly believe that our pupils are the brightest and best, with strong academic potential. The visit has really enabled them to understand that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible."