A GROUP of Sydenham School pupils have been given the chance to walk in the footsteps of J.R.R. Tolkien and T.S. Eliot during a recent tour of Oxford University.

The Year 10 students were offered a taster of academic life on the away-day at Merton College, where the famous writers once studied.

They even attended a lecture on accidental deaths in the Middle Ages.

Lily Evans, 15, said: "It's an example of how much depth you can go into subjects once you reach university."

Academics and students from the institution were keen to encourage the pupils from the school in Dartmouth Road, Sydenham, to consider applying to places like Oxford.

The university's schools liaison and access officer Cressida Ryan said: "At this stage of their academic career, students need to be thinking carefully about the kinds of courses they want to study and at which university."

Sara Dimtsu, 15, said: "I came away from the day convinced I would like to study computer science and philosophy at Oxford and I now know the A Level grades I’ll need – A* and two As."