Ribble Valley pupils head for Oxford and Cambridge Universities

Oxford offers have been awarded to Allamin Daggash, to study engineering at St Edmund's College; Haruki Kawano, for maths at Lincoln College; Eleanor McClelland to read Arabic and Islamic Studies at Pembroke College; and Rebecca Powell, from Clitheroe, reading Chinese at Hertford College.

Destined for Cambridge are head boy John Messent, who has a place at Gonville and Caius to read history, and Pawel Rzemieniecki, who has an organ scholarship at Fitzwilliam College and will read maths.

"The competition for a place at Oxford or Cambridge is tougher every year," said headmaster Mr Andrew Johnson. "I am immensely proud of our successful candidates, and of Stonyhurst's record at Oxbridge entry. This is now the third year in a row in which we have had at least five conditional offers."

"The interviews were really very challenging," said Rebecca. "As well as closely examining some of the things I'd written on my personal statement, they asked complex, thought-provoking questions."

John Messent had three interviews: "They really tested my ability to engage with historical questions. The interview process is largely concerned with how you think things through," he said.