YOUNG people from Tameside who have struggled in mainstream education have been given a rare opportunity to visit one of the world’s most prestigious universities.
Students from Shinsei Academy, an alternative provision supporting pupils at risk of exclusion or struggling to attend school, travelled to the University of Cambridge.
It’s part of an initiative aimed at challenging perceptions around excluded pupils and raising aspirations.
The academy, founded almost two years ago by former Tameside assistant headteacher Chris Cluitt, works with schools across the borough and wider Greater Manchester area to support young people who are at risk of exclusion, have already been excluded, or are finding it difficult to attend mainstream education.
Its programme combines academic learning with full-contact martial arts training and additional support including counselling and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision.
In October 2025, a group of pupils visited Cambridge, where they toured one of the university’s historic colleges and shared lunch in a student dining hall. The trip ended with a sparring session at the Cambridge University Amateur Boxing Club.
According to the academy, it marked the first time an alternative provision of its kind had been hosted by the university in its 800-year history. For the students involved, it was also their first visit to a university campus.
Recently, on March 10, another group of pupils returned to Cambridge to watch the 118th varsity boxing match between Oxford University Amateur Boxing Club and the Cambridge club.
Speaking about the visits, Chris said: “Many of the young people we work with have had difficult experiences in education and can sometimes feel that opportunities are closed off to them. Visiting Cambridge University was about showing them that their futures can still be full of hope and possibility.
“It was incredibly powerful to see our pupils walking through the colleges, asking questions and imagining themselves in a place they may never have thought accessible.”
He added that opportunities like the trip can help challenge assumptions about young people who have struggled in school.
“Trips like this matter because they challenge the narrative around exclusion. These are capable young people who simply need the right environment and support to thrive.”
Shinsei Academy says it now works with a growing number of schools across Greater Manchester to provide alternative provision and specialist support for pupils facing challenges in mainstream education.