Dagenham and Rainham MP Jon Cruddas visited pupils at Robert Clack to discuss a scheme preparing children from under-represented backgrounds for top UK universities.

The Labour MP heard about pupils’ progress in the Scholars Programme, which delivers higher education-style tutorials to small groups of pupils.

“I was very impressed at how they engaged with such a complex and challenging academic topic,” Mr Cruddas said.

“It just goes to show what young people from Dagenham and Rainham can achieve if we give them the opportunity.”

The scheme places PhD researchers in state schools to speak about their own research.

Friday’s meeting featured a course on what animals can teach about the human brain, and King’s College London tutor Robert Ellingford’s talk on the Tudors.

Deputy head Richard Spandi said he was “excited” to see how the pupils’ participation “inspires their study and university choices.”