‘Welsh pupils at Oxbridge up, but more can be done’
Numbers of pupils from maintained schools in Wales applying for and winning Oxbridge places have risen in the last four years, MPs have been told.
But more needs to be done to encourage them, those from independent schools are still more likely to get in and the Welsh Baccalaureate does not count as a third A level for Oxford or Cambridge, the Welsh Affairs Committee heard.
“Oxbridge is academically elitist. It’s a great shame if people are put off by a perception it is socially elitist,” Dr Sam Lucy, director of admissions for the Cambridge Colleges told MPs.
Taking evidence from admissions tutors for Oxford and Cambridge two days before 1,000 students attend an Oxbridge conference in Swansea, the Welsh Affairs Committee heard again that between 2009 and 2012 admissions from Wales fell from 96 to 76 between 2008 and 2012, but have been rising since.
The tutors had no overall figures for the last four years but praised the Welsh Government’s Seren Network initiative to encourage more to apply.
To get more successful applications schools could encourage pupils to debate and discuss more, find out about courses on offer beyond core subjects and ask Oxbridge students in to speak to pupils, they said.
In 2015/16 a total of 297 students from Wales applied to go to Cambridge of which 219 were from maintained schools with around a quarter from both sectors winning places, Dr Lucy said.
Many more applied to Oxford, possibly because it is nearer to Wales.
In 2016 a total of 426 students from Wales applied for Oxford with 104 offers made so far depending on grades, Dr Samina Khan, director, undergraduate admissions and outreach, University of Oxford, told MPs.
In total 24% of students from Wales who apply for Oxford get in, compared to 25% for the rest of the UK while the offer rate for Welsh pupils from independent schools is 24% compared with 20% for maintained schools. This compares with a 23% rate of admission for state school pupils from elsewhere in the UK and 29% for the independent sector.
Overall around 60% of students at Oxford are from state schools and 40% from the independent sector.
The tutors praised the Welsh Government’s Seren Network programme launched in 2015 to encourage applications which is taking 1,000 students to a conference at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium tomorrow.
“The Seren Network is an excellent idea. I think it’s a really good model,” said Dr Lucy of the scheme which gets schools working together in hubs with masterclasses and networks.
She didn’t think students from Wales were academically less confident, but peers and family might discourage them and schools might not be giving enough information about the variety of courses on offer.
Dr Khan said applications from students at low performing schools and living in lower socio-economic post codes were flagged and interviews offered if they are on the cusp.
When quizzed by committee chairman Monmouth MP David Davies, both denied confidence among some independent school pupils might give them an advantage and said admissions tutors could ‘see through’ those who had been coached.
“Surface polish does not impress interviewers,” Dr Lucy insisted.
When asked about the Welsh Baccalaureate, they said it didn’t count as a third A level but could be used to broaden subject knowledge which is good preparation for the admissions test.