Oxbridge access scheme targeting Bradford

OXBRIDGE SHOULD be representative of the country as a whole, academics have said on a visit to Bradford as part of an access scheme to encourage pupils to apply.

Worcester College, in the University of Oxford, sees few applications from the district, despite it being one of the youngest in the country with high numbers of under 18s.

An access scheme, launched last year with education charity The Brilliant Club, sees specialists working with students in the city to guide them through the process.

Tutors visited on Friday to meet with 60 students from state secondary schools an taste of academic sessions in subjects ranging from Maths to Law, Literature and Philosophy.

“The aim is to provide them with the academic skills, and the confidence, to apply,” said Dr Steven Methven, tutor in philosophy.

“One part of the programme is to puncture these preconceptions about Oxford, that it may not be for everybody – we want to say it is.”

Too few students from Bradford applied to Oxford University, he said, and the institution was committed to ensure it was representative of the country as a whole.

“There’s work for us to do, but this is the way we are tackling it,” he added. “We are absolutely committed to encouraging people from more diverse backgrounds to apply.”

The aim is to support students at an early stage in their secondary education, from Year 8 until they sit their GCSEs.

Three groups of pupils will join the programme in successive years, with a total of 180 pupils set to benefit between 2017 and 2023.

Charli Hopkins, access officer, said the students had grown in confidence as the day’s sessions went on, and it was inspiring to see their optimism grow about the options available to them.

“There are preconceptions, one relating to finance, others related to distance,” she said.

“I was really excited to see how confident the students became as the day went on. It seemed to really resonate.”