Lord Patten, Chancellor of the University, has criticised the government in a recent report over its attempts to “push deprived teenagers into higher education.”
The report surfaced after the Chancellor spoke at the launch of the £1.25 billion fund raising campaign last Wednesday. The Times newspaper labelled it an “attack” on the government’s policies.
The Times quotes Lord Patten in the report as saying, “We can’t in higher education mend these problems by lowering our standards […] We have to maintain our standard and hope that we will get more young people with the right qualifications applying to Oxford.
“If you’ve only got a third or 40 per cent of young people staying on at school post-16 in some areas, it’s very difficult for universities to broaden access. Poverty of aspiration is a real challenge.”
A press officer for University of Oxford said, “[…] the Chancellor was answering questions at a press conference on the occasion of the campaign launch.
“The Times chose to focus on a particular angle – whether Lord Patten actually ‘attacked’ the government in the way it was reported I am not so sure.
“The University recognises that teachers play a very important role in advising their pupils on career and university choice, and has therefore been running a number of initiatives to keep teachers up-to-date with relevant information for their students.”
The Chancellor currently endorses a number of access opportunities in place at Oxford for teachers as well as pupils.
Tom McGrath outlined St John’s access scheme, saying, “Our work with Education Leeds is a good example of a project which supports the best and the brightest. The Elland Road conference is an introduction to Oxbridge which attracts over 250 state school Year 12 pupils.
“This is followed up by residential events in Oxford in early July (around 90 pupils attend either the Oxford or the Cambridge one) and then we run an event at a central Leeds school/college for any state school students in Leeds who are applying at the start of Year 13, talking about interviews, personal statements, wider reading and such.”
Study weeks held specifically for teachers are well-established. A regional conference held in February was attended by teachers from 52 different schools and colleges from the South East.
Two teachers’ conferences are scheduled to take place on the 20 June in conjunction with Jesus, New and Christ Church colleges. Subject-specific conferences are also due to take place, such as a four-day conference for Physics and Chemistry teachers.
When asked whether students specifically prepared for Oxbridge interview fare better, the University spokesperson said, “It is no question that those students who are well supported in their application have an advantage over those who are not – this applies to both independent and state schools students.
“The University does what it can to provide comprehensive information to applicants. This includes information on the web, a dedicated walk-in centre […] blogs and podcasts.”
Neither Lord Patten nor the Vice Chancellor were available for comment.
