BSix hosts Oxbridge Conference
BSix recently hosted a conference organised in conjunction with undergraduates from Pembroke College, University of Oxford – a partner University of BSix.
The event aimed to address challenges facing fair access to Oxbridge and Russell Group universities. It was held after changes were made to higher education funding and in the light of agreements that universities have reached with the Office for Fair Access (OFFA).
The conference debated different strategies and approaches to fair access in order to present practical and affordable proposals to improve fair access based on academic and undergraduate input to existing university-based approaches.
During the day representatives from the admissions offices at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge outlined their proposals for fair access including the announcement that each University was to increase their annual spend on fair access initiatives by £1m to £3.5m and £3.4m respectively.
Speaking on behalf the University of Oxford, Mike Nicholson, Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Access, spoke of his University's deep commitment to improving access to Oxford among students from first generation higher education backgrounds and students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Dr Mike Sewell, Selwyn College, University of Cambridge spoke of his University's policy of offering admission to students of the highest intellectual potential, irrespective of social, racial, religious and financial considerations. He said Cambridge encourages applications from groups that are, at present, under-represented at the University and said they ensure that each applicant is individually assessed, without partiality or bias. Dr Sewell said Cambridge was hampered in its efforts to widen participation because students with requisite grades were not applying and also due to perceptions that the process may be biased.
Alex Thompson, Head of Policy at the Russell Group, the group representing 20 of the UK's top Universities also addressed the conference . Ms. Thompson said talented students are not applying to top Universities.
"Pupils from top independent schools, make twice as many applications to the most selective universities as their peers from the best comprehensive schools."
She said that Russell Group Universities were doing their best to address this problem;
"Russell Group universities offer a range of special entry routes and foundation programmes to help widen access to non-traditional students who may just miss out on standard entry requirements".
Ms Thompson pointed to the University of Southampton's scheme whereby the University offers a foundation year for students wanting to progress onto degree programmes in engineering, biological sciences, chemistry and physics.
Another example highlighted by Ms. Thompson was the Extended Medical Degree at King's College London; a 6-year medical degree designed to widen access to medicine. The programme is open to students of non-selective state schools in designated London boroughs. Successful applicants to the programme have the potential to succeed in medicine, but are just short of the predicted A-level grades usually required.
Another speaker at the conference was Mark Copestake, School & Colleges Relationship Manager at the Social Mobility Foundation.
Mark provided delegates with some interesting data on social mobility. "Only one-in-five young people from the poorest families achieve 5 good GCSEs (incl English & Maths) compared with three-in-four from the richest families" according to Mark.
"25% of children from poor backgrounds fail to meet the expected attainment level at the end of primary school, compared to 3% from affluent backgrounds" he added.
Richard Gould, Chief Executive of Villiers Park Educational Trust, a national independent educational charity, outlined their Scholars Programme during a workshop at the conference. Based on their long-standing experience with widening participation, this programme provides cohesive, comprehensive support to disadvantaged students to enable them to acquire top A'level grades and thereby gain entry to leading universities.
In another workshop, Dr Peter Claus (Pembroke College, Oxford), Ken Warman (BSix Sixth Form College, Hackney) and students from the 'Pem-Brooke Group' outlined the details of the 'Pem-brooke' scheme and discussed its application in college environments. The academic programme for a selected group of sixth formers advises and prepares students for their future career choices, addresses their personal and social development, and equips them with skills that have university entry very much in mind. Problem solving, the development of analytical and writing skills, is combined with an introduction to elements of undergraduate study taught by Pembroke undergraduates.
The event closed with a summation from the chair, Pembroke College JCR Rep Rachael Lindsay and a special "high table" evening meal catered for by BSix in the Staff Dining Room.
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