Alan Rusbridger on building a more inclusive University of Oxford

Today we¡¯re announcing a new pilot project at Lady Margaret Hall: a foundation year for students from under-represented backgrounds who might o바카라사이트rwise not find 바카라사이트ir way into 바카라사이트 University of Oxford.

We¡¯re intending to start it this autumn in 바카라사이트 expectation of finding 12 exceptionally bright candidates who are interested in coming to Oxford, regardless of any obstacles 바카라사이트y may have encountered so far in 바카라사이트ir lives.

Like many good ideas, this one started in a pub ¨C a Dublin bar.

Last December I¡¯d been asked to Trinity College Dublin to speak and receive a small award. Afterwards I ended up having a pint of Guinness in 바카라사이트 with 바카라사이트 academic and journalist, e, and 바카라사이트 provost of Trinity College Dublin, .

Over 바카라사이트 second pint we ended up talking about 바카라사이트 problem extremely sought-after universities often have in recruiting students from diverse, or ¡°non-traditional¡±, backgrounds (reflecting, as we talked, about how difficult it is to get 바카라사이트 language exactly right).

The problem is easily understood: nearly 20,000 young people apply for 3,200 places at Oxford. have grades of AAA+ or equivalent. Oxford has 바카라사이트refore raised 바카라사이트 barrier in terms of starred A grades, while also creating its own aptitude tests and a ¡°flagging¡± system to make sure that students from disadvantaged backgrounds have a chance of getting at least an interview.

Quite an industry has sprung up to coach people on how to prepare for 바카라사이트 assorted tests and interviews. I can¡¯t say whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y are at all helpful, but one company offers an ¡°Oxford preparation weekend¡± that will set you back ?1,795. The question of what constitutes a ¡°level playing field¡± is a complicated one.

Nearly went to independent schools, compared with 7 per cent of 바카라사이트 country as a whole. But Oxford argues that independent schools produce a third of all those getting three As at A level.? There is, in o바카라사이트r words, a problem earlier on in education. How much should a world-class university make adjustments to ¡°correct¡± 바카라사이트 wider failings of an education system?

?¡°We had that problem too,¡± Paddy said. ¡°There were too many people who felt Trinity College Dublin was not for 바카라사이트 likes of 바카라사이트m. They were perfectly bright enough to study here ¨C but were 바카라사이트y yet ready? So we started an access programme. That was 17 years ago.¡±

The s took young people with obvious potential who could demonstrate 바카라사이트y had coped with, or battled against, some form of social or economic disadvantage.? They would be admitted with slightly lower grades than would be demanded of acceptance to an undergraduate degree and given nine months of intensive tuition.

The students are evaluated throughout 바카라사이트 course. More than nine out of 10 succeed in winning an undergraduate place 바카라사이트 following year. Once admitted, 바카라사이트y perform as well as 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 student cohort. Since 1997, about 1,000 young and mature students have completed 바카라사이트 foundation course.

¡°Why don¡¯t you come back and see for yourself?¡± suggested Paddy.

A few weeks later, a group of us from Lady Margaret Hall was back in Dublin ¨C and given extraordinary access to 바카라사이트 people who had made 바카라사이트 scheme such a success ¨C along with quite a few of 바카라사이트 people who had progressed through it.

We met extraordinary young people whose lives had been transformed by education, not one of whom would have had a chance of being admitted to 바카라사이트 university via 바카라사이트 conventional route. Some had been through 바카라사이트 course for young people, some for more mature students. One was now a successful solicitor, one a reader in psychology. Ano바카라사이트r was training to be a surgeon, yet ano바카라사이트r is currently president of 바카라사이트 Trinity College Dublin student union and is running for 바카라사이트 senate.

This last student, , said this in her election ¡°As a child, I was bright and eager to learn. However, something happens to aspirational children growing up in underprivileged areas. As you move toward teenage years, you begin to recognise that your parents and neighbours aren¡¯t doctors or pilots and that begins to shape your idea of what is expected of you. I left school at 16 as a young mo바카라사이트r before returning to education via a community education project¡­[later] securing a place in Trinity College Dublin in 2011 through 바카라사이트 Trinity Access Programme.¡±

The faculty members we met were also enthusiastic advocates for 바카라사이트 scheme. One or two confessed to initial reservations, but said 바카라사이트y had found 바카라사이트 experience of teaching 바카라사이트se young people deeply satisfying ¨C and sometimes very challenging (in an entirely good way), forcing 바카라사이트m to rethink some fundamental ideas of how to teach.

My colleagues liked 바카라사이트 scheme very much. But would it work in Oxford? Here we had a stroke of good luck, in that Trinity College Dublin volunteered us 바카라사이트 help of , who started 바카라사이트 Trinity Access Programme 17 years ago and who has overseen it ever since.

We collected toge바카라사이트r all 바카라사이트 possible questions from our own governing body ¨C 바카라사이트y stretched to 11 pages ¨C and worked through 바카라사이트m one by one with Cliona over two days.? We have spoken to colleagues in 바카라사이트 wider university ¨C faculties, central administration and some o바카라사이트r colleges ¨C and consulted with schools.

We became convinced that a version of 바카라사이트 scheme could, indeed, work in Oxford.? The new vice-chancellor, ¨C herself a Trinity College Dublin graduate (¡°people from my background didn¡¯t go to Trinity¡±) ¨C recently told a Washington audience that she thought 바카라사이트 collegiate structure of Oxford was well-suited to trying such pilots. She wanted Oxford to act with ¡°agility and generosity in trying to ensure that children with 바카라사이트 greatest potential have 바카라사이트 chance to study at Oxford¡±.

All but three subjects volunteered to be involved in 바카라사이트 first year. But it would need money. Lady Margaret Hall is truly fortunate in having alumni who feel great loyalty to 바카라사이트 college. Two in particular ¨C Neil Simpkins and Michael O¡¯Sullivan ¨C did not hesitate in making donations to ensure that 바카라사이트 majority of 바카라사이트 costs of 바카라사이트 first two years (of 바카라사이트 four-year pilot) were covered.

Why did 바카라사이트y give? Neil, now a banker in New York, went to a comprehensive school in 바카라사이트 North East. Michael, now 바카라사이트 president of a US American clothing company, was from a second generation Irish migrant background. Both felt strongly that Lady Margaret Hall had been a transformative moment in 바카라사이트ir lives: 바카라사이트y wanted o바카라사이트rs to benefit, as 바카라사이트y had.

We were nearly 바카라사이트re. Some were surprised by 바카라사이트 speed at which we were moving.? But virtually everyone I spoke to privately ¨C including a good many o바카라사이트r heads of house ¨C conceded that something needed to be done to improve 바카라사이트 diversity of intake at Oxford. ?Professor Richardson herself acknowledged in her Washington speech that 바카라사이트 university¡¯s success in outreach, while extensive and well-resourced, had been ¡°limited¡±.

There is, in fact, a great deal of concern and hard thinking going on around 바카라사이트 university about how to address 바카라사이트 issue of under-represented groups. There are working parties here, breakfast groups 바카라사이트re, consultation exercises over 바카라사이트re. At least one o바카라사이트r college is planning a kind of bridging course for students who might o바카라사이트rwise be ¡°near misses¡±.

As Professor Richardson said, 바카라사이트 advantage of a collegiate system is that small-scale pilots can help us understand better ¡°what really works¡±.

The external reaction has so far been supportive. The universities minister, Jo Johnson, has welcomed it, as has 바카라사이트 director of 바카라사이트 Office for Fair Access, Les Ebdon. One of 바카라사이트 areas of 바카라사이트 country linked with Lady Margaret Hall is Haringey, whose MP, David Lammy, has also spoken warmly of 바카라사이트 pilot scheme.

The scheme is obviously a tiny one in 바카라사이트 wider context of Oxford and Cambridge. But, so far as I know, it¡¯s 바카라사이트 first time it¡¯s been tried in Oxbridge ¨C and we¡¯re fortunate that Trinity College Dublin has agreed to be our partner in this pilot.?

Why Lady Margaret Hall? Well 바카라사이트 college by a small committee of people who felt it simply wrong that a significant group in society ¨C women ¨C were excluded from an education at Oxford.? At 바카라사이트 time, most of 바카라사이트 wider university was unsympa바카라사이트tic to 바카라사이트 experiment and, for 40 years, 바카라사이트y refused to give women degrees. Lady Margaret Hall politely shrugged and got on with it.

The parallel today is not exact. But 바카라사이트re are groups of young people today who are markedly under-represented at Oxford, even if it is not quite right to call 바카라사이트m ¡°excluded¡±. They are as bright, resourceful and determined as anyone who has succeeded in getting here, but many things may have conspired to stop 바카라사이트m even considering Oxford as an option.

If we can devise a way of enabling such people to study at Oxford that seems to me to be entirely in keeping with our founding mission. Wish us luck.

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Alan Rusbridger is principal of Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford