Cambridge University’s recent announcement to scrap its target of recruiting 69% of its students from state-schools is a step towards a more holistic view of educational privilege. As the university plans its next five-year Access and Participation Plan, the vice-chancellor’s wish to ‘serve the UK as a whole’ and increase applications from northern England, should be commended, amidst concern that nearly half of Cambridge students come from London and the south-east.
I grew up in Cambridge and saw the Oxbridge application benefits afforded to me by proximity. My sixth form hosted a talk from a Cambridge dean of admissions within the first term. Students were invited to ‘masterclasses’ at university departments, and separate appointments were made with the careers department for Oxbridge applicants. My sixth form was a state school, but last year it sent the second-highest number of students to Oxbridge in the country. Moreover, while the top ten schools by number of Oxbridge offers were evenly split between state and private, all of them were in the south-east.
The narrative that private schools universally bestow greater educational privilege than state schools is simplistic. Education is complex and individual support varies hugely.
But it’s not just private schools that damage social mobility. Poorer households’ risk being priced out of catchment areas for the most popular state and grammar schools, which are typically more expensive, perpetuating socioeconomic divides. If universities are looking to recruit academic potential then their strategy needs to be as nuanced as the issue.
Using measures of local deprivation, and local participation, should be front and centre. Cambridge should critically review the support or barriers that individual students faced when studying. Rather than assessing schools by their fee status, Cambridge should evaluate the historical Oxbridge admissions rates from these institutions. Most importantly, the university should invest in further outreach to inspire the students not in the statistics, because they didn’t even consider applying.
Ultimately, pursuing equitable access to education should be focused on admissions outcomes and this should extend to postgraduate admissions as well. We shouldn’t judge universities on headline targets but consider a broader picture of inclusivity that rewards potential rather than privilege.
“University of Cambridge” by llee_wu is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
Related
Cambridge changes class quotas
Cambridge University’s recent announcement to scrap its target of recruiting 69% of its students from state-schools is a step towards a more holistic view of educational privilege. As the university plans its next five-year Access and Participation Plan, the vice-chancellor’s wish to ‘serve the UK as a whole’ and increase applications from northern England, should be commended, amidst concern that nearly half of Cambridge students come from London and the south-east.
I grew up in Cambridge and saw the Oxbridge application benefits afforded to me by proximity. My sixth form hosted a talk from a Cambridge dean of admissions within the first term. Students were invited to ‘masterclasses’ at university departments, and separate appointments were made with the careers department for Oxbridge applicants. My sixth form was a state school, but last year it sent the second-highest number of students to Oxbridge in the country. Moreover, while the top ten schools by number of Oxbridge offers were evenly split between state and private, all of them were in the south-east.
The narrative that private schools universally bestow greater educational privilege than state schools is simplistic. Education is complex and individual support varies hugely.
But it’s not just private schools that damage social mobility. Poorer households’ risk being priced out of catchment areas for the most popular state and grammar schools, which are typically more expensive, perpetuating socioeconomic divides. If universities are looking to recruit academic potential then their strategy needs to be as nuanced as the issue.
Using measures of local deprivation, and local participation, should be front and centre. Cambridge should critically review the support or barriers that individual students faced when studying. Rather than assessing schools by their fee status, Cambridge should evaluate the historical Oxbridge admissions rates from these institutions. Most importantly, the university should invest in further outreach to inspire the students not in the statistics, because they didn’t even consider applying.
Ultimately, pursuing equitable access to education should be focused on admissions outcomes and this should extend to postgraduate admissions as well. We shouldn’t judge universities on headline targets but consider a broader picture of inclusivity that rewards potential rather than privilege.
“University of Cambridge” by llee_wu is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
Share this:
Like this:
Related