13th June 2014 9:00
By Blue Tutors
According to new figures, the number of students from state schools attending Oxbridge has fallen this year, causing concerns that the universities are failing to live up to their commitment to widening access. Although just 7% of students in the UK are privately educated, the number of these students taken by Cambridge University last year was 39%, a rise of 2% on the year before. At Oxford University, the number of privately educated students stands at 43%. This is an issue which has long plagued the universities, who now spend millions on access initiatives. Despite their efforts, the numbers do not seem to be improving. Why is this, and what role can we as private tutors play in encouraging Oxbridge applications?
These universities spend a great deal of money visiting schools in poorer areas, organising summer schools and arranging for prospective applicants to visit the university and shadow current students. They also take students’ backgrounds and personal circumstances into when considering applications, making allowances for students who have not performed as well as they might have done had they had better opportunities. Yet all of these measures, whilst they have improved the figures over the years, do not seem to be working in the long term, with the number of privately educated students attending the universities holding firm. According to admissions tutors, whilst they can take circumstances into account, in the end it comes down to academic achievement and potential. Their own studies show consistently that students who perform less well at A level go on to struggle at the universities.
On the back of this information, the key thing tutors have to do is our primary job – to help students achieve the best grades possible in their exams. But this is only part of the battle. The fact is that there are many academically gifted state school students who do not consider applying to Oxbridge, feeling that they would not fit in, wouldn’t enjoy it, or not confident enough to give it a go. This is something that we can address, especially if we have been working with a student for a while. Many tutors hold Oxbridge degrees themselves, and are able to dispel some of the myths, and encourage students to consider applying to one of these universities. We can also help students with their applications and interview prep, taking the mystery out of the application process which is often daunting for students who do not know what to expect. Ultimately, many of the students that the universities want to encourage cannot afford private tuition, and this highlights the fundamental inequity in our education system. Yet private tuition is fast becoming more accessible, and tutors now have more opportunities to work with state school students who would benefit from their encouragement.