Mansfield College Access Report 2015

Introduction

This report details Mansfield College’s access and outreach activities in 2014/15. We are so grateful to all of Mansfield’s friends and alumni who have supported this area of college work. Our access and outreach activities are vital in helping us achieve one of the founding aims of Mansfield: that no individual with the passion and academic potential to study here is put off applying because of their background or their misconceptions about Oxford.

Oxford University now offers the most generous higher educational bursary scheme in the UK, helping to ensure that students from poorer backgrounds are not deterred from applying. Our access and outreach work supports this bursary system by demystifying Oxford and debunking myths about the admissions process.

“I felt comfortable here and really enjoyed my day. Hearing from actual students dispelled some of the myths, and it’s really changed my preconceptions of the type of people that come here.” A Year 10 student on an Aspiration Day

Donations to widening access contribute to the work we do with schools across the UK, funding everything from large-scale application conferences to the cost of sending one of our Access Team to visit students in one of our regional schools. Lucinda Rumsey, our Tutor for Admissions, continues to develop our access strategy with the support of Fellows throughout the College, delivering activity days at Mansfield and visits to Schools.

Our Access Officer, Helen Brooks, delivers the majority of our events and access visits, with the support of a team of Access Ambassadors. Mansfield’s Access Ambassador Scheme was designed to formalise the work of Mansfield’s dedicated team of undergraduate volunteers by providing them with training, support and guidance to aid them in their access work and in future work experience. The Access Ambassadors, overseen by the JCR Access Rep, also develop their own events and initiatives, such as the 100 Schools Project, where undergraduates visit their old schools and discuss their experiences at Oxford.

“The first word that comes to mind when I think of Mansfield is “friendly”. It’s a fantastic mix of the best Oxford traditions but none of the stuffiness that I was worried I’d find.” Tom, 2nd Year English student and Access Ambassador

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Regionalisation

As part of the University-wide regionalisation scheme, each Local Education Authority is linked to a particular college to ensure that every school has a named first point of contact. Mansfield is responsible for Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Doncaster, East Riding, Hull, and York. We work extensively with schools in these regions, encouraging students to consider applying to Oxford and supporting them through the application process.

Several of the regions that we work with have suffered from historically poor progression rates to Higher Education in general, and low Oxford and Cambridge application and success rates. Much of the work we do in these regions focuses on giving students the confidence to apply and the knowledge of how to do so, and providing advice and support to schools with little or no history of sending applicants to either Oxford or Cambridge.

Youth Participation Rate in Higher Education1

Region Participation Rate Bromley 43.58% Croydon 43.00% York 41.30% East Riding 38.25% National Average 37.56% Greenwich 32.98% Bexley 32.30% Doncaster 23.88% Kingston upon Hull 19.81%

Oxford and Cambridge Participation Rate2 Applications per Offers per 1,000 Region Success rate 1,000 16-17 year-olds 16-17 year-olds Bromley 24.90 7.20 28.9 York 19.14 5.74 30.0 Croydon 16.01 3.93 24.5 National Average 15.61 4.21 25.5 Greenwich 15.06 3.35 22.2 Bexley 10.04 1.52 15.2 East Riding of Yorkshire 7.90 1.94 24.6 Doncaster 6.32 1.90 30.0 Kingston upon Hull 2.81 0.62 22.2

1 http://www.hefce.ac.uk/whatwedo/wp/ourresearch/polar/mapofyoungparticipationareas/ 2 http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/interactive/2013/jun/10/cambridge-oxford-places-north- south-divide

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Access and Outreach Events

We carry out extensive work with schools in our regions, and we work with students from when they’re first starting to think about A Level and university choice right through to when they’re preparing for interviews here at Oxford. We visit schools to give talks, run workshops, deliver parent and teacher information sessions, and attend HE and Careers Fairs. We also bring students to Mansfield for taster days and study days, run large-scale application conferences, and support a number of University-wide initiatives.

“The visit to Oxford definitely seemed to challenge students’ preconceptions and address some of their concerns.” A school-teacher reflecting on a Mansfield Taster Day

We invite schools to bring their younger students to Aspiration Days so that they can have the opportunity to visit Oxford before they’ve sat their GCSEs and made their A Level choices. Students who visit on our taster days receive a talk explaining Oxford, a Q&A and tour from current students, lunch in the hall, an academic taster session from one of our tutors or graduate students, and a scavenger hunt around the city. The intention behind these events is to inform and inspire prospective applicants, to dispel the myths surrounding Oxford, and to encourage talented students to consider applying whatever their background.

“This day has definitely changed my perceptions of the University – it seems much more friendly and supportive than I first thought!” A Year 10 student on how a Taster Day changed their idea of Oxford

Each year we run four large-scale Application Conferences in our regions for Year 12 students (16-17 years old), aimed at giving them the information they need to make an application. These are hub events hosted by one school in each area, and are attended by our Access Team, Mansfield tutors, and Mansfield Student Ambassadors. The initial talk covers why students should consider applying to Oxford, and this is then followed by workshops on preparing a UCAS application – including information about our selection criteria and admissions tests – and on preparing for interviews.

“Attending this conference has made me want to aim higher.” A Year 12 student on our Application Conferences

For the last few years we have also run a Study Day for 16-17 year old students thinking about applying to competitive universities to give them a taster of university level study. The aim of the day is to help them develop their current interests and introduce them to subjects they might not previously have considered.

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Over the last few Study Days, Mansfield’s tutors and graduate students have run academic sessions in Economics, Engineering, English, Geography, History, Human Sciences, Law, Materials Science, Mathematics, Oriental Studies, Philosophy, Politics, Physics, Statistics, and Theology. We had several hundred attendees across these events, many of whom have gone on to apply to Oxford and to Mansfield.

“The Study Day gave me a much better understanding of what lectures and classes are like at Oxford.” A Year 12 student on our Study Day

The academic taster sessions we run as part of the Study Day, and during our Taster Days, help prospective students to choose the course that’s right for them. Many students we work with are the first in their family to apply to a competitive university, or even university in general, and restrict themselves to choosing subjects with obvious career paths, such as Law, Medicine or Economics and Management. These are the most competitive subjects with the most applicants, and might not be the best suited to an individual student. Candidates without much knowledge of University study do not often appreciate that a degree in English, Theology or Human Sciences is just as likely to lead them into a rewarding career. The taster sessions also help potential candidates to see the range of subjects on offer at Oxford, including subjects that they might not have had a chance to study at school.

Ros Ballaster, our English Fellow who has run several sessions says, “The benefit is mutual. It is really illuminating for us as tutors to talk to potential applicants about their expectations with regard to university. It is a challenge to design a seminar or workshop that gives students at school or college a flavour of the kind of work undertaken at higher education level as well as engaging and interesting them.”

A full list of our events in 2014/15 can be found in Appendix A.

Ben Williams running a session on supercondutivity for students Current students welcome prospective applicants to at a Mansfield Study Day, 2014. Mansfield in one of the 2014 Open Days

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Our Contribution to the University-Wide Access Programme

Mansfield continues to make a substantial contribution to the access efforts of the University as a whole. The Further Education Initiative was set up by Mansfield in 1999 to support students from Further Education institutions who were historically under-represented at Oxford. We have organised Further Education and Sixth Form Open days since 2002 and last year saw over 300 attendees from across the country.

We also host Study Days and Taster Days as part of the University-wide Pathways Programme, which is aimed at introducing students from non-traditional backgrounds to degree-level study and the University of Oxford. As part of these days, our Access Ambassadors run College tours and Q&A sessions, and assist with academic taster sessions and guiding groups around Oxford. The days provide a great opportunity for the College to become involved in large-scale access events, showcase Mansfield to prospective applicants, and allow Access Ambassadors to gain experience in event organisation.

We also support individual colleges and departments with the activities they run by providing college tours and assisting with large scale events such as subject-specific open days and joint Oxford/Cambridge interview workshops. In addition, each year we represent the University at the regional UCAS Fairs, where we get the opportunity to speak to thousands of students who are there to find out more about their university options.

Encouraging Students to Consider Coming to Mansfield

“I loved the small, tight community feel of [Mansfield], and the friendliness of the tutors. Now I’m here I really appreciate the brilliant support we get from both students and fellows – it feels like a family. Jo, 3rd Year History student and Access Ambassador

On a practical level, we want to increase applications not just to Oxford, but to Mansfield in particular, by promoting the College to talented undergraduates. The Mansfield Alternative Prospectus, produced by our Access Team and student ambassadors, gives information about the academic and social life of the college, our facilities and teaching, and the support we have available for students. We distribute these prospectuses, along with Mansfield tote bags, to prospective students who attend our events.

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Feedback and Impact

In 2014-15 we ran over 100 events with schools across the UK, from Hull to the Isle of Wight, and worked with several thousand prospective applicants, teachers and parents (see Appendix A).

Our Bexley schools, which we have worked with particularly closely over the past year, have had a historically low acceptance rate at Oxford and Cambridge: only 15.2% of Bexley applicants received a place in 2012, coming 156th out of 173 local authorities (see page 3). This year 37.9% of applicants from Bexley schools received offers from Oxford, compared to a University-wide average of 19.9%. We are hoping to extend this success to our other regions and increase the number of schools we have sustained and repeated contact with.

Oxford Success Rate for 2015 Entry

Region Success Rate Bexley 37.9% York 33.3% East Riding 28.6% Bromley 24.6% Croydon 22.7% Greenwich 22.7% University Average 19.9% Hull 14.8% Doncaster 8.3%

The impact of our access work can also be seen in the success rate of applicants who attended one or more of our events prior to applying. For example, 33% of students who went on to apply to Oxford after attending our 2014 Study Day gained places; 50% of these offers were made by Mansfield.

Mansfield also continues to be one of the most inclusive colleges in the University. For 2015 entry, 82% of offers made by Mansfield to UK students went to applicants from the state sector, compared to the University average of 54.9%. Mansfield’s state intake has been very similar for the past four years: 80% (2011), 82% (2012), 70% (2013), 80% (2014). Another encouraging statistic is that 81% of our UK state school offers this year went to students from non-selective schools, which are usually particularly underrepresented at Oxford.

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“This trip – seeing Oxford and talking to students - was great! It really motivated me to go on to higher education. Thank you for the chance to attend.” A Year 10 student on an Aspiration Day

We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from students, parents and teachers on the events we run. The recurring message has been that these events are particularly valuable for inspiring prospective students to work hard and aim high, and for making Oxford seem a more welcoming and accessible place.

“I would never have come to Oxford were it not for Mansfield… Mansfield was the only place that seemed welcoming, and it changed my impression of the whole university. My message for students is exactly the same as how I felt – even if you don’t think Oxford’s for you, Mansfield might be.” Alex Botham, 3rd Year PPE student and former JCR Access Rep

We want to continue building on our existing initiatives. Mansfield students, tutors and staff will continue to work together to ensure the college maintains its reputation for friendliness, inclusivity and diversity.

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Appendix A – Visits in 2014/15

Title Date Type New College Swindon Progression Day 19/03/2014 School or College HE Fair Sixth Form College Farnborough Moving On Day 19/03/2014 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Woodhouse College Y12 Talk 19/03/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Harris Federation Next Steps Evening 26/03/2014 School or College HE Fair Harris Academy Crystal Palace Y10 Taster Day 31/03/2014 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Trinity Academy Doncaster Y12 Talk 09/04/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Thomas Tallis Parents Talk 23/04/2014 Parents and Carers Event Thomas Tallis Y12 Talk 23/04/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Shirley High Y10 Taster Day 24/04/2014 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Thomas More Y10 Taster Day 28/04/2014 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Archbishop Lanfranc School Y10 Taster Day 06/05/2014 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Huntingdon School Y11-12 Talk 11/06/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Huntingdon School Y9-10 Talk 11/06/2014 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Samuel Whitbread Y10 Taster Day 12/06/2014 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Bexley Grammar Schools Conference 13/06/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Solihull College Y12 Talk 16/06/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Humberside UCAS Fair* 17/06/2014 UCAS Higher Education Fair Brilliant Club Launch Trip 20/06/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Newstead Wood School Y12 Talk 20/06/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Park Community School Y8 Q&A and Tour 23/06/2014 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home The Arthur Terry School Y10 Taster Day 23/06/2014 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Further Education Open Day 24/06/2014 Oxford Open Day Beverley Joint Sixth Y12 Application Workshop 25/06/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth 1 College Y12 25/06/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Talk East London UCAS Fair* 26/06/2014 UCAS Higher Education Fair Sixth Form College Open Day 27/06/2014 Oxford Open Day Geek Camp 29/06/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Portsmouth College (Feeder Schools G&T) Y10 30/06/2014 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Taster Day Mansfield Study Day 01/07/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Mansfield Open Day (2nd July) 02/07/2014 Oxford Open Day Emmanuel Schools Foundation Visit 03/07/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Mansfield Open Day (3rd July) 03/07/2014 Oxford Open Day Sixth Form College Farnborough Moving On Day 03/07/2014 School or College HE Fair Eton Access Summer School 05/07/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Kemnal Technology College Y10 Visit 08/07/2014 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Samuel Whitbread Y10-11 Talk 08/07/2014 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Samuel Whitbread Y12 Talk 08/07/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away BHASVIC Teachers' Session 09/07/2014 Teachers or Careers Advisers Event

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BHASVIC Y12 Parents' Talk 09/07/2014 Parents and Carers Event BHASVIC Y12 Application Workshop 09/07/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Colchester Royal Grammar School Y12 Visit 15/07/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Social Mobility Foundation Y12 Workshop 16/07/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Darrick Wood School Y12 Tour and Talk 17/07/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Social Mobility Foundation Y12 Talk 09/08/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Woolwich Polytechnic Y12 Visit 05/09/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Mansfield Open Day (19th September) 19/09/2014 Oxford Open Day Havant Sixth Form College HE Fair 26/09/2014 School or College HE Fair Chislehurst School for Girls Careers Fair 01/10/2014 School or College HE Fair Lesser Spotted Sciences Taster Day* 09/10/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Welling School HE Evening 16/10/2014 School or College HE Fair All Saints RC Applying to Oxford Talk 22/10/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away All Saints RC Y13 Workshop 22/10/2014 Yr 13 School or College Visit Away Bellerby's College, Greenwich 23/10/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Kelvin Hall Y10 Aspiration Day 24/10/2014 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Isle of Wight HE Fair 10/10/2014 School or College HE Fair York Schools Interview Workshop 06/11/2014 Yr 13 School or College Visit Away Fulford School Y12 Talk 06/11/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Runshaw College Y12 Information Evening 06/11/2014 Parents and Carers Event Leeds Wakefield Interview Workshop* 07/11/2014 Yr 13 School or College Visit Away Townley and Beths Interview Workshop 12/11/2014 Yr 13 School or College Visit Away Thomas Adams & Countesthorpe College Visit 14/11/2014 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Brilliant Club Launch Trip 18/11/2014 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Beths Grammar School Visit* 18/11/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Carmel College Interview Workshop 19/11/2014 Yr 13 School or College Visit Away St Andrew's Croydon Visit* 26/11/2014 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Harris East Dulwich Careers Fair 13/01/2015 School or College HE Fair Whitgift School Y12 Visit 21/01/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home St Dominic's Sixth Form HE Day 28/01/2015 School or College HE Fair St Dominic's Sixth Form Y12 Talk 28/01/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Harris City Academy Crystal Palace Y9-10 Visit 02/02/2015 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Erith School Careers Evening 04/02/2015 School or College HE Fair Shirley High Y11 Aspiration Day 06/02/2015 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Loreto College Careers Fair 09/02/2015 School or College HE Fair Target Schools Tour and Lunch* 13/02/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Coloma Convent Y11 Aspiration Day 16/02/2015 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Introducing Sciences Day - College Tour* 16/02/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Croydon Children’s University Visit 17/02/2015 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Introducing Humanities and Social Sciences Day - Yr 12 School or College Visit Home 18/02/2015 College Tour* BHASVIC Y12 Visit 23/02/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Villiers Park Y11 Study Day 24/02/2015 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Millthorpe School Y10 Aspiration Day 25/02/2015 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home City of Stoke-on-Trent SFC Y12 Talk (Humanities) 27/02/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away

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City of Stoke-on-Trent SFC Y12 Talk (Sciences) 27/02/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Bexley and Greenwich Application Conference 02/03/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Bromley and Croydon Application Conference 03/03/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Newstead Wood School Y12 Visit 05/03/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Churcher's College Y12 Information Evening 05/03/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Doncaster and York Application Conference 09/03/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Bootham School Y12 Talk 09/03/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away East Riding and Hull Application Conference 10/03/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Headlands School & Bridlington School Y10 Talk 11/03/2015 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Langley Park School for Boys and Farringtons 12/03/2015 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Home School Y10-12 Visit Law Open Day* 16/03/2015 Oxford Open Day Mansfield Study Day 17/03/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home London UCAS HE Fair* 18/03/2015 UCAS Higher Education Fair Townley Grammar Information Evening 18/03/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Pathways Y12 Study Day* 19/03/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Further Maths: What Next?* 23/03/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Home Bexley Grammar School Careers Day 23/03/2015 School or College HE Fair Bexley Grammar School Y10 Talk 23/03/2015 Pre Yr 12 School or College Visit Away St Olave’s Information Evening 23/03/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away Harris Federation Next Steps Evening 25/03/2015 Yr 12 School or College Visit Away

* Events organised by the University or another college, but supported by Mansfield.

Notes

The year groups referred to above cover the following ages:  Pre-Year 12: usually students aged 14-16, occasionally as young as 8-13  Year 12: students aged 16-17  Year 13: students aged 17-18

An ‘away’ event involves a representative from Mansfield visiting a particular school. This could include a talk on making an application to Oxford, an interview workshop, or a session for parents and teachers about how best to support an application.

A ‘home’ event involves a school(s) visiting Mansfield for an introduction to Oxford, and includes a talk explaining Oxford, a tour and Q&A by current students, an academic taster session from one of our tutors or graduate students, a scavenger hunt around Oxford, and lunch in the Hall.

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