A teacher's crusade to get pupils from his Manchester state school into Oxford and Cambridge has struck gold.
This year four times the usual number of pupils at inner-city Xaverian College have been offered places at the top universities after lessons were introduced to help them compete with private schools kids.
Usually only three or four students from the Rusholme college are accepted but this year 12 have been offered places.
Assistant principal Peter Birch puts it down to extra tutoring aimed at building confidence and interview techniques.
Mr Birch said he became frustrated with the number of places given to private school pupils.
While around eight per cent of pupils in Britain go to private schools they typically make up half of those getting Oxbridge places.
Mr Birch said: “Private school pupils are still so over-represented there it’s become my crusade to help more children from inner Manchester to get in.
“We have some very talented children and want to show them it’s OK to be proud of their achievements.
“Oxbridge is such a fantastic opportunity and I want our kids to have a share of it. When you ask them at Oxbridge why they favour private school pupils they say it’s because they are more confident, self assured and rounded – I want to make sure our kids are equally self assured.”
As part of the ‘stretch and challenge’ scheme, the college targeted 220 students identified as gifted when they enrolled two years ago. Eighty then went on to be fast-tracked towards Oxbridge applications with residential trips to the university cities, problem-solving activities and group sessions to boost confidence.
Jess Gurney, 17, passed exams and an interview to be offered a place to study medicine at Cambridge’s Newnham College.
She said: “The course was really helpful for getting used to being interviewed and writing our personal statements. I’m so excited to be offered a place.”
Robin Masters, 18, hopes to get the grades to study politics, philosophy and economics at Jesus College, Oxford.
He said: “The college really encouraged us to have a go at applying. It was a great feeling to find out I’d got in and I can’t wait to go there.”
Tweet
Comments
Login or Register to comment
Well done this college and its vice principal! So this college, in one year, has gone from three Oxbridge places to twelve. Now other maintained schools and colleges should copy its examples instead of saying, as some of them do, "Oxbridge is not for the likes of our pupils." Aim for the best. Excelsior! The vice-principal has done so well that one might overlook his calling his pupils "kids". However, men with white beards should especially avoid using the American slang term for children "kids" since it might make the bearded ones appear to be old billy goats.
Excellent work, we need to be challenging the toffs at every opportunity. Power to the People !!!!!!
This teacher deserves massive respect. Good work
Great news that Xaverian College can be justifiably proud of. However, these offers are conditional on the twelve students gaining the necessary grades to turn the offers into acceptances. Now is the time for the twelve to work their socks off to do this and, in essence, back up the great work of the admirable Mr. Birch.
Is there not 13 pupils in that picture or are my eyes going? As a former Xaverian Brother its nice to see my old college doing well.
Excellent, and well done to them all.
"While around eight per cent of pupils in Britain go to private schools they typically make up half of those getting Oxbridge places."
Well, that is the price for killing of Grammar Schools - the clever poor now get to sit through a relatively mediocre state education, surrounded by people not that interested in education and are adversely affected by that.
The left spent ages killing Grammar Schools off, the result being less social mobility and politics being monopolized by the privately educated, of course they now whinge about that and refuse to take responsibility for their own part in it.
WELL DONE TO ALL THE PUPILS AND THE TEACHERS .
A selective state school and don't anyone dare argue, they only accept the brightest and scour the areas primary schools for 12 months to achieve just that.
In response to 'Proper Sentences'...
I would advise you to take notice of the comment from Jimmy TheMoonlight as he has pretty much hit the nail on the head.
However, just to clear thing up once and for all...
Firstly, Xaverian is indeed a Sixth Form College and not a state school. Therefore, we certainly do not scour primary schools as part of our recruitment!
Secondly and more importantly, Xaverian welcome applications from all students who wish to follow their education in a Christian environment and who support the ethos of the college. Selection is not based solely on academic talent as you suggest.
If students attend a Catholic School or Trinity Church of England High School, or if they are a Catholic studying at another school, Xaverian should be able to offer them a place, as we are a Catholic Sixth Form after all. This is providing students apply in good time and suitable courses can be agreed.
All applications are considered, and the college will look at suitability of courses, personal statements and supportive references from the high school to help inform our decision.
I hope that helps.
Considering that the highly selective Manchester Grammar School, where fees are around £10,000 per year, received 19 Oxbridge offers, this is an outstanding performance. Congratulations. Let's hope that it is the beginning of a sea change where ability and not background is the determining factor.