We want to work with schools who would like additional support in raising the aspirations and attainment of their students regarding Higher Education, including Oxbridge applications.
Somerville is linked to schools in Buckinghamshire, Kingston-upon-Thames, Hounslow, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight through Oxford’s link college outreach system, so we are particularly interested to hear from schools and teachers in those areas.
Our Access & Outreach work aims to increase the participation of students who are statistically less likely to progress to higher education. We can use our resources most effectively if we prioritise schools with higher numbers of students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. We’re also really keen to help schools with fewer internal resources and little to no recent history of successful Oxford and Cambridge applications. We are still happy to host visits from schools with fewer disadvantaged students, if they feel that we can add to the support they already provide.
For any school group visiting Somerville, we would request that priority is given to students who are more likely to need extra support in accessing university, such as students who have experience of care, are eligible for free school meals, from service families, are the first in their family to go to university, who identify as BAME and/or are from less affluent backgrounds.
Future Focus Programme
Our Future Focus programme aims to provide informative and engaging activities to school students in KS3, KS4 and KS5, so that they make their post-16 and post-18 choices equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to fulfil their potential.
We offer a range of virtual sessions and in person visits. Take a look at our Access and Outreach Brochure below to find out more about what support we can offer and our suggested activities for each key stage:
Please book your visit or activity using the link below, which includes the option to book both in person and virtual visits depending on what works best for you and your students. Please note that we cannot guarantee more than one event per school per academic year due to staff availability. Where schools request multiple visits, we will prioritise schools with higher numbers of disadvantaged students, please see here for more information.
Resources for Teachers and Students
As a member of the University of Oxford, Somerville is committed to enabling students and their teachers enrich their learning and prepare themselves as fully as possible for the challenges of higher education. As well as checking out our page of digital resources for students, you can use the following links to access a range of resources from the wider University, prepared for this purpose.
Teachers’ Newsletter
We regularly publish a Teachers’ Newsletter and mail it out to schools in our link regions. To receive the newsletter direct to your inbox and ensure you never miss a copy, please email access@some.ox.ac.uk
