Wednesday 26 September 2018

Keble Launches Partnership with The Access Project

On Wednesday 26th September, Keble launched a brand new partnership with The Access Project at Colmers School in Birmingham.

The event celebrated a milestone in Keble’s Access and Outreach work: the College joined forces with a charity to support bright young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to win places at top universities through a rigorous programme of embedded support, tuition and mentorship.

A young person who has participated in The Access Project’s programme is more than twice as likely to go to a top university than another student with the same academic track record and background – this is set against a backdrop in which only 2.5 per cent of young people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds get a place at a top university.

Sir Jonathan Phillips, Warden of Keble College, said “Not enough bright and motivated young people from less advantaged backgrounds are getting into the best universities. This is true in the West Midlands as in some other areas. We want to attract the most talented students to come to Keble and other institutions from the widest possible range of backgrounds and to realise their full academic potential.”

This brand new partnership with The Access Project will deepen Keble’s long-term commitment to schools and students in the West Midlands. In total, Keble’s widening participation work reaches out to more than 3,000 students a year in Birmingham, Sandwell, Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire, which are linked with the College as part of Oxford’s Regional Outreach Scheme. The Access Project partnership adds to that work through intensive involvement grounded in a local community, and commits Keble to supporting embedded work in schools over a number of years.