Daniel Powell, Head of Outreach and Communications at New College, Oxford, shares an introduction to Oxford University’s school outreach work, including an opportunity to join the college’s own Step-Up-Programme.

Founded by William of Wykeham in 1379, New College is one of the oldest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. Occupying a large site in the centre of the city, the college is a diverse and welcoming institution which is made up of roughly 430 undergraduates and 360 graduate students. We are looking forward to hosting a NACE member meetup next month on the theme “Rethinking Assessment”, and to working with NACE on future projects.

How is outreach organised at Oxford University?

Oxford University operates a regionalised approach to its outreach work. Each broad region of the UK will have a dedicated consortium of colleges, who hold responsibility for delivering outreach opportunities to schools in those regions. The central university team will also support schools in certain parts of the UK. You can read more about the regionalised approach to outreach here.  

New College is excited to be part of the consortia responsible for outreach provision in Wales. If you are a Welsh state school and are interested in finding out about how New College and the Wales Consortia can support your school, then please do get in touch via oxfordcymru@admin.ox.ac.uk

What outreach initiatives does New College offer?

Since its foundation in the 14th century, New College has been a pioneer for outreach work. As one of the few Oxford colleges to have a motto written in English, rather than Latin, we have always wanted to be known as an institution that is available and accessible to all, regardless of background.  In the last few years, the college has been able to expand the work that we do and we now have a team made up of Daniel, Shelby (the College’s Outreach Officer), and Stephen (the College’s Outreach Fellow).  

In 2020, we formed the Oxford for Wales Consortia with St. Catherine’s College and Jesus College, to support the University in its regionalised approach to outreach. Daniel and Shelby, as a South and North Walian respectively, are aware of the potential barriers that Welsh students may face when considering Oxford, and are extremely keen to support Welsh teachers, students, and parents in any way that they can.

In addition to regionalised work in Wales, New College also delivers its own sustained-contact initiative, the Step-Up Programme.

What is New College’s Step-Up Programme?

Launched in 2017, New College’s Step-Up Programme is a sustained-contact initiative that is designed to inspire and support state school students throughout Years 11, 12 and 13. It is a non-regionalised outreach initiative with state schools and sixth form colleges from across England and Wales currently enrolled on the programme. Broken into a series of steps, the programme aims to ensure that students with high academic potential recognise that Oxford can be an achievable and realistic goal.   

After beginning in a pilot phase with nine schools in 2017, the programme has gradually grown and New College currently works with 30 state schools and sixth form colleges across England and Wales.  As a fully funded programme, there are minimal costs for schools, and sessions take place either in a school setting or at New College.  

As we recognise that applying to Oxford can sometimes feel like an overwhelming prospect, each step of the programme focuses on a different aspect of the application process. We aim to dispel myths, reassure students, and support schools, so that Oxford University begins to feel like a realistic and achievable ambition.

With a group of New College students to support and offer their own ideas and advice, our outreach team works with schools to break down the barriers that students may be concerned about, providing them with the ‘step up’ they might need.  

If you think that New College’s Step-Up Programme would benefit your school and students, you can read more about the programme on the New College website.

How can schools join the Step-Up Programme?

We are potentially looking to expand the Step-Up Programme. If you would like your school to be considered, please register your interest by emailing stepup@new.ox.ac.uk. Interested schools should be state-funded 11-18 schools or state-funded sixth-form colleges.  

Find out more… Visit the New College website, or follow our Twitter (@NewCollegeOx) or Instagram (@newcollegeoxford) accounts for regular updates about life at New College, Oxford.

Plus... We look forward to meeting some of you in person at the NACE member meetup on 23 March 2022. Read more and register here.