It is difficult to disagree with David Lammy`s conclusion that Oxford "is happy to remain an institution defined by entrenched privilege that is the preserve of wealthy, white students from London and the south-east" (Oxford faces anger over failure to improve diversity among students, 23/05/18). If Wadham College thinks drawing its "undergraduate body from a wider social base" drives up standards, why isn`t its percentage of state school students far higher than the present 68%, and why don`t all the other colleges follow suit? The answer clearly lies in Oxbridge`s bias towards white, privately-educated candidates.
Samina Khan might well claim Oxford`s admissions process is "fair and transparent", but what the new figures did not reveal is how many of its students from public schools gained the required entry qualifications by taking Pre-U examinations instead of A-levels, knowing the exams are set and marked by teachers in the independent sector, and are not regulated by the Joint Council for Qualifications, as A-Levels are! It`s obviously not the parents, Ms Khan, who are needed to be "convinced and turned around"!
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