Office for Students respond to new access schemes at Oxford

Responding to the announcement of two new access schemes at the University of Oxford, Chris Millward, director for fair access and participation, said:

'Radical change is needed if gaps in access between the most and least advantaged students are to shrink at the most selective universities. These proposals from Oxford are a positive step in the right direction, although of course there is much more to do. The Office for Students has, and will continue to, put pressure on these universities to close the gaps which mean five times more students from advantaged backgrounds are admitted compared to their disadvantaged peers. It is good to see a number of universities, including Oxford, responding positively to this pressure. We will look closely at the effectiveness of these innovative new schemes in order to make sure that it is your potential, and not your postcode, that is the key to getting on in life.'