A pilot scheme twinning five Oxford colleges with local primary schools has been launched, offering special facilities and activities to children, parents, and teachers.
The initiative is being led by the Oxford Hub, a charity “working to build a more equal, resilient and connected Oxford.” St John’s, New, Somerville, Trinity, and Exeter Colleges will be partnered with Rose Hill, Woodfarm, St Frideswide, St Christopher’s, and John Henry Newman Primary Schools respectively.
The school communities will benefit from a close relationship with the colleges, including access to their facilities and teaching staff. The colleges will offer both extra-curricular activities and academic support. Children will be able to eat in the dining halls, join in with singing in the chapels, and also have access to sessions with tutors and students.
This will expand upon the Oxford Hub’s Schools Plus Programme, which pairs children with students to provide extra tuition and help achieve their full academic potential.
Andrew Allen, Chaplain at Exeter College, told The Oxford Blue that the Exeter Governing Body recently voted through the initiative and that he will be involved in the programme once it commences, as he is ‘keen to encourage children to come and sing in our chapel’.
Jan Royall, principal of Somerville College, told the BBC: “This pilot has the potential to create real and lasting relationships between colleges and local schools, raising aspirations, bringing the university and local community closer together and reducing educational inequality in our city.”
The scheme is part of wider support offered to local children through Oxford University’s Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach team, as well as through individual departments and colleges. The Twinning Programme specifically targets local primary schools and has the broader aim of tackling educational inequality and improving access to the university.