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Outreach with schools and colleges

At Hertford College, we believe that our academic excellence is a reflection of our open and welcoming community.

We work with teachers and pupils to open up access to Oxford, focusing primarily on our regional links in London and the East of England. Find out more on these pages, from our programmes with schools and colleges to our innovative video competition.

Our outreach programmes

Our outreach team

Super-Curricular Challenge

Oxford for East England

Today, we have a diverse and vibrant undergraduate community, most of whom come from UK state schools. In October 2020, 81% of our new UK undergraduates joined us from state schools (compared to the University average of 68%).

We have a long-standing commitment to widening participation in higher education and a well-established policy of open access. We are proud that we were one of the first all-male colleges to admit women in the 1970s. And we’re proud that we took the lead in withdrawing from the entrance examination system that disadvantaged applicants from the state sector through the revolutionary Tanner scheme. In the present day, we organise a wide range of activities to support under-represented applicants and proudly participate in the University of Oxford’s outreach initiatives, including the Opportunity Oxford scheme.

Camden, Essex, Medway, Peterborough, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock

Every college at Oxford is part of the ‘link colleges’ scheme, which links outreach staff to particular local authorities in the UK. At Hertford we’re responsible for maintaining relationships with teachers in Essex (including Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock), Medway, Peterborough and the London Borough of Camden. We also have links with schools all over the country through our current students, alumni, staff and fellows.

Our connections in Essex and Peterborough form part of the Oxford for East England initiative. See the drop down below for more information about this collaborative outreach programme.
Oxford for East England

At the University of Oxford, we have a long history of working with schools and students from across the East of England. In autumn 2020, we launched a new approach to improve how the university collaborates with these schools and to encourage more students from the East of England to make successful applications to Oxford and other top UK universities.

Oxford for East England brings together three Oxford colleges with established links in the region: Balliol, Hertford and Wadham. Together, we’ll work with pupils, teachers and families to provide bespoke support where it’s needed, from helping raise attainment to offering professional advice about applying to university.

Find out more at www.oxford.ox.ac.uk/oxfordforEE.
Opportunity Oxford

We’re delighted to support Oxford University’s Opportunity Oxford scheme, which aims to prepare talented offer-holders from under-represented backgrounds in the UK for their time at Oxford. Students invited on Opportunity Oxford are made the standard offer for their course and then take part in a supportive bridging programme in the run-up to their first term at Oxford.

The programme is designed to explore and develop high-level academic skills that will help them with their studies here. It also gives an insight into what life as an Oxford student will be like so, when participants arrive to start their degree course, they can feel confident and know exactly what is expected of them and what to expect from Oxford.

Teachers’ Bulletin & Teacher Forums

If you work in one of our link regions (see above), sign up to our monthly Teachers’ Bulletin for all the latest news, events and opportunities from Oxford.
SUBSCRIBE READ THE LATEST BULLETIN ONLINE

Join our Oxford for East England Teacher Forums to learn more about the admissions process and share best practice with colleagues. The webinars and networking sessions take place throughout the school year at 4pm on Wednesdays. Find out more and sign up on our Teacher Forums page.