Oxford University is to spend more than £3.3 million on “decolonising” the curriculum.

The aim is to prevent microaggressions with a clear drive forward at closing the attainment gaps between black and white students.

A £841,000 campaign to prevent racial harassment and bullying as well as boosting the reporting of microaggressions will feature.

A further £379,000 will be then spent paying black and “racially minoritised” students and researchers to “design and conduct inquiries into their university experiences”.

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The University of Oxford.The University of Oxford. (Image: Unsplash)

Departments will also be handed more than £500,000 to “diversify curricula” and develop “more inclusive teaching and assessment”.

The move relates to one element of the university’s Access and Participation Plan which is a statutory requirement for higher education providers.

In 2023, almost 29 per cent of the university’s intake was black, Asian or another ethnic minority which was up from 22 per cent in 2019.

A spokesperson for the University of Oxford said: “The university's latest Access and Participation Plan, approved by The Office for Students, outlines the university’s ongoing commitments to support undergraduate candidates with the highest potential to make strong applications to Oxford, and to support all of our students once they are here, without compromising our high academic standards.

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“In delivering the plan, and as part of our ongoing programme of on course support offered to our students, we will put in place additional measures to support all our students to achieve their full potential."

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