University Life: Building bridges in a bid to attract academic talent

Professor and Tutor in Physics

The Hertford College bridge, which frames the Sheldonian Theatre, may be the most photographed view in Oxford, but few of those viewing the scene probably realise that Hertford College has had an unusually chequered history.

From its earliest incarnation as a rooming hall in the 13th century, it changed hands a number of times before being established as Hertford College in 1740 and then was re-established in 1874.

The bridge was constructed just over a century ago, joining the two halves of the Hertford College main site, but at Hertford, we can also celebrate building a different kind of bridge 50 years ago.

Back then, entrance to Oxford University generally required applicants to sit an Entrance Examination.

Very few state schools could provide the tuition needed to prepare for the exam, unlike the many private schools that were able to support Oxbridge applicants.

The Entrance Exam was a substantial barrier to Oxford entry for children studying at most schools in the UK.

In the mid-1960s, however, a group of Fellows broke ranks with the other colleges at Oxford and began to offer places to study at Hertford to some students from grammar schools (mostly in the north of England), without needing to sit the entrance exam, on the basis of interview performance and teachers’ recommendations.

This opened up an alternative entry route for many state school pupils wanting to study at Oxford, and attracted a number of bright students who would almost certainly not have considered applying otherwise.

Despite initial scepticism and some hostility from other colleges, the Hertford initiative eventually led to reform of the Oxford admissions procedures.

This month, we marked 50 years since the introduction of the Hertford College admissions scheme, by holding a Tanner Day celebration, named after Professor Neil Tanner, admissions tutor at Hertford at the time who was the driving force, with the support of his colleagues.

The Tanner Day celebrations look at the impact of the Tanner Scheme, but also project forward to see how we can still improve in ensuring fair access to the University.

Our Access and Outreach Fellow spends 50 per cent of her time on research and 50 per cent on access and outreach work with schools.

As part of our celebrations, we unveiled a new set of portraits in the college dining hall of 21 state school pupils who have benefited from the Hertford Admissions Scheme over the years.

They have followed a broad range of paths since they completed their studies.

Anyone who wants to visit the college to see the new portraits is welcome at special openings taking place on Sunday afternoons in November.

In the past few years, we have staged a number of events involving current and past students and staff to help students financially. For example, sponsored bike rides – from the Hertford College Bridge to Venice in 2014 and from the West to East coasts of England in 2015 – raised almost £500,000 for bursaries and student support.

The Hertford tradition of promoting fair access and opportunity, regardless of background, continues today.

The legacy from Neil Tanner’s initiative can be seen in the relatively high levels of applications and admissions we receive from state schools, but our job continues to find ways of attracting talented students who can benefit from coming to Oxford.

More details about Hertford College are at hertford.ox.ac.uk