Parental / jobs/background

[SteveDH]

you may find this interesting...

http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduat ... _cycle.pdf

[delta]

I don' t normally post on here but feel I have to on this. I find your sweeping generalisations about private school kids offensive. I know a number of friends whose children go to a wide range of schools, from 'posh' private to average comp to GS and you would find it hard to tell the difference. They all mix socially, go to the same parties, concerts etc. As someone said earlier it is social background, past family experience of HE that is key. Believe me, there are lots of private school kids out there that are lovely people, who work hard, are thoughtful, considerate and socially aware.

[Guest55]

Delta - I agree but unfortunately there are a lot who think the world owes them a living. It isn't their fault but some have been brought up to think their education is superior because they have paid for it!

[neveragain*]

I don' t normally post on here but feel I have to on this. I find your sweeping generalisations about private school kids offensive. I know a number of friends whose children go to a wide range of schools, from 'posh' private to average comp to GS and you would find it hard to tell the difference. They all mix socially, go to the same parties, concerts etc. As someone said earlier it is social background, past family experience of HE that is key. Believe me, there are lots of private school kids out there that are lovely people, who work hard, are thoughtful, considerate and socially aware.

I agree, I think it was me that said it was attitude and manners etc that made a person not their school life but I don't think past family experience of HE effects that..........more the families values and ethics at home, how difference is discussed, how much value is placed on the material etc......

[ToadMum]

DS - yr12 GS - went on a school visit to Hertford college last term. As he is not renowned for word-mincing, I assumed that if the group had encountered any anti-state-school hostility we would have heard about it at the time, but just to be sure, I nabbed him this evening when he got home.

He said that the student who showed them around told them that Hertford had a relatively high proportion of state-school students, which in itself was a reason that some state-school applicants chose it - but that this wasn't really necessary because in his experience no-one was particularly interested in what kind of school people had gone to.

Reading this thread has made me realise that as a (slightly older, via nurse training and a year as staff nurse in A&E) student at LSE in the '80s, I spent three years completely ignorant of the educational background of a single one of my fellow students, let alone the occupations of their parents.

(I do remember boggling, though, that one chap and his girlfriend - who was at another college, I think - had found the time to have a baby between mocks and university, without even the benefit of a gap year ).

[KB]

I think what fee paying schools and some GS do is to build confidence and with some that can come over as arrogance, especially if the family circumstances reinforce that attitude. It is also possible that for the well off students that haven't mixed with 'ordinary' people until University they simply don't realise that talking about certain aspects of their lifestyle can be off-putting.
University is a great opportunity for all to mix and adjust and it is certainly a shame if the perception of Oxbridge life puts anyone off applying.
Hopefully the colleges are increasing their efforts at attracting students from all backgrounds but it also important that the teachers themselves are encouraging. I know of one inner-city school where pupils are told that 'our students don't apply to Oxbridge'.

[Marylou]

Hopefully the colleges are increasing their efforts at attracting students from all backgrounds but it also important that the teachers themselves are encouraging. I know of one inner-city school where pupils are told that 'our students don't apply to Oxbridge'.

Nail on head, KB! This is the kind of attitude that all the various outreach programmes should be doing their utmost to tackle.

[aliportico]

I think the universities' outreach programmes are working hard at this, and they are fairly transparent about the results, e.g. http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_universit ... index.html

But I'm not sure it's Oxford or Cambridge's fault if teachers are still making comments like that. The teachers should look into it for themselves.

I did some Target Schools visits when I was at Oxford, about 23 years ago, and find the fact that the same old stereotypes are still trotted out very depressing. But we see much of the same sort of thing here at the 11+ level too - people asserting 'facts' that just aren't true!

[push-pull-mum]

I did some Target Schools visits when I was at Oxford, about 23 years ago,

Target Schools! Thanks aliportico - I was trying to remember what they were called!! Yes, they were very active up at Oxford in the 90s.

And they are still out there - pity that they are still needed but glad they are still around.

http://targetschools.ousu.org/

[Marylou]

But I'm not sure it's Oxford or Cambridge's fault if teachers are still making comments like that. The teachers should look into it for themselves.

No, but it must be so frustrating for the outreach officers when they come across them! Especially if they encounter someone with real potential to do well but has been put off applying!

But we see much of the same sort of thing here at the 11+ level too - people asserting 'facts' that just aren't true!

The good old myths and legends! Amazing how they still persist to this day, when the information has never been easier to find!