State schools slam new admissions tests
New aptitude tests, designed to distinguish between top applicants in English, Maths, Computer Science and potentially PPE, have been criticised for discriminating against state school students by Headmasters and teaching unions.
John Dunford, the General Secretary for the Association of School and College Leaders, said, “I am worried that these tests will act against the interests of applicants from some state schools, which have less experience of playing the Oxford admissions game than independent or state schools.” A University spokesperson defended the proposals, saying, “What all these tests have in common is that they examine aptitude, rather than knowledge, so applicants can’t prepare for them.
The proportion of State pupils at Oxford has dropped in the last three years to 51%, a fall of almost one percent a year. This is the first time in more than a decade that the University has seen a decline in the number of pupils from state schools taking up a course at Oxford. One in ten A-level students received three grade As or more in 2006, making it harder to discriminate before interview. Similar tests are already taken by Law, Medicine and History applicants.
19th Apr 2007