Access & Outreach 2024

Access &Outreach St John’s

A year of Access and Outreach at St John’s College, Oxford

Our Programmes

7 Overview The St John’s Difference

INSPIRE SCHOLARS PROGRAMME FOR YEARS 9, 10 AND 11

9 Aims of our work Our work is guided by a clear set of objectives that look far beyond Oxford.

10 Impact and Evaluation Through robust external quantitative evaluation and continued internal evaluation, we’re proud to demonstrate the impact our programmes make.

12 Investment Access and Outreach is a strategic priority for the College and our expenditure reflects this.

14 Inspire Scholars Programme for Years 9, 10 and 11 The flagship sustained-contact access programme for pre-GCSE pupils in our link regions.

INSPIRE YEARS 12 AND 13

18 Inspire Teachers Scholars Programme Guidance and career development for our community of Inspire Teacher Leads.

20 Inspire Critical Thinking A comprehensive digital sustained contact outreach programme for Years 9, 10 and 11 across the country.

23 Inspire Years 12 and 13 Our flagship sustained-contact access programme for those studying for A-Levels in our link regions.

INSPIRE CRITICAL THINKING YEARS 9, 10 AND 11

28 Inspire Study Days Immersive subject-specific Study Days at St John’s for Year 12s across the country.

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Our Programmes 29 Subject Exploration Days Opportunities for any Year 12 pupil to attend talks and workshops, find out more about the course at Oxford and meet current St John’s students.

30 Inspire Summer Schools Residential Summer Schools at St John’s for Inspire pupils, plus our popular Virtual Summer School.

INSPIRE SUMMER SCHOOLS YEARS 9, 10, 11 AND 12

34 Future Plans for 2025 Developing a new Digital Platform for our programmes.

36 Inspire Primary and Community Engagement Opportunities for target schools to visit the College to learn about higher education, build skills and explore St John’s.

40 Access Visits Bespoke Access Visits for non-selective state schools in our link regions throughout the academic year.

42 Open Days 4000 people visit the College each year during our Open Days in which any prospective candidate and their family can explore the College, meet undergraduates and talk to tutors.

INSPIRE PRIMARY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

44 Offer-holder Support Support continues after candidates are made an offer with our inperson and virtual Offer-holder Days.

46 Welfare & Wellbeing The Welfare and Wellbeing support and provision at St John’s.

48 Inspire Inreach A programme of internships and development opportunities to help undergraduates build skills for life.

53 Our partnerships We partner with other Access and Outreach specialists including Target Oxbridge and UNIQ.

INREACH OPPORTUNITIES FOR ST JOHN’S STUDENTS

56 Inspire Steering Committee Strategic oversight from senior figures within the College and expert external advisors.

67 How to support our programmes Our programmes are supported philanthropically by donors who share our belief in the power of education to transform lives.

Even small amounts of support can make a difference.

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From the President

Professor Lady Sue Black, Baroness Black of Strome LT DBE FRS FRSE FRAI FRSB ChFA

St John’s College is very clear in its core purpose: we aim to admit students with the highest academic aptitude, irrespective of background, and enable them to reach their potential through the best academic teaching and resources, and with encouragement and support of their wellbeing and welfare.

In striving to encourage applications from the very best, we recognise that social mobility is a challenge and that many disparities emerge in school between pupils from less privileged and more privileged backgrounds, often with lifelong consequences.

Disadvantage impacts early and is hard to overcome.

In understanding this, we purposely devote considerable resources to our access and outreach programmes to encourage pupils with exceptional promise to aim high, to stretch themselves academically, and to be confident in making well-founded applications to top universities including Oxford.

I hope that this overview will illustrate how our Inspire programme provides pupils of all ages with inspiring curriculum content and resources, how we support teachers and help them to disseminate best practice, and how we encourage parents and carers to aspire on behalf of their children.

We have built strong strategic partnerships within our local communities and in our link regions across the country. If you would like to know more – or to be a part of Inspire – do please get in touch.

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Overview: the St John’s Difference Access and Outreach at St John’s encompasses programmes for ages 4 to 18 years that raise the aspirations and attainment of pupils in the local community, in our link regions and across the country. Our work is unmatched in scale and ambition within the Oxford Colleges.

Core programmes are restricted to those studying at nonselective state schools, and our team use a sophisticated targeting system to ensure that our access programmes prioritise those with the greatest need.

Our programmes are not limited to engaging those who might apply to St John’s or even Oxbridge. Whilst many participants do go on to study at elite universities, we offer something for almost every young person studying at a state school in the UK. All of our programmes are completely free and many include additional generous financial support in the form of travel awards, digital awards, book grants and research awards to ensure that those most disadvantaged can participate fully.

We will take the ambitious step in 2024/25 to launch a webbased virtual learning environment to further extend our reach to pupils and teachers who may benefit from being enrolled in our virtual programmes.

We are proud to make a difference to the lives of thousands of young people each year and to be able to demonstrate this through our quantitative and qualitative evaluation strategies.

Access and Outreach is embedded across the College.

All staff share the Access Office’s commitment and play their part in supporting target pupils – as does the College’s student body. Our work is overseen by a Steering Committee of internal and external advisers.

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Zoe Hancock, Principal Bursar Investing in technology to increase and improve our contact with our Inspire cohorts We are currently reviewing our use of technology across the College.

As always, Inspire has been ahead of the College in terms of its digital access, but it, too, needs to enhance its offering. To remove obstacles to learning and encourage engagement, the technology our Inspire Pupils use must be easy to access. We want to provide a system that enables pupils or their teachers to easily identify their learning journey and tailor it to their individual needs or interests. We want to not only provide the skills they require to learn effectively, but to enable them to gain the confidence that they are developing these skills, and to easily signpost them to resources and activities which will build their skills in areas where they want to progress. It is also essential that we make the administrative aspects of the system as simple as possible so that the Inspire Team can focus on value-added activities. We want the system to evaluate effectively to see which resources have the most significant impact and, more importantly, where we need to improve or remove resources. The Inspire programme is already reaching many thousands of pupils; we want to have a system that could expand significantly at little additional cost to allow us to raise aspirations for even more young people in the future. We do have a big ambition, but very wisely we are thinking big and starting small.

We look forward to sharing the development of our new digital platform over the coming year.

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Our Impact Our Access and Outreach programmes reach thousands of pupils across the country each year. We continuously evaluate these interventions internally, as well as partnering with specialist education evaluators and data consultancies to deliver independently verified analysis.

To better understand the effect of the 69,133 annual pupil contact hours within our programmes, we partnered with Opportuned for an external evaluation of our impact.

Opportuned are an independent Educational Consultancy that works to put data and research at the heart of the design and evaluation of university access, outreach and widening participation initiatives.

76%

of our participants end up attending a top 1/3 ranked university

11%

of our participants end up attending a top 3 ranked university

We are particularly proud of the fact that this pattern can be seen even with the most disadvantaged participants. 76% of our participants from postcodes with the lowest HE progression go on to attend a top 1/3 ranked university, with 11% attending one of the top three.

The national average, by comparison, shows that 35% of students who go on to Higher Education from these postcodes study at a top 1/3 institution.

Pupils on our programme may also take part in activities offered by other universities and so the effect may be cumulative.

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2023–2024 in Numbers

69,133 pupil contact hours

3,224

321

1,000

663

485

SUMMER SCHOOL ATTENDEES

PUPILS VISITING ST JOHN’S ON ACCESS VISITS AND PRIMARY VISITS

STUDY DAY ATTENDEES

PUPILS ON INSPIRE Y12

547

945

1,623

98

PUPILS ON INSPIRE Y13

Y9, 10 AND 11 INSPIRE SCHOLARS

INSPIRE CRITICAL THINKING PUPILS

OFFER-HOLDER DAY ATTENDEES

149

44

200

475

TRAVEL AWARDS

TEACHERS ON OUR PROGRAMMES

PARENTS WHO ATTENDED OUR EVENTS

PRIMARY SCHOOL BOOK AWARDS

8,641

hits on the Virtual Summer School

hits on the Inspire Critical Thinking Programme

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Our Investment

Access and Outreach is a strategic priority for the College and we are proud to play a significant role in Oxford’s ever-more progressive approach to widening access. In 2023/24, the College invested £525,413 in access and outreach, with a further £196,000 of support from generous philanthropic giving.

£721,413 £38,200 total access spend

Additionally, we invest a further £38,200 subsidising Oxford University’s flagship UNIQ Outreach programme for Y12 pupils.

£196,000 22% Supported by £170,000 in Philanthropic Giving

£525,413 College Investment*

22% of our undergraduate students are in receipt of bursaries, with the College committing £74,277 in 2023/24 to supporting these students. Students with a household income assessed as being £7,500 or less receive an annual bursary of £5,800, whilst those with a household income between £7,500 and £32,500 receive an annual bursary of £5,000.

£155,729

In 2023/24 £155,729 was invested each year in REACH undergraduate scholarships to ensure that a St John’s education is accessible to people from all over the world. Reach Oxford scholarships are offered to students from low-income countries who, for political or financial reasons, or because suitable educational facilities do not exist, cannot study for a degree in their own countries. * College investment: the college has decided to prioritise Access over our commercial conference business.

Our investment includes lost opportunity costs for accommodation and catering.

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What sets our work apart?

Free for participants, free for schools

All of our programmes are completely free and we are able to provide additional generous grants to broaden participation to ensure that there are as few barriers to entry as possible.

For all

Our programmes are broad in scope and offer something for everyone. Whether in the local community, in our link regions or nationally, we work to share the resources of St John’s with young learners. Whether through access visits or through a curriculum-enhancing programme for all abilities, we are proud to work with all pupils, not just the most able.

Our programmes reach teachers who take part in our career-enhancing programmes as Inspire Teacher Leads, and we support parents and carers in providing the information and confidence to support their children academically, and in their university applications.

For those most disadvantaged

We use a sophisticated targeting system for our most intensive engagements to give priority to those who have the least support from other sources.

For the entire educational journey

We don’t only support pupils with their progression into Higher Education, but throughout their time at school to raise academic attainment and aspirations.

For those who come to St John’s, the College provides generous on-course support and career development opportunities to ensure that the needs of those most disadvantaged are not overlooked once they reach university.

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Katie Inwood is the Inspire 9, 10 and 11 Programme Lead and School Partnership Coordinator.

Inspire Years 9, 10 and 11 Scholars Programme What is the programme?

Inspire Clubs

The Inspire Scholars Programme for Years 9, 10 and 11 is a sustained-contact programme developed collaboratively with schools in our link regions to help pupils explore their interests beyond the curriculum, develop academic skills and explore their prospects. The programme has several components – from Inspire Clubs to Teacher Conferences, to Parent Information Sessions – to ensure that Inspire Scholars, their schools, and their supporters feel excited by, and engaged with higher education. Partner schools choose a small cohort of Year 9 pupils selected on academic and socio-economic criteria to be Inspire Scholars.

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SCHOLARS ENROLLED ON THE PROGRAMME

Inspire Club Classes are super-curricular classes and workshops designed by our education professionals and delivered by in-school teachers.

We have a full range of classes detailed in our Class Options Booklet, and more classes are being added to the programme all the time.

Classes include: • Exploring Entomology (Biology) • Punishment and Guilt (Psychology) • Portraits Unlocked (Art) We offer grants of £300 to cover class materials and a £300 grant for refreshments for each participating year group in a school’s Inspire Scholars programme.

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SCHOOLS IN THE INSPIRE PARTNERSHIP

Inspire Scholars

28 CLUB CLASSES

92%

OF PUPILS REMAINED ON THE PROGRAMME SINCE 2022

“As a classroom teacher of 9 years, I always enjoyed helping pupils to discover a love of learning and nurture their curiosity by engaging in discussions over the ‘whys’, pinpointing them to areas beyond the curriculum to explore their interests. My further responsibilities as Coordinator for More Able pupils and Assistant Head of Sixth Form necessitated finding relevant super-curricular opportunities for the whole school to access but it was frustrating that many university outreach programmes only offered the odd competition, or short visit with little time for pupils to see what university could offer them. The Inspire Scholars Programme offers so much more and truly understands what is necessary to allow young people to explore academia in an accessible and meaningful way. As programme lead, I aim to expand the selection of resources available to pupils and support teaching colleagues in their professional development and running of the programme, through an established partnership across our Inspire Schools, offering mentorship, celebration events and sharing of best practice.” Katie Inwood, Programme Lead and School Partnership Coordinator 14

“The Inspire programme has helped me broaden my knowledge beyond the curriculum with its after-school sessions and made me a generally more all-rounded student…The programme has started conversations between me and my family and friends about the topic we learned and overall helped spread knowledge about varying subjects” Burtu, A Year 10 Scholar

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Inspire Years 9, 10 and 11 Scholars Programme Priority College Visits Inspire priority visits offer scholars the chance to experience life at St John’s and explore higher education pathways. They include:

HARROW EALING

• Information, advice and guidance about Higher Education • Academic taster sessions and critical thinking workshops • Free lunch in our Hall • A Q&A with our student ambassadors • Tours of St John’s College • Visits to Oxford’s Museums

EAST SUSSEX BRIGHTON & HOVE WEST SUSSEX SOUTHAMPTON

INSPIRE PARTNER SCHOOLS Park High School Pinner High School Ratton School * Rooks Heath School St Andrew’s Church of England High School* St Mark’s Church of England School* St Oscar Romero Catholic School* St Paul’s Catholic College* Tanbridge House School* Testwood School* The Cardinal Wiseman Roman Catholic School The Eastbourne Academy* The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls The Weald Community School and Sixth Form* Twyford Church of England High School Uckfield College* Uplands Academy* Villiers High School Whitmore High School William Perkin Church of England High School Woodlands Community College*

Alec Reed Academy Avanti House Secondary School Beacon Academy* Bentley Wood High School Brentside High School Claverham Community College* Dormers Wells High School Drayton Manor High School* Durrington High School* Ealing Fields High School Featherstone High School Felpham Community College* Greenford High School Harrow High School Hatch End High School Hazelwick School* Heathfield Community College* Ifield Community College* King’s Academy Ringmer* King’s School Hove* Northolt High School

* New Schools since 2023

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“Today was a spectacular day! The virtual reality experience was one of a kind - it managed to be fun and informative at the same time...

St John’s Inspire has been a wonderful chance for me to be able to experience all these extraordinary opportunities.”

Hanan, Year 10 Scholar Inspire Aspiration Fund

Inspire Parents and Carers

The Inspire Aspiration fund offers Inspire Club the chance to apply for a limited number of competitive grants of up to £650 to run a trip or in-school visit.

It’s another way of providing opportunities for Inspire Scholars to learn new skills and experience new educational settings.

We provide digital resources and online sessions to enable parents and carers to support their Inspire Scholar’s academic ambitions and progression.

This includes live twilight information sessions on topics such as:

Example of previous Aspiration Fund experiences include:

• How to support pupils on the Scholars Programme • Effective study and revision techniques • Encouraging motivation • GCSE options and future pathways

• A Horizons of Khufu VR experience • A visit to the Faculty of Divinity in Cambridge • A team-building opportunity at the Crystal Maze Live Experience • A rock symphony orchestra concert at the Royal Albert Hall

This is followed by a live Q and A. Each session is recorded and posted online for parents and carers to access in their own time.

“Over the course of the last year, our daughter has very much enjoyed being a scholar, and she has certainly gained confidence in her academic abilities, in addition to strengthening bonds of friendship with other participants. As parents who do not have a British background, through the St John’s Inspire Programme we have acquired clarity and understanding of what universities in the UK look like, the application process and other aspects of university life.”

A parent of a Year 10 Scholar 17

Inspire Teachers Scholars Programme

“I found the linking in the Inspire Art History resources with oracy really powerful. Oracy is very big in school right now, and I welcome more ideas in improving children’s oracy in classroom. I think Katie and the team have done a fantastic job in planning and organising the day. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you!”

Hong, An Inspire Teacher Lead

When a teacher becomes an Inspire Teacher Lead, they join a community of like-minded teachers who enjoy a suite of benefits and career-enhancing opportunities. As part of this, we offer an annual Teachers’ Conference, a fully-funded Teachers’ Staycation in Oxford, an online Teachers’ Hub, Teach Meets as well as paid opportunities to develop specialist content for our programmes.

Inspire Teacher Leads Conference The Inspire Teacher Leads Conference is an annual event hosted at St John’s to promote career development and build a the Inspire network. The 2023/24 Conference hosted in March had a packed timetable that included the following: • A fascinating lecture on the forensics of hands by President of St John’s, Professor Lady Sue Black; • A workshop on High Learning Potential by Professor Deborah Eyre; • A session delivered by Talk the Talk on techniques for improving oracy in the classroom; • A talk on supporting students academically and mentally in their transition to university by St John’s Head of Welfare, Hanne Clark; • Networking opportunities over lunch and refreshments with St John’s Fellows, other Inspire Teacher Leads, and student ambassadors.

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Inspire Teachers Two-night Staycation Inspire Teachers are invited to stay at St John’s during the summer months as a token of our appreciation for leading the programme in their schools. Accommodation and breakfast are provided free of charge, with grants available towards the cost of travel and a cultural activity of their choice. We want to increase familiarity with the University and city and ensure Oxford feels as welcoming to teachers on the Programme as it does to pupils.

“We had an incredible staycation! Thank you so much for arranging it. We particularly enjoyed having time to browse the museums and strolling around the Radcliffe camera. Our favourite thing was our river cruise!”

Hannah, An Inspire Teacher Lead

Termly Teach Meets Inspire Teacher Leads are invited to Termly Teach Meets to develop connections with like-minded education professionals. These give colleagues an opportunity to discuss best practice and experiences to the Inspire Programme, pedagogy and their professional development.

Inspire Teachers Hub To encourage more collaboration across the Inspire Partnership, the Hub has been created to enable colleagues to network with fellow Teacher Leads.

We are introducing Hub schools in each link region to offer mentorship, celebration events and to bring Scholars together from our Inspire Schools, with a pilot starting with The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls in Ealing.

“We have seen a profound positive impact on both our staff and our pupils. We strongly believe that this innovative and engaging programme has provided our pupils with invaluable resources and opportunities. It has also enriched their learning experiences and raised their aspirations.”

An Inspire Teacher Lead

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Inspire Critical Thinking Inspire Critical Thinking is our online programme that caters for all abilities; all pupils at non-selective UK state schools can join. The course approaches a central theme from a variety of subject viewpoints. Each virtual class includes critical thinking skills sessions, academic articles, interviews, recorded lectures, and challenges developed by University of Oxford academics and students. Pupils also have a chance to submit responses to super challenges and discover more about the University through Oxford Spotlights. All registered pupils are also invited to the Inspire Virtual Summer School.

In 2023/24, pupils explored the enquiry ‘Does Crime Always Deserve Punishment?’, with opportunities to read about themes such as: • Should the age of criminal responsibility change?

• Can animals commit crimes?

• How much of a threat is cybercrime?

• How has social media affected the courtroom?

This year’s programme also introduced pupils to the critical thinking skills of argument fallacies, credibility and persuasion in the form of entertaining videos to help break down the concepts. Our new character, Ima Lyer, applied these critical thinking skills to more familiar scenarios, bringing these skills to life. Pupils also had opportunities to vote on polls and share their opinions in an online discussion forum.

“It’s a nice break from school work as it explores different topics you’d not usually encounter in enough detail to secure a good understanding of new ideas and concepts. The articles are well written and I like how lots are written by students as well. The Oxford spotlight section is also very interesting” Juliette, Year 10 Pupil

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“I would say that my favourite part of Inspire Critical Thinking is the way each article makes you think and want to find out more. Each workshop offers a wide range of articles so there is something for everyone, no matter what interests them. This is so useful, as in my Critical Thinking club it allows us to have deep debates and meaningful discussions about big topics.”

Emily, Year 10 Pupil

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“ My advice to those slightly unsure about taking part in the programme would be to just go for it. It may seem intimidating, but it will prove so helpful for the whole application process. And there are even prizes up for grabs for the various tasks!”

E brahim Jadama, Former Inspire 12 and 13 pupil and current St John’s Student

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Inspire Years 12 & 13

Oliver Hedges is the Inspire 12 and 13 Programme Lead.

What is the programme?

The Inspire 12&13 Programme is our sustained-contact programme aimed at pupils looking to go to university. Any pupil at a non-selective 6th form or college within our link region is eligible to register on the programme. These pupils sign up directly with us, rather than through their school and once signed up pupils are given a range of academic opportunities and skills sessions to help them achieve their Higher Education aspirations. The programme aims to be flexible; allowing pupils to engage with the areas they find interesting, or feel they need support with, without hindering their important academic studies.

In 2023/24,

485 pupils

were enrolled on the Year 12 Programme, alongside

547

in the Year 13 programme.

ACADEMIC TASTER LECTURES

INSPIRE STUDY DAYS AND SUBJECT EXPLORATION DAYS (Y12)

POSITIVELY YOU (Y12 & Y13)

RESIDENTIAL SUMMER SCHOOL (Y12)

VIRTUAL SUMMER SCHOOL (Y12)

INSPIRE RESEARCH PROJECT (Y13)

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“Coming from other Access and Outreach roles in the university, I recognise many of the pitfalls and struggles faced by pupils looking towards Higher Education. With this in mind, I am really proud of the Inspire 12 & 13 programme.

By ensuring pupils have access to all the information and opportunities they need to submit a competitive application to their institution of choice, we help remove some of the barriers they may otherwise face. The Research Project in particular is my favourite part of the programme. By encouraging pupils to conduct independent research the programme gets them to stretch themselves and dip their toes into university-style education. In the coming years I aim to expand the academic offerings of the programme further. By running online tutorials, we will further tackle an area many pupils struggle with most; being able to discuss academic subjects verbally. Meanwhile additional academic taster sessions will allow pupils to explore a wider variety of topics, many of which they will not have had the opportunity to experience before.”

Oliver Hedges, Inspire 12 and 13 Programme Lead

INSPIRE RESEARCH SKILLS DAY (Y12)

MOVING TO UNIVERSITY HUB (Y13)

INSPIRE BOOK AWARDS (FOR ADMISSIONS TESTS PREPARATION BOOKS)

(Y12)

TUTORIALS WITH GRADUATE STUDENTS

Inspire Year 12 Academic Taster Lectures – Years 12 & 13 Each month a new set of super-curricular lectures and resources are released, each specially developed by academics from the University of Oxford. Every set of lectures includes subjects from across STEM, Humanities and Social Sciences, allowing pupils to delve deeper into their favourite subject and discover new interdisciplinary connections. The Inspire Programme is continuing to grow these resources.

New academic taster videos added this year include:

Study and University Skills Sessions – Year 12 Our expert information, advice and guidance equips Years 12 and 13 pupils with the skills to make competitive, well-informed applications to university.

Pupils are invited to live webinars that discuss a key topic, and provide them with the opportunity to ask questions and discuss their worries. Webinars this year were very well attended with over 180 pupils attending some of them. For those that can’t attend, a pre-recorded video is produced alongside the webinar which covers the same key information, ensuring noone misses out. These videos are available for the rest of the time pupils are on the course, allowing them to reference them when needed.

• H ow drugs are designed (Immunology)

• The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun (Egyptology) • A nimal Sleep Patterns and Hibernation (Biology) • T he Politics of Thatcherism (Politics) • W omen Intellectuals in the Crimean War (History)

“I liked having access to all of the academic taster videos because they were very informative and enjoyable to watch.”

Topics this year included:

Year 12 Pupil 2024

• How to Create a Research Proposal • Understanding Student Finance • How to Choose the Right Course for You • UCAS applications • Oxford Admissions Tests • How to Write your Personal Statement.

“The personal statements session, as this helped me and guided me on how to develop a statement which is worthy of a top university” Year 12 Pupil 2024

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Research Project –Year 12 The research project is an exciting opportunity for pupils to investigate a topic of their choice, developing their ability to think creatively, critically and independently.

Pupils who submit a winning Inspire Research Proposal receive a Research Award consisting of a £100 Blackwell’s voucher to buy resources and access to Oxford University Press’ online resources. Pupils who receive a Research Award are also invited to a Research Skills Day in St John’s. This day focuses on how to do Higher Educationlevel research and writing, with sessions taught by graduate students, and also includes a tour of Blackwells Bookshop.

This year 65 research proposals were accepted, 55 of those were able to attend our Research Skills Day. Titles of research included: • Can you own the moon? A launch into the laws governing outer space.

• Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? An exploration of how modern cultural discourse around wolves is impacting proposals for their reintroduction in Great Britain.

• How will portable MRI machines change the landscape of accessible Medicine?

• How can traditional dance forms from different cultures be analysed to uncover hidden mathematical principles, algorithms or concepts that may have been embedded in their movements?

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Inspire Book Awards – Year 12 The programme allows pupils to request books be purchased for them to practise for Admissions Tests for entry to competitive universities. We receive between 10-20 requests each year.

“I enjoyed the program!

The presentations from Ollie were very well delivered, I felt comfortable asking questions and I’m looking forward to Inspire Year 13!”

Year 12 Pupil 2024

“The research project was the most interesting and engaging

Inspire Year 13

aspect [of the programme]”

Study Skills - Year 13 In Year 13 pupils continue to engage in academic taster lectures and have a university application advice session on interviews. Their remaining monthly workshops focus on Study Skills that are needed for Higher Education, including:

Research Project - Year 13 Pupils who submitted a research proposal in Year 12 are invited to submit a poster showcasing their research. Those that do are invited to a Research Awards Day at St John’s where the pupils present their work, through talks and a poster session, to each other alongside members and friends of the college. This year we had 18 posters submitted from the 40 pupils who had submitted a research proposal last year. The winning poster was entitled: “What are the most effective strategies to reduce gender bias in the design of artificial intelligence?’.

Year 13 Pupil 2024

• How to Make a Good Argument • Critical Thinking • Notetaking

After results day we also provide pupils with advice on how to transition to university more generally in the form of a support guide and resources on the Moving to University Hub. The same resources are made available to all pupils who are coming to St John’s.

Future Plans Positively You This year the Inspire programme has had a partnership with Positively You. All Inspire pupils have had access to the Positive You online resource hub which contains resources: Exam Busters and Super Speedy Study Skills. They also have had access to two Positively You workshops: Future You and Mastering Student Motivation.

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Next year the Inspire Year 12 and 13 programme is planning on expanding further. Through our summer schools and Research Skills Day this year we trialled using graduate students to deliver more personalised in-person bespoke sessions for the pupils. Our aim for the coming year is to build this into the Inspire programme digitally so pupils on Inspire 12 and 13 can experience tutorial style learning on subjects that interest them. Alongside this we intend to offer even more academic taster videos to ensure we cover as wide a range of subjects as possible, and review the support we are giving pupils towards Higher Education to make sure it provides everything the pupils could need.

The Winning Poster: ‘What are the most effective strategies to reduce gender bias in the design of artificial intelligence?’

President’s Choice: “Why is applying mathematics to everyday topics important?”

Best Designed: “Is there an injury epidemic in women’s football?”

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“I was fascinated by the academic taster sessions and meeting the academics. I felt that my thoughts and ideas were valued and I was encouraged to think in exciting ways.”

Y12 Study Days

Year 12 Study Day Pupil 2024

Immersive subject-specific Study Days enable pupils to see what studying at Oxford is like, as well as providing them with opportunities to explore their subject interests. Participants at our Study Days attend talks and workshops led by tutors, find out more about the course at Oxford and what tutors are looking for, and meet current St John’s students. We offer both in-person events and virtual events to ensure that as many can benefit as possible. Study Days are open to UK pupils from non-selective state schools, and where Study Days have been oversubscribed our selection criteria ensures we offer places to pupils who will benefit most from it.

In 2023/24 we offered Study Days in the following subjects: • Geography • Medicine and Biomedical sciences • Maths and Computer Science • Modern Languages • Chemistry • History and History of Art (New for 23/24) In total we welcomed 475 pupils across all our Study Days. We expect both the number of Study Days, and the number of pupils attending to increase again next year.

Study Days typically include: • Live lectures in your subject by Oxford academics • The chance to meet Oxford students studying the subject • Tailored admissions advice and guidance • The opportunity to explore St John’s and have lunch in our Dining Hall • Tour of the College, its quads and gardens This map shows where our pupils travel from to attend the Study Days.

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475 PUPILS ATTENDED STUDY DAYS

Y12 Subject Exploration Days

169 PUPILS ATTENDED SUBJECT EXPLORATION DAYS

Participants at our Subject Exploration Days attend talks and workshops led by tutors, find out more about the course at Oxford and what tutors are looking for, and meet current St John’s students. These events are open to any UK Y12 pupil. Each year, we offer Subject Exploration Days in English and in Classics and Ancient History.

The Classics and Ancient History Subject Exploration Day also has a long running essay competition attached to it. This is a fantastic opportunity to conduct independent research, and encourages curiosity and reflection in those who have studied the ancient world before and those who have not.

The winning essay was written on ‘You wander to and fro...but all you achieve is to make the problem worse’ (Seneca Letter 28). Is travel in ancient literature always a bad idea?’

“The literature talk by Professor Greensmith really stood out to me as someone who loves literature! I also really enjoyed the variety of talks as it showed the different areas of Classics you could focus on at university.”

Year 12 Subject Exploration Day Attendee 2024

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Inspire Summer Schools

“My favourite part of summer school was getting the chance to meet with other likeminded people, all sharing the same passion for our subjects. I also enjoyed the punting as it was a unique and memorable experience!”

Natalie, A Year 12 Pupil

Residential Summer Schools Inspire Summer Schools welcome pupils from our Inspire Scholars, Critical Thinking and Year 12 programmes for an opportunity to experience life as an Oxford student, explore a range of subjects and extra-curricular activities, make friends with pupils from other schools and stay overnight in St John’s halls of residence. The Summer Schools take place over 3-4 days and are free of charge, and we also have travel awards available to help pupils cover the cost of travelling to and from St John’s College.

“Without a doubt, the most important and enjoyable part of the Summer school was the opportunity I was given to see and experience what life at Oxford is actually like, encompassing both the academic and social life of an Oxford student.”

Year 9 and Year 10 Scholars started their programme with a lecture on dead bodies by Professor Lady Sue Black. They then attended their pre-selected workshops such as: • The role of plants in medicine at Oxford Botanic Garden • Entomology at Wytham Woods • 3D printing with chocolate • Gamelan Workshop at the Faculty of Music • Letterpress printing at the Old Bodleian Library • Metals under the microscope at the Department of Chemistry

The Year 11 and Year 12 pupils enjoyed an additional day at the College, and embraced the academic challenge of tutorials and mock interviews. They also experienced a formal dinner and worked together to solve a murder mystery.

Mehrad, A Year 11 Pupil

321 Summer School

Particpants

30

A taste of our summer schools in pictures.

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Virtual Summer School As our summer schools are often oversubscribed, Virtual Summer Schools ensure that all Inspire pupils can access five days of engaging supercurricular content in the form of exclusive videos, academic worksheets, virtual museum tours and career insights. Themes cover:

The poster competition invited pupils to research how fake news has impacted an area of their lives, while the essay competition posed challenging questions, targeting those interested in Humanities, Social Sciences and STEM-based subjects.

• The chemistry of fireworks • How to take a perfect penalty • Rethinking religion in Ancient Greek literature • The economics of volcanoes

HOW HAS FAKE NEWS AFFECTED PUBLIC

By Azka TRUST IN SCIENTIFIC EXPERTS?

Each session has been carefully created by Oxford students and academics, covering a wide variety of subjects and themes. This encourages pupils to explore their interests further and consider them from different critical perspectives, and they can use the essay or poster competition to present their research and ideas for a chance to win a prize.

84 Competition

Entries

•

•

•

•

DANGERS

The Coronavirus pandemic spewed several leagues of false news, ranging from anti-vaccine to racial theories. In 2020, approximately 100,000 scientific articles were written, of which 30,000 were pre-printed (articles which had not been peer reviewed, as is necessary for most.) ² Though many millennial and gen-z audiences claimed that this media was humorous to them, many preferred to repost it. However, some theories can prove to be fatal.

In Iran, over 2100 Iranians had been poisoned by oral menthol due to misinformation spreading across the web, regardless of the largely strict restrictions on alcohol in the Islamic country. As a result, 296 of patients died by March of 2020. ³

33% of all content on the internet is fake news or hate speech.

⁴

Trust in Scientists

INTRODUCTION

More than ever, accurate scientific information has become more crucial than ever. Following the woes of the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 and developments of global issues such as global warming and depleting energy sources, sharing only truthful scientific information has become vital.

In the current era, most news is no longer received from previously established sources such as newspapers and journals. Rather, social media has become the main source of information for more than 50% of Internet users, even though it has been regarded as the least reliable source of information since 2016. 1 This has caused the spread of false news to become more rampant than ever, causing a prevalent argument over whether scientific experts can be trusted.

13%

•

18%

14% 55%

According to the World Health Organisation, fake news online had a mostly negative effect on people’s general health, increasing mental distress, paranoia, and therefore causing irresponsible actions and a negative social health. ⁶

High Level

Medium Level

Low Level

No Opinion

CHANGE

•

It is important to target the spread of misinformation early on, as children are being exposed most to false news online. The views that they hold now are likely to bleed into their adulthoods, passing down false ideologies created • by a preexisting mistrust of scientific experts. Therefore, it is vital that early action is taken to educate the youth and create open discussion, enabling them to gain respect for scientists and researchers whilst also learning how to spot and respond to fake news, tackling References: the root of this cycle. ⁷

CONCLUSION

Fake news has negatively affected public trust in scientific experts, creating a stigma that has effects ranging from ridiculous to deadly. It is important that we interject the cycle of spread of misinformation. This can help to cement trust in scientific experts and assure a safer and developing future.

CONSPIRACY

Conspiracies such as that of the ‘Flat Earth Theory’ have garnered attention online for a variety of reasons, branching from biblical literalism and lack of acceptance of scientific evidence by certain groups.

The theory of flat Earth has been around for centuries, and regardless of science having long confirmed the near spherical structure of the Earth, the theory runs rampant due to denial of several events such as the moon landing. This has its roots in a distrust in organisations such as NASA, with some believing that it was created by the US government as an ‘excuse’ to take citizen’s money.

This distrust of government branches off to the distrust of scientific experts that they fund, with this same group usually also believing in many other anti-science theories such as anti-vaccination and anti-dairy. ⁵

1 https://www.statista.com/statistics/ 718019/social-media-news-source/ 2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33328621/ 3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7426733/ 4 https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2023-01-25-covid-19-increased-public-trustscience-new-survey-shows 5 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8800547/ 6 https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/01-09-2022-infodemics-andmisinformation-negatively-affect-people-s-health-behaviours--new-who-reviewfinds 7 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8879168/#CR31

All images used are public domain.

How has Fake News Impacted Politics throughout History?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest known use of the term “fake news” was in the 1890s. However, we can see examples of fake news, propaganda, misinformation and disinformation1 littered throughout history, negatively impacting political persons, campaigns and triggering wars. It is no new thing to look towards the mistakes of the past to ensure we steer clear of them. In our technological era, misinformation thrives, and it is up to everyone to differentiate between fact and fiction so that we do not repeat the errors of history.

- Roma

The most infamous demonstration of propaganda can be traced back to Nazi Germany. Propaganda played a crucial role in igniting support for the NSDAP. The Nazi Party used half-truths in order to “re-educate” the German people against the “degeneracy” of the Weimar Republic and democracy. Propaganda was used to confirm rather than convert public opinion by presenting images of a perfect society under the Nazi rule2. This method of rallying support is also used by modern politicians, however, the Nazis’ extreme and unacceptable ideals of a superior “Aryan” race and their hatred of Jews was tied into their propaganda making it difficult to distinguish the disinformation rooted into the party.

Fake News

Every politician faces backlash, female politicians more so than most. Marie Antoinette is a prime example of a woman whose name was blackened and ridiculed in order to undermine her power. During the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette found herself in the middle of smear campaigns that objectified her body. The Queen became the central caricature of pornographic visual literature at the time and she could do nothing to control it. Her title as the “Queen of France” no longer held the sacred power it once did7. Fake news and rumours shrouded her till the day of her execution.

"Straatbeeld in 1945, gedeeltelijk weggescheurde nazipropaganda uit de tijd van de bezetting. Het ho - FO 1300161 RAA WO2" by Bosman, P.J. is marked with CC0 1.0.

ǀĂĐĐŝŶĞ ŚĞƐŝƚĂŶĐLJ ĐĂƵƐĞƐ

The Spanish-American War was incited in 1898 by the sinking of the Battleship Maine while she rested in her harbour with 266 American sailors on board. At once, the blame was laid on Spain3 by newspapers such as the New York Journal and The World, with exaggerated headings such as “Remember the Maine,” that pressured the government and military to take action. Their fabricated claims launched a war. The yellow journalism4 during the critical hour controlled the politics of the country, making sensationalist headlines rather than factual ones.

To this day, the cause of the sinking of the Maine is unknown.

ϭ ŝŶ ϭϬ

"Denarius (Coin) Portraying Mark Antony" by The Art Institute of Chicago is marked with CC0 1.0.

Going much further back to the Roman Empire, fake news on coins was spread by Octavian against Mark Antony (both heirs of Julius Caesar) to evoke Antony and Cleopatra as a couple and to portray Antony as a drunk. Knowing that he could not move against Mark Antony, Octavian instead declared war against Cleopatra5: The War of Actium.

Shakespeare’s Richard III is a classic portrayal of villainy and tyranny, however we must remember that Shakespeare wrote for a Tudor monarch, a dynasty that succeeded Richard’s Plantagenet dynasty6. His motive while writing would be to slander the name of the usurped monarch. Shakespeare’s portrayal of Richard III therefore presents a biassed version of the facts as a way to control the narrative for the Tudors.

Ultimately, fake news has been naturally tied to politics for over two millennia, from the Romans to Nazi Germany and it continues to surround us through various new mediums. The power of false information if left unrecognised, can start wars, defame individuals or whole minorities. Consider how the Spanish-American War or the War of Actium could have ceased had the Romans and Americans taken a moment to consider the truth of the situation. Of Course, there are always other factors that contribute to such situations, however the power of words should not be underestimated.

War of Actium, 32BC

Marie Antoinette, 1774-1793 Richard III, 1483-1485

Nazi Party, 19201945 Spanish-American War, 1898

References: 1 . Vasu, N., Ang, B., Teo, T., Jayakumar, S., Faizal, M., Ahuja, J., Unpacking Fake News, FAKE NEWS: NATIONAL SECURITY IN THE POST-TRUTH ERA, pp. 5-9, Jan.1, 2018 https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep17648.5 2. Welch, D., Nazi Propaganda and the Volksgemeinschaft: Constructing a People's Community, Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 39, No. 2, Understanding Nazi Germany, pp. 213-238, Apr., 2004 https://www.jstor.org/stable/3180722 3. Carlstrom, O.E., The Spanish-American War, Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1908-1994), Vol. 16, No. 1/2, pp.

104-110, Apr. - Jul., 1923 https://www.jstor.org/stable/40187096 4. Brenner, J.H., YELLOW JOURNALISM, Kesher / ,‫קשר‬No. 11 ( ,(1992 ‫מאי‬pp. 20e21e https://www.jstor.org/stable/23904434 5. Freyburger-Galland, M., POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS PROPAGANDA BETWEEN 44 AND 27 BC., Vergilius (1959-), Vol. 55 (2009), pp. 17-30 https://www.jstor.org/stable/41561878 6. Leas, S.E., "Richard III", Shakespeare, and History, The English Journal, Vol. 60, No. 9 (Dec., 1971), pp. 1214-1216 https://www.jstor.org/stable/812772 7. Saint-Amand, P., Gage, J.C., Terrorizing Marie Antoinette, Critical Inquiry, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Spring, 1994), pp. 379-400 https://www.jstor.org/stable/1343862

Vaccine hesitancy The Covid vaccines, a triumph of science and public health, are estimated to have prevented millions of hospitalizations and deaths. However, many still believe that the vaccine has impacted their lifestyle by giving them rare side effects

WĞŽƉůĞ ƌĞĨƵƐĞ ƚŽ ŚĂǀŝŶŐ Ă ǀĂĐĐŝŶĞ ƚŚŝŶŬŝŶŐ ƚŚĂƚ ǀĂĐĐŝŶĞƐ ǁŽƵůĚ ŚĂƌŵ ƚŚĞƌĞ ƐĞůǀĞƐ ƌĂƚŚĞƌ ƚŚĂŶ ƉƌŽƚĞĐƚŝŶŐ ƚŚĞŵ ĨƌŽŵ ŚĂƌŵĨƵů ĚŝƐĞĂƐĞƐ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƌƵŵŽƌƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ŝŶƚĞƌŶĞƚ͘

,Žǁ ŚĂƐ ƚŚĞ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ ŽĨ ǀĂĐĐŝŶĞƐ ďĞĞŶ ĂĨĨĞĐƚĞĚ ďLJ ĨĂŬĞ ŶĞǁƐ ͍

Vaccine hesitancy is often caused by fake news normally found on the internet or from close family or friends

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Misinformation Misinformation had mainly spread because of the fake news. As we know humans are physiologically programmed to think that if many people believe a certain way we should to .

Don’t believe everything LJŽƵ ƐĞĞ ŽŶůŝŶĞ How are you sure that what you have read online is true?

Do you personally know the people who have made the article? Or are you just able to put your trust in others.

Ăůů ϯ ŝŶĨŽ

ĐŽŶƐƉŝƌĂĐŝĞƐ

ŵĞĚŝĐĂů ŵŝƐŝŶĨŽ

ŐĞŶĞƌĂůŝƐĞĚ

How to spot ƚŝƉƐ ƚŽ ƐƉŽƚ ĨĂŬĞ ŶĞǁƐ͗ ͲƌĞĂĚ ďĞLJŽŶĚ ƚŚĞ ŚĞĂĚůŝŶĞ ͲůŽŽŬ ŽƵƚ ĨŽƌ ŵŝƐƚĂŬĞƐ ͲŝŶǀĞƐƚŝŐĂƚĞ ƚŚĞ ƐŽƵƌĐĞ ͲĐŚĞĐŬ ŝĨ ƚŚĞ ƐƚŽƌLJ ŝƐ ƌĞƉŽƌƚĞĚ ĞůƐĞǁŚĞƌĞ

Rashi Rathod

32

3,224

“I liked ‘How does the environment influence our heritage?’ because it made me consider the impact that both natural and man-made environments have on things that aren’t physical objects, like heritage.”

Virtual Summer School Views

33

A new Digital Platform

Jenna Ilett Digital Platform Development Manager

Our ambition for 2024/25 Over the past few years, we have seen an increase in engagement across all of our programmes, with more pupils and schools enrolling each year. As the programmes expand, so do their content, including new club classes for Inspire Scholars, more academic taster videos for Year 12 and 13 pupils, and yearly updates to our Virtual Summer School and Critical Thinking programmes. The majority of this content is hosted on our Inspire Digital website, but as this continues to develop, the need for a more suitable host platform has emerged. Initial discovery work has suggested that a web-based app or virtual learning environment will be the most suitable platform. As the Digital Platform Development Manager, I will be trialling and testing possible platforms, considering different user groups, and identifying the best option that will meet our needs going forward.

To ensure we are meeting our overarching aim of raising academic aspirations, we have conducted a literature review into ‘learning skills’ within an educational context. From this, we have identified five key skills which will form the framework for the targets across our programmes. Associating our content with these skills will ensure our programmes remain relevant, provide a way for us to evaluate engagement, and create an opportunity for gamification on our new digital platform. This will allow pupils to view and assess their progress as they interact with different content.

“The Inspire App supports the College’s aims of encouraging pupils to reach their full potential and will enable even more pupils to

With a project of this scale, there are multiple factors that we need to consider as we move forward.

THE INSPIRE APP

ACCESSIBILITY • Single sign-on to reduce need for password protected content • Ensure adherence to web accessibility guidelines • Provide access across a range of devices

INTERACTIVITY • Boost engagement through quizzes and polls • Encourage active participation through moderated forums • Host live lectures and Q&As GAMIFICATION • Create a sense of purpose by highlighting the learning skills that pupils develop • Indicate progress through resources with the aim of reaching a goal • Offer personalised reminder notifications to encourage engagement EXPANSION • Make it easier for new content to be uploaded • Allow new users to be added to relevant pathways • Control potential licensing out to different colleges EVALUATION • Measure engagement across the programmes • Gain immediate qualitative feedback from users • Gain quantitative data to assess whether we are meeting our overall aims PERSONALISATION • Create bespoke pathways for individual users • Create a dedicated teacher hub and forum • Use targeted notification and adverts for relevant opportunities to reduce reliance on mailing lists

access the Inspire programme.”

Denise Cripps, Director of Communications

34

ORGANISATION • Store all content in one place for ease of access • Clear navigation through content • Improve consistency across resources and programmes

The Inspire App Development ACCESSIBILITY Single sign-on Accessibility guidelines Access across devices

ORGANISATION

INTERACTIVITY

One-stop access

Quizzes & polls

Clear navigation

Forums & chats

Improve consistency

Live lectures and Q&As

PERSONALISATION

GAMIFICATION

Bespoke pathways

Highlight learning skills

Teacher hub & forum

Indicate progress

Targeted notifications

Aim to reach goals Notifications

EVALUATION

EXPANSION

Identify engagement

Upload new content easily

Gain quantative feedback

Allow new users

Gain quantitive data

Control licensing

Regular assessment

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INSPIRE PRIMARY

PROGRAMME

£135,000

total donations to local primary and special schools.

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Inspire Primary and Community Engagement As part of our commitment to working with our local community, we work with primary schools across Oxfordshire. As well as supporting existing initiatives, we also work directly with primary and special schools in a variety of ways in order to spark intellectual curiosity, enhance educational experiences and introduce young people to the concept of Universities and Higher Education.

Visiting St John’s

Primary Literacy Day

We are always happy to host local primary schools at St John’s. We offer a range of activities, including our ‘University Detectives’ treasure hunt, where pupils search the grounds for facts about the College and a ‘spot the difference’ challenge for younger pupils. We also offer free lunch in our hall, which is often a highlight for the pupils. Primary schools are also welcome to use College facilities such as the auditorium.

To celebrate the opening of the Historic Libraries, we invited 20 pupils from Windale Primary School to our first Primary Literacy Day. Pupils explored historical methods of writing through a calligraphy workshop, identified the stages of a story through drama, and discovered ancient forms of communication in a puzzle solving challenge! Pupils spent time in class writing 500-word stories or creating illustrations about a mysterious object found in Thomas White’s chest, which is on display in the library. Prizes were awarded by Professor Lady Sue Black, President of St John’s, and all pupils received a goodie bag.

Primary Festival of Science This annual event is organised by the Chemistry Department, in collaboration with St John’s College, Trinity College, and representatives across the Mathematic, Physical and Life Sciences Department. This year, over 140 local Oxfordshire, primary school pupils took part in a carousel of activities including making colour-changing ‘chemical clocks’ constructing fizzing ‘popping rockets,’ and examining ‘pollinator pals’ under the microscope.

37

140

over

primary school pupils attended the Primary Festival of Science

Primary Playmakers St John’s College has made a £30,000 donation to the Primary Playmaker scheme and associated activities. Run by Oxford Playhouse, the scheme works with over 400 primary school aged children across Oxford, and equips them with the skills and confidence needed to write their own play.

Each year, the pupils are invited to the Primary Playmaker Showcase, where their own plays are brought to life by professional actors on the main stage in the theatre.

Partnership with Bayards Hill Primary School We have continued to work closely with our partner school in Barton, East Oxford. St John’s College student ambassadors have run weekly craft sessions and supervised the library over lunchtime. During the summer, our 2024 Primary Access interns, Patrick and Keya, ran creative workshops including paper star origami and bracelet making, as well as guided reading sessions for Y5 pupils.

Keya and Patrick also designed new programmes for the next academic year that will be developed with Bayards Hill.

Book Tokens A report by the National Literacy Trust (NLT) in 2023 found that only 2 in 5 children aged 8-18 said they enjoyed reading. When analysing data from the previous 18 years, a significant decrease in reading enjoyment for children aged 8 - 11 emerged. The NLT also identified that children who receive Free School Meals (FSM) are less likely to own a book of their own. The importance of reading for pleasure cannot be understated, as it has positive effects on attainment and personal wellbeing. In 2023/24, using philanthropic funds, we were able to provide 19 Oxfordshire primary and special schools with high percentages of FSM with 25 £10 book tokens to be awarded to pupils at the end of the Summer Term. The tokens were presented with some customised bookplates in prizegiving ceremonies to celebrate the end of the school year.

“This act of kindness and generosity has come at a perfect time as we are developing our literacy curriculum and looking at ways to make reading and writing more accessible for our pupils. The impact of being able to extend this piece of work will be very significant.”

Headteacher

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INSPIRE PRIMARY Primary Grants Supporting schools is an important element of the College’s civic duty. We have a history of making small, charitable donations to local schools, and in 2021, it was decided to provide larger donations to a smaller number of schools that would benefit the most. Over the past 3 years, 26 schools have been selected to receive a grant of £5,000 to spend as they see fit. Schools were chosen based on their proximity to the College and number of pupils eligible for Free School Meals (FSM). Administration was kept to a minimum, with our only requirement being a short paragraph about how the money would be spent.

In 2022/23, schools across Oxfordshire with the highest rates of FSM were targeted. In 2023/24, so that we could continue to target schools with the highest need, schools in our link regions of Southampton, Brighton and East Sussex were selected to receive the grants.

2021/2022

2022/2023

2023/2024

Northern House Academy New climbing frame apparatus Northfield School Trampolines for rebound therapy The Iffley Academy Residential trip to Wales Windale Primary School Wellbeing room & forest school training Orchard Meadow Primary School Parent outreach & library books Rose Hill Primary School Playground toys & science equipment Bayards Hill Primary School Subsidised costs for a residential trip John Henry Newman Academy Library books & resources for clubs

Mulberry Bush School Refurbishment of residential houses Bishopwood School New school library Woodeaton Manor Vehicle for excursions Abbey Woods Academy Climbing & sensory equipment Pegasus School Subsidised costs for a residential trip Tower Hill Community Primary School Residential trips & enrichment activities Orchard Fields Community School Resources for active outdoor learning St Mary’s CoE (Aided) Primary School Creative outdoor resources Wood Farm Primary Resources for a Forest School

The Polygon School, Southampton Fully functional school gym New Horizons School, East Sussex Interactive tablets & communication tools Vermont School, Southampton School laptops Homewood College, Brighton Lighting & set design for a gig night Weston Shore Infant School, Southampton VR headsets & sports equipment Hightown Primary School, Southampton New interactive smartboards St Mark’s CoE Primary School, Brighton A sensory garden and living classroom St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Brighton A playground sail Weston Park Primary School, Southampton VR headsets

Plans for the future In the new academic year, we will continue to run sessions at Bayards Hill, and work with the school to create new engaging activities for the pupils.

We also hope to host more primary school visits to St John’s and develop a wide range of activities including a ‘build a brain’ workshop.

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Access Visits at St John’s At St John’s we take pride in the high-quality, bespoke Access Visits we offer to non-selective state schools in our link regions throughout the academic year.

A Typical Day • 10:30 - Arrival • 10:45 - Oxford Explained presentation: introduces pupils to the University of Oxford, it’s courses, opportunities, and the application process.

*For the afternoon session, visiting schools can choose one out of a range of activities:

• 12:00 - Lunch: a free lunch is provided to visiting pupils and teachers in our dining hall.

• 12:45 - Tour of St John’s • 13:15 - A Q&A session with current St John’s undergraduate students • 13:45 - Afternoon Session* • 15:30 - Conclusion & Evaluation

“Thank you so much for organising AND delivering yesterday’s visit to St John’s, my last with pupils as I retire this summer. You imparted so much information to the pupils - one of the best visits I have had (and there have probably been 15-20 of those over the years).”

Visting Teacher

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1. Museum Visit & curriculum-enhancing session (Natural History Museum, the Pitt Rivers Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the Ashmolean, the Bodleian library exhibitions or the History of Science Museum.)

2. Academic Taster Sessions delivered by subject-specialists. Schools can choose a STEM session (Chemistry), a Humanities session (History), or our newly introduced Social Science session (Politics).

3. Admissions Workshops: we are delighted to offer visiting schools a range of Admissions Workshops to help pupils with UCAS applications, Personal Statements, and Interview Preparation.

4. Second college tour Travel Support St John’s is able to offer support to individual pupils who would otherwise be unable to attend one of our Access Visits. This may include recipients of pupil premium, young carers, refugees or cases where the school is aware of challenging financial circumstances.

“It was a great, informative day with a detailed, sophisticated insight towards life at Oxford University. The day promoted a sense of independence and achievement for me and is helpful to prospective students to use as motivation to strive to become an Oxford university student.”

Visting Access Pupil

Wow. This was fun [and] also very informative. Shame we had to leave to be honest! Made me really want to properly get ready for Uni. Very enjoyable & informative, very friendly people working with us, definitely an opportunity I am glad I took. Keep doing what you’re doing! Just next time, give us more time here. It was too cool!

Visting Access Pupil

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Open Days

The Oxford University Open Days are a brilliant chance to look around all of the colleges and departments at Oxford. Each year we welcome over 4,000 visitors to the College across three open days, and engage with thousands more at regional UCAS fairs.

42

At St John’s, prospective applicants and their supporters can expect: • Tours of the college led by our enthusiastic Student Ambassadors who are happy to answer any informal questions • Informal discussions with our Admissions Staff about the application process • ‘Tea and Tutors’ in Kendrew Café – a great chance to meet some of our subject tutors here at the College

[full page image]

“Loved the experience, everyone that I met and talked to were kind and informative. I look forward to coming back” Prospective Applicant

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Offer-holder Support

117 Offer-holders

Offer-holder Days Coming to university can be daunting, so St John’s organised three events for offer-holders to provide them support and lots of information, and to help smooth their transition to the college.

These events included two in-person days and one virtual day. They provided offer-holders with the opportunity to meet their year group before arrival, and to explore their College.

This year the College welcomed 98 offer-holders in person. Those offer-holders who were unable to attend had the opportunity to attend a second in-person day and a virtual event.

The Access and Admissions teams put together an exciting and informative programme for both the in-person events and virtual day.

The in-person events included: • Talks from the Access and Admissions teams • Q&A sessions with current St John’s students • Tours of the College and Oxford • Informal opportunities to meet other offer-holders and current students • Fun Quiz about Oxford, St John’s and pop culture • Lunch in the college dining hall • Lots of tea, coffee & cake!

The virtual day replicated the programme of the inperson event as much as possible to offer a similar experience.

Overall, the days were a big success and the College looks forward to welcoming it’s future offer holders next year!

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supported

45

Welfare & Wellbeing Support The Wellbeing Team The welfare and wellbeing support and provisions at St John’s College has bloomed under the leadership and guidance of the President, Professor Lady Sue Black, who made it one of her highest priorities. Students of St John’s college now have exclusive access to our diverse and impressive Wellbeing Team which offers a range of opportunites to help ensure that the students can thrive in their time at university.

Hanne Clark Head of Student Wellbeing

Denise Barulis College Psychologist

Head of Student Wellbeing

College Psychologist

Student Assistance Programme run by Health Assured with ‘In The Moment Support’ 24/7 counselling helpline

Student Peer Supporters

College Nurse

The Welfare Team Led by

JCR Welfare Officers

MCR Welfare Officers

Hanne Clark

Yoga Teacher

Head of Student Wellbeing

Wellbeing Practioner

Clinical Psychologist and her Therapy Dog Hubble Chiropractor

Laud, Baylie and Case

(our resident furry welfare assistants)

46

‘The JCR welfare events put on by the welfare officers means there’s always something to look forward to in college, even if you don’t feel like going out.

There’s a great mix of events, my personal favourite was plant bingo!’

Mat

Christina and Hubble form a perfect duo: Christina is a clinical psychologist with a love of mindfulness, and Hubble is an adorable and energetic dog registered with Pets as Therapy, and loves attention.

Annabel, our chiropractor, is a big hit with the students with her weekly sign-ups for Mini Massages, a 5–10-minute massage focusing on the head and neck. Annabel’s interests in the connection between brain and the body have allowed her to help reduce students’ stress and tension both physically and mentally.

47

St John’s College is home to three very adorable cats named after previous presidents of the college: Laud, Baylie, and Case. Having been rescued as kittens, the trio are very comfortable around the students at St John’s, and are very attention hungry. They can often be found playing together in the college gardens with the students.

26+

Inreach Opportunities Internships Internships, placements and similar schemes are a vital part of Higher Education, as the practical experience and employability skills gained help to bridge the gap between academia and the workplace. The Access Team are committed to providing a wide range of ‘inreach’ opportunities for current St John’s undergraduate and graduate students, enabling them to get involved with Access and Outreach, develop these key skills and gain new experiences.

In response to students’ desires for more work experience opportunities within college, the first donor funded Inspire Internships were launched in Trinity Term 2021 and Hilary Term 2022.

After a successful launch, the Access Office expanded its internship offerings for students, utilising philanthropic funding to offer 2 - 4 internships each term. These roles involve various tasks such as producing video lectures for virtual summer schools, crafting social media content, and creating timetables and session plans for study days.

Different internships in the Access Office • Digital and Communications Internship • Digital Design Internship • Social Media and Content Creation Internship • Access and Outreach Internship • Inspire Academic Development Internship • Primary Internship

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES SINCE 2021

875+

80+

EVENTS INVOLVING TOTAL HOURS OF INTERNS AND WORK ACROSS THE AMBASSADORS IN 2024 INTERNSHIPS

In addition to receiving the Oxford Living Wage, accommodation and weekday lunches are also included as part of the internships, to make sure there are no barriers to participation.

Interns complete Information Security and Safeguarding training and attend sessions and workshops focused on CV writing, interviews, career planning and professional writing. When internships involve additional responsibilities, such as creating social media content, we can offer additional training (for example training on photo and video editing software).

TESTIMONIAL Alfred Dry has been involved with the Access Office since starting his undergraduate. He worked as Admissions & Access Intern and later as the Digital Access Officer whilst undertaking an MSc in Social Anthropology.

Can you talk us through your work experience with the Access Team?

I was lucky enough to be the first student intern of the Access Office in July 2021. I returned for multiple internships over the following years of my undergraduate degree before accepting a part-time job over the course of my Master’s. Each internship presented new opportunities to learn with novel projects and collaborations.

Why did you want to work with the Access Team?

The primary reason, as a state school pupil, was recognising the importance of their work and wanting to be a part of such a worthy project.

Internships are a great opportunity to construct a solid CV and receive training to prepare you for future careers.

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What tasks have you done with the Access Team during your time?

I have been involved with a huge variety of tasks during my time with the Access Team and they have always been engaging and insightful. I assisted with the production of many educational videos – a skill which has continued to be developed. I have also been involved with in-person events such as visiting local primary schools, providing tours, and assisting with workshops.

There is always something new to get involved with at the office and the support available from those working full time has been unwavering.

What have you found particularly rewarding about the internships?

The Access Team encourages you to use the skills and knowledge you are entering the internship with and they give you the chance to incorporate this into your work. For example, when creating content for schools, as an intern you will be able to draw on your own academic interests and turn this into a worksheet, video, or game for pupils to engage with. You can directly have an impact on the education of the schools you are supporting and hopefully encourage pupils to take an interest in your subject.

Would you recommend the internships to future students?

Absolutely. It is a great way to build your skills, collaborate with other students and members of staff, and earn while doing so. It is a truly enriching experience and there are few other jobs where the positive impact is as apparent or rewarding.

“Joining St John’s as an Access Intern has been an incredibly diverse and rewarding experience. From immersing myself in critical thinking programmes to assisting with primary school visits and teacher training days, the two weeks have been both enriching and enjoyable.”

Patrick, Former Intern

Our 2024 Primary Interns, Patrick and Keya, spent several weeks working closely with Bayard’s Hill Primary School, running regular arts and crafts workshops during lunchtimes, helping to staff the school library, and delivering guided reading sessions for Year Five pupils. Based on discussions with Teacher Leads, Keya and Patrick have proposed several programmes (including a book club, after school science sessions and termly projects) designed to be educational and enjoyable that will be developed across the next academic year.

“The internships are a great way to get involved with a meaningful Access project and work on it long term – it gives you a chance to test out new ideas and see their outcomes.”

Keya, Former Intern

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Ambassador opportunities in 2023/24

192 19 16 AMBASSADOR ROLES

LEAD AMBASSADORS

ACCESS EVENTS

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Undergraduate Ambassadors

Postgraduate student opportunities

Another way that current students can get involved with Access and Outreach is by working as a paid Ambassador at our events throughout the year, including Open Days, subject specific study days, primary school visits, and our annual Summer Schools. Ambassadors also support visits to St John’s from secondary school pupils in our link regions, by delivering College tours and running Q&A sessions.

Ambassadors play a huge role in helping our events run smoothly, and provide attendees with insight into the huge variety of subjects, experiences, and opportunities as a university student. Graduate students can also get involved, preparing and delivering academic lectures and workshops for Year 12 pupils, creating educational material that will be used in Inspire Club Classes by schools enrolled on our Inspire Programme, and writing articles and recording videos for our Critical Thinking Programme.

We have a range of paid opportunities open to our postgraduate students to support them in enhancing their employability and, in some cases, helping them to promote their research. Postgraduate opportunities include:

The college is ambitious about its internship scheme and going forward there are plans to help fund internships for our students in different departments in the university.

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• Teaching on Study Days • Developing materials for Inspire • Marking essays and competitions for Inspire Digital • Being an ambassador during Open Days and the admissions period By participating, postgraduate students gain a wealth of transferable skills to enhance employability during and after their studies.

This includes: • Public speaking • Pedagogy • Extended writing • Communication

Inspire Support

Travel Awards Our travel awards are available to assist anyone with difficulties in covering the cost of travelling to St John’s. In 2023/24 149 pupils received up to £200 to cover travel to an event, depending on distance, though typically pupils require between £40–60.

These awards are donor funded. This means that all donations big or small can have a transformative impact on the lives of young people. Many would not be able to attend our events without such support.

We’re also pleased to support schools to visit the College on Access visits. Any visiting school can reclaim the cost of coach travel for recipients of pupil premium, young carers, refugees or cases where the school is aware of challenging financial circumstances.

For high-priority schools who are yet to visit Oxford, we fund the entire cost of coach travel for their first visit, ensuring that there are as few barriers to participation as possible.

Inspire Digital Assistance Awards Whilst all of our programmes have opportunities to visit Oxford, many of our sustained-contact programmes are delivered online. For some, this format presents its own challenges. We ensure all can participate by providing digital equipment to those who need it most. This has included tablets and headphones.

Many of our partner schools on the Inspire Scholars Programme have also used these awards to ensure that all their pupils can engage with the club classes.

Inspire Offer-holder Book Awards The Inspire Book scheme supports offerholders in the two most disadvantaged quintiles of contextual data to buy books ahead of their course. Each pupil gets a £100 Blackwell’s vouchers to spend as they see fit.

“In 2024, 49 incoming students received a £100 to spend at Blackwell’s bookshop.”

£11,213

in Travel Award Support in 2023/24

£4,900

£816

in offer-holder support

in Digital Assistance Awards

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Our Partnerships Target Oxbridge Target Oxbridge is a free programme that aims to help Black African and Caribbean pupils and those with Black African and Caribbean heritage increase their chances of making a successful application to Oxford or Cambridge. Target Oxbridge provides one-to-one mentoring, residential and day visits to Oxford, academic sessions and admissions support. In just ten years, the programme has helped over 350 students to secure Oxbridge offers.

St John’s is proud of the significant support that it gives the scheme. The College sponsors three places on the scheme with a £5,000 annual donation and welcomes cohorts to the College for their summer visit day, as part of their Easter residential and for academic taster sessions.

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UNIQ UNIQ is the University of Oxford’s access programme for state school pupils, supporting 1350 Sixth Formers each year. The pupils take part in a series of lectures, workshops and labs.

They live in the colleges and experience life as an Oxford student. St John’s is delighted to be able to allow the use of our teaching spaces and accommodation for the enrolled pupils to ensure the longevity of this important initiative.

In 2024, the College subsidized the UNIQ summer schools by £38,200.

Oxford Open Doors St John’s is open to the community each day from 13:00 to 17:00, free of charge. We also participate in the Oxford Preservation Trust’s annual ‘Open Doors’ event, which encourages visitors to the College to see new spaces, tour the magnificent gardens, and try fun activities for the whole family. In September 2024, 4,581 visitors attended the Open Doors event, with over 200 children winning prizes for success in the ‘University Detectives’ Treasure Hunt.

Mini versions of the St John’s Lamb mascot were hidden around the quads and gardens, holding clues that, when solved, led to treasure.

4,581 attended the

Open Doors event

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Interested in partnering with us?

We’re always keen to hear from new partners, particularly when they bring something new to our programmes.

Please contact Dr Sandra Campbell, Fellow for Access & Outreach to discuss this further: sandra.campbell@sjc.ox.ac.uk

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Inspire Steering Committee Internal Advisors The Inspire Steering Committee provides strategic oversight of the College’s Access and Outreach work. We’re fortunate to draw on expertise from senior academic and non-academic staff within St John’s, and to learn from external specialists – including headteachers and experienced access professionals. The committee meets three times a year to review the term’s activities and consider plans for growth and development. As well as core members, the committee welcomes guests to input on specific areas of discussion.

Professor Lady Sue Black, Baroness Black of Strome LT DBE FRS FRSE FRAI FRSB ChFA President of St John’s College Professor Black is one of the world’s leading forensic anthropologists. Since graduating from the University of Aberdeen in Human Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology, Professor Black has had a varied and distinguished academic career which included lecturing at St Thomas’ Hospital London and working as a consultant for the Home Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and United Nations, eventually leading on the war crimes investigations in Kosovo.

Professor Black has also held posts as Professor of Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology at Dundee University and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Engagement at Lancaster University. She was the 65th President of the Royal Anthropological Institute and is the lifetime Professor of Anatomy for the Royal Scottish Academy.

She entered the House of Lords as a crossbencher peer in 2021 and in March 2024 Professor Lady Black was appointed to the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, the highest honour in Scotland. She joined St John’s as President in 2022 and chairs the Inspire Steering Committee.

Dr Sandra Campbell Fellow for Access & Outreach and Tutor in Physiology Sandra is the Fellow for Access at St John’s, directing an extensive range of outreach projects including the Inspire Programmes. She leads our team of access and admissions staff, all of whom are passionate about making a difference for disadvantaged pupils. Sandra has worked in higher education for the last 25 years, a tutor in Physiology at Oxford for the past 13 of these.

Denise Cripps Director of Communications and Engagement Denise works on a wide range of projects including strategy and governance as well as communications and engagement. She has a long-standing interest in education having worked in educational publishing for twenty-five years for Oxford University Press and Scholastic UK in editorial and senior management roles. She was also a local primary school governor for eight years and worked with Professor Maggie Snowling CBE, previous President of St John’s, on interventions looking at children’s language and learning difficulties and how best to ameliorate them. Denise was part of the team that published the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (OUP, 2018) and the Nuffield Nursery Language Programme (2019).

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Professor Kate Nation FBA Tutorial Fellow in Psychology and Provost for Academic Affairs Professor Nation is a Fellow of St John’s where she teaches Psychology. Her research is concerned with language processing, especially reading development, and she is the director of the Read Oxford research group.

Professor Patrick Hayes Tutorial Fellow in English Professor Patrick Hayes is a Fellow of St John’s College, Oxford, where he teaches English Literature from the Romantic period to the present day. His current work considers debates about the nature and value of aesthetic education from the late eighteenth-century right up to the present.

Professor Stefan Kiefer Tutorial Fellow in Computer Science Stefan has been the Tutorial Fellow in Computer Science at St John’s College since 2017 and Professor of Computer Science at the University of Oxford since 2023. His main area of interest is computer-aided verification and the analysis of probabilistic systems. He completed his PhD at the Technical University of Munich in 2009.

Professor Lloyd Pratt Drue Heinz Professor of American Literature Lloyd Pratt is Drue Heinz Professor of American Literature at Oxford. He teaches and writes about American Literature and African American Literature from the nineteenth century to the present. He’s currently working on a book about the twentieth-century readers of one of America’s most influential nineteenth-century intellectuals, Ralph Waldo Emerson. He’s also starting a new project about how the famous African American political figure and writer Frederick Douglass thought about the meaning and significance of Black literacy.

Kerry Jenkins Finance Bursar Kerry is responsible for supporting the Governing Body of St John’s in its duties in managing the financial resources of the college. She also manages the finance bursary team who look after the day to day finance operations. She is an Associate Chartered Management Accountant and a Charted Public Finance Accountant with over 25 years of experience.

Laurence Raran JCR Access Officer Laurence’s work as JCR Access Officer involves maintaining and developing the link between St John’s Undergraduate students and the Access Team. He is currently studying for a BA in Philosophy and Theology.

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Inspire Steering Committee External Advisors Rachel Kruger Headteacher,The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls, Ealing Rachel has taught in comprehensive schools both in the UK and in South Africa and is currently the head of The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls in Ealing. She is passionate about girls’ education and works hard to inspire girls to go to university. Her school has been part of the Inspire programme for some time. Rachel is on the board of the Ealing Learning Partnership and chair of their Pathways and Progression Committee, where they consider the future opportunities available to pupils from Ealing.

Susan Hammond Head Teacher, Whitmore High School, Harrow After studying Natural Sciences and Chemical Engineering at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, Sue joined BP and worked in various engineering and commercial roles in the UK and USA. Sue then moved into teaching and is currently headteacher of Whitmore High School in Harrow, an inclusive community school with 1,700 pupils and a long-time Inspire partner. Sue is Chair of Harrow’s High School Headteachers Group and Schools’ Forum and is committed to ensuring all young people have fair and equal access to a high-quality education.

Katherine Ryan, MBE Former Headteacher, Matthew Arnold School, Oxford and CEO of Acer Trust Katherine brings a lifelong commitment to improving the quality of education for all learners and has a particular interest in successful progression and continued leaning for learners of all ages and backgrounds. She was Headteacher of Matthew Arnold School, Oxford from 2006 to 2021 during which time she worked to ensure that all learners had high levels of aspiration leading to success and progression to positive destinations when they left the school. From 2015 to 2022 she led the development of a Multi Academy Trust, the Acer Trust, consisting of primary and secondary schools across Oxfordshire, with a core aim of ‘Achieving Excellence for All’. Prior to taking up the Headship of Matthew Arnold School, she was the Principal Adviser for Secondary School Improvement at Birmingham City Council. Her career includes advisory work in science education and education leadership in three Local Authorities, as well as teaching in a range of comprehensive schools across Oxfordshire and the West Midlands. She has also worked in Higher Education as Science Education Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham.

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Dr Catherine Dilnot Senior Lecturer, Oxford Brookes University Catherine graduated with a degree in Physics from St Hugh’s College, Oxford. She qualified as a chartered accountant and worked with KPMG until moving into academic life at Oxford Brookes University in 1991, teaching in Accounting and Finance. running the undergraduate programme and most recently specialising in research methods. Her responsibilities at Brookes motivated her to want to better understand the choices of subjects and qualifications young people make at 16+ and 18+ and how these choices relate to university and professional/higher managerial careers.

She therefore gained an MSc in Social Research Methods from LSE and a doctorate from UCL. She and colleagues at UCL are working on a project using data from large firms to examine how their graduate, work experience and apprenticeship recruitment processes relate to the diversity of successful applicants in terms of social background, gender and ethnicity.

Hong Zhou Deputy Head of Maths, Gifted & Talented Coordinator and Inspire Teacher Lead at the Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls Following her degree in Environment Management from the University of Manchester, Hong trained for a Secondary PGCE in Mathematics. She has taught in both private and state secondary schools.

She currently works as the Deputy Head of Maths at the Ellen Wilkinson School for girls, where she also acts as the Inspire Teacher Lead.

Shamim Tong Solicitor and St John’s Alumna Shamim graduated with a degree in Jurisprudence in 1997. She then qualified as a solicitor, worked at two of the largest law firms in London for over a decade, and then moved to California.

Richard Waters Co-founder and Director of Opportuned Richard studied Geography at Durham University, followed by a Master’s in Climate Risk. He joined St John’s as Access Programme Lead in 2020 after working in Access in the North East. During this time, he established Inspire Primary and embedded targeting, monitoring and evaluation into the heart of the Inspire Programmes. He left the Access Team in October 2023 to begin a PhD at St John’s College, Cambridge, investigating statistical approaches to understanding human migration in response to climate change. Richard is the founder of Opportuned, an educational consultancy company specialising in evaluation and strategy for university access.

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Dr Sandra Campbell Fellow for Access & Outreach I took responsibility for St John’s Access programmes seven years ago with a clear belief in the power of education to transform young people’s lives. The commitment to this mission from every member of the College, coupled with the generosity of St John’s, its alumni and friends has allowed us to redefine what is possible for a college to achieve in this sector. I feel privileged to hold this important role for the college.

In my first seven years as Fellow for Access and Outreach I had three priorities set by the Governing Body. The first was to place robust quantitative and qualitative evaluation at the heart of our work and to closely target our interventions to those who needed our help the most. The second was to pilot, and subsequently roll out two flagship sustained-contact programmes for pupils in Years 9, 10 and 11, and – separately – those in Years 12 and 13 in our link regions. The third was to develop a truly comprehensive outreach programme – accessible to any state school pupil, regardless of academic attainment with every non-selective state school pupil in the target age range having an academic pathway they can join.

Our team has exceeded each one of these priorities. The quality, scale and ambition of what we do speaks for itself. Knowing that our programmes have transformative impacts only strengthens our resolve to reach as many target pupils as possible, and we have already widened our reach through partnerships with other colleges. The job, however, is never finished. In 2024/25 we hope to launch a virtual learning environment to host all of our programme strands in one area and to improve the pupil-specific evaluation that we do. We believe that data-driven decisions will be invaluable to the future of our programmes.

Whether you have been with us since the inception of our Access Programmes or this brochure is your first introduction, we deeply appreciate your interest and support. Your involvement is a testament to our collective commitment towards transforming young lives through education.

Katherine Ryan MBE Steering Committee I joined the St John’s Inspire Steering Committee in 2018 as an external adviser when the Access Team launched the pre-GCSE Inspire programme targeting years 9-11 in the College’s linked state schools in Harrow and Ealing. I was immediately impressed with the ambition of the project and the level of commitment to the Inspire programme from the Access Team and members of the College.

I was, and remain, committed to the aims of the Inspire programme. As an educational professional for almost 40 years, I not only believe in the power of education to change lives but I also have direct experience of how a high quality education can make a a positive and significant difference to young people. From the outset, the Inspire Team has ensured that the materials provided are of the highest standard and that the teachers in the schools are supported to engage their pupils in academically challenging and stimulating activities.

Over the past six years, I have enjoyed seeing the Inspire project develop in the age ranges supported and geographical regions.

I am proud that the evaluation of the Inspire programme demonstrates that those pupils who have participated have benefitted and are in a better position to secure a place at the most competitive universities. The outcomes from a free, high-quality programme for all are excellent.

I am delighted to be part of the team’s latest initiative, which focuses on creating a virtual learning environment for enrolled pupils. This innovative resource is designed to make academic resources more accessible, allowing for individual evaluation of the programme’s different strands. It will enable each pupil to craft their own unique learning journey, accumulating measurable skillsets as they progress.

I am excited to see how this initiative, the virtual learning environment, will further empower young people to achieve their academic aspirations. I am confident that it will significantly contribute to raising academic standards and fostering a culture of excellence among the pupils.

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Professor Kate Nation FBA

Tutorial Fellow in Psychology and Provost for Academic Affairs It has been a privilege to see Inspire achieve and grow over the last six years.

Looking back, several observations stand out. First and foremost is its success.

The vision set at the outset was ambitious, and in those early meetings, while never doubting the importance of the vision, I did wonder what was realistic. Those wonderings were clearly misplaced. The founding aims have been exceeded and the core of Inspire is firmly established, with evidence of impressive efficacy. Inspire is also firmly established within college.

The Access Office is its heart and engine room, but there’s not one part of college that doesn’t contribute, directly or indirectly. Inspire is well and truly woven into the fabric of St John’s.

As Inspire has grown, so too has its ambition. The energy, ability and enthusiasm of the team, its advisors and partners in education, the teachers and young people who participate and the donors who contribute and support – these all combine such that Inspire does not stand still. The core evolves and new initiatives emerge.

The digital platform is an exciting new initiative. This is developing in an evidence informed way, building on scientific knowledge about how people learn. This makes sense – if we know how learning happens, then we are better placed to design content and approaches that optimise learning. The development of the platform also links with other Inspire initiatives.

Dr Tom Kemp Emeritus Fellow

Associate Editor for the Critical Thinking Programme My involvement with Inspire began with a casual lunch time conversation with Sandra, our Fellow for Access, and resulted in a request to write an article for the 2019 critical thinking programme on volcanoes, specifically whether the mass extinctions that periodically punctuated the history of life on Earth were caused by worldwide volcanic activity (yes in most cases). The next thing I knew was that my suggestion that “Evolution” might be a good subject for a future Inspire programme was enthusiastically adopted for the following year, and I had somehow become its editor. I have remained part of the editorial team ever since.

I largely retired in 2009 from a rather complicated university life - Curator in the Museum of Natural History, Lecturer in Zoology, and Biology Tutor at St John’s. For several years thereafter I continued as an Emeritus Research Fellow with my scientific work on the origin of the mammals and what fossils can tell us about the causes of large evolutionary changes.

I have always been passionate about education at all levels and believe in the importance of making our specialities accessible to non-specialists. The Inspire programme proved to be an ideal vehicle for this – and all pluses for me! I enjoy soliciting contributions from colleagues and reading their articles on such a wide range of scholarly topics, and I love researching and writing articles myself on topics sometimes almost as new and exciting to me as I hope they are to the recipients - what did I know to start with about quantum computing, e-sports, or the origin of language?

Like all of us, I worry about the effects on young people of the biassed reporting, false news and misleading advertising they are daily exposed to and believe that Inspire’s focus on helping them develop their own critical thinking skills is one of the most important educational services a community of scholars like St John’s can provide.

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Get Involved ACADEMIC VIDEOS

WRITING ARTICLES

JUDGE A CONTEST

Get Involved The Access Office warmly welcomes contributions from alumni and emeritus fellows who wish to donate their time and experience to our programmes. There are many different ways to get involved with our work including creating academic videos, writing articles and more!

CAREER VIDEOS ATTEND AN EVENT

Thank you We would like to thank these alumni who generously contributed their time this year: Rasmi Tank who kindly came to our Y13 Research Awards day to help judge the posters submitted by the pupils, and to discuss their research (to find out more about this, and to see some of the posters, turn to page 26/27).

Stephen Barber who, in conjunction with David Pearl and the Access Office, devoted his time to organising and delivering a session on ‘Finding Your Voice’ for our Inspire Y12 Summer School pupils (page 30/31).

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If you would like to know more about how you can be directly involved with our programmes, please do not hesitate to get in touch at inspire@sjc.ox.ac.uk.

Access Team

Access is a core part of St John’s College. Our team includes the President, the Fellows and spans all of our college community. Without them, the scale and scope of the work we achieve would not be possible.

Our programmes are supported philanthropically by donors who share our belief in the power of education to transform lives. The generosity of our supporters has not only created life-changing opportunities for thousands of young people, but enabled St John’s to redefine what a college can achieve within access, outreach and widening participation.

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Highlights of our Year The highlight of my year was definitely the Inspire Research Awards Day. Hearing the pupils talk about their work so passionately was both interesting and rewarding.

Taking Scholars to our GLAM institutions for a ‘learning from objects’ session. It’s a real lightbulb moment for many that this is how learning could be at unversity.

Katie Inspire 9, 10 & 11 Lead School Partnership Coordinator

I have particularly enjoyed running lunchtime origami workshops with pupils at our linked Primary School.

Ollie Inspire 12 & 13 Lead

Witnessing pupils shift and change their ideas about the prospect of applying to university, or Oxford, throughout the course of a day has been incredibly rewarding. It is so fun to welcome so many brilliant pupils and members of staff to St John’s!

Jenna Digital Platform Development Manager

Megan Access Officer

I have really enjoyed interacting with the pupils who attended our summer schools, capturing their experiences through my photography and promoting our access work to the wider community.

Sam Digital Engagement Officer

For me, the highlights of the year were our high-quality in-bound Access visits which continuously receive exceptional feedback. These visits clearly make a big impact on the development of pupils’ skills, helping to build up their confidence, as well as ‘opening up’ and demystifying Oxford.

Petros Access Associate

There are few are other jobs where the positive impact of your work is as apparent and rewarding.

Alfie Digital Access Officer

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Thank you

We are grateful to the benefactors who have donated to the Inspire Scholars Programme over the last year. Typical examples of the costs of our activities are below. We would be deligthed if you would consider supporting us.

£400

Workshop creation for Inspire Club Classes

£650

£300 One Scholars’ visit to St John’s

One enrichment trip or team building activity for a group of scholars

£200

£660

One Digital Award (allows a scholar to access the programme at home)

One term of online tutorials for YR12&13 pupils

£55

£1,000

One YR12 & 13 online tutorial

10 Travel Awards for Inspire Scholars

£15,000

£1,800

One Year of Inspire Summer School (YEARS 9-11)

One Inspire cohort for one school for 3 years

£2,000 One YR12 or 13 Study Day

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

£5,400

£4,000 £3,000

3 Years of resources for an Inspire Summer School

An annual Teachers’ conference

£5,000

Book Tokens in recognition of Scholars’ work

One Inspire Summer School 66

How you can help Philanthropic giving has been the cornerstone of our success thus far, and will continue to play a fundamental role in the creation of more opportunities for young people as our programmes grow.

To discuss supporting our programmes, please contact Dr Sandra Campbell, Fellow for Access & Outreach: sandra.campbell@sjc.ox.ac.uk Robert Crow, Director of Development: robert.crow@sjc.ox.ac.uk

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St John’s College website

●

www.sjc.ox.ac.uk

Inspire Programme website Phone

● ●

www.sjcinspire.com 01865 277350

Instagram

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sjc_access

Twitter

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@sjc_access

Email

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access@sjc.ox.ac.uk inspire@sjc.ox.ac.uk

A Year in Access & Outreach 2023/24 edition created by Samantha Ponting

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