Access &
Outreach
A year of Access and Outreach at St John’s College, Oxford
Our Programmes
INSPIRE SCHOLARS PROGRAMME FOR YEARS 9, 10 AND 11
INSPIRE YEARS 12 AND 13
INSPIRE CRITICAL THINKING YEARS 9, 10 AND 11
7 Overview
The St John’s Difference
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.
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.
28 Inspire Study Days
Immersive subject-specific Study Days at St John’s for Year 12s across the country.
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.
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.
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.
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.
INREACH
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.
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.
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.
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.
2023–2024 in Numbers
69,133 pupil contact hours
321 SUMMER SCHOOL ATTENDEES
547
PUPILS ON INSPIRE Y13
149 TRAVEL AWARDS
1,000 PUPILS VISITING ST JOHN’S ON ACCESS VISITS AND PRIMARY VISITS
945 Y9, 10 AND 11 INSPIRE SCHOLARS
3,224 hits on the Virtual Summer School
663 STUDY DAY ATTENDEES
1,623 INSPIRE CRITICAL THINKING PUPILS
44 TEACHERS ON OUR PROGRAMMES
200 PARENTS WHO ATTENDED OUR EVENTS
485 PUPILS ON INSPIRE Y12
98 OFFER-HOLDER DAY ATTENDEES
475 PRIMARY SCHOOL BOOK AWARDS
8,641 hits on the Inspire Critical Thinking Programme
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 total access spend
£196,000
Supported by £170,000 in Philanthropic Giving
£525,413 College Investment*
£38,200
Additionally, we invest a further £38,200 subsidising Oxford University’s flagship UNIQ Outreach programme for Y12 pupils.
22%
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.
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.
Inspire Years 9, 10 and 11 Scholars Programme
What is the programme?
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.
Katie Inwood is the Inspire 9, 10 and 11 Programme Lead and School Partnership Coordinator.
Inspire Clubs
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.
“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
“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
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:
• 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
INSPIRE PARTNER SCHOOLS
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
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*
* New Schools since 2023
WEST SUSSEX
HARROW
EALING
EAST SUSSEX
BRIGHTON & HOVE
SOUTHAMPTON
“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.”
Inspire Aspiration Fund
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.
Example of previous Aspiration Fund experiences include:
• 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
Inspire Parents and Carers
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:
• How to support pupils on the Scholars Programme
• Effective study and revision techniques
• Encouraging motivation
• GCSE options and future pathways
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
Hanan, Year 10 Scholar
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.
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
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
“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
“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!”
Ebrahim Jadama, Former Inspire 12 and 13 pupil and current St John’s Student
Oliver Hedges is the Inspire 12 and 13 Programme Lead.
Inspire Years 12 & 13
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
RESIDENTIAL SUMMER SCHOOL (Y12)
INSPIRE STUDY DAYS AND SUBJECT EXPLORATION DAYS (Y12)
POSITIVELY YOU (Y12 & Y13)
“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)
INSPIRE BOOK AWARDS (FOR ADMISSIONS TESTS PREPARATION BOOKS) (Y12)
VIRTUAL SUMMER SCHOOL (Y12)
INSPIRE RESEARCH PROJECT (Y13)
MOVING TO UNIVERSITY HUB (Y13)
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:
• How drugs are designed (Immunology)
• The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun (Egyptology)
• Animal Sleep Patterns and Hibernation (Biology)
• The Politics of Thatcherism (Politics)
• Women 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.”
Year 12 Pupil 2024
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.
Topics this year included:
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
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?
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
Inspire Year 13
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:
• 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.
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.
“The research project was the most interesting and engaging aspect [of the programme]”
Year 13 Pupil 2024
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?’.
Future Plans
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?’
Best Designed: “Is there an injury epidemic in women’s football?”
President’s Choice: “Why is applying mathematics to everyday topics important?”
Y12 Study Days
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.
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
“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.”
Year 12 Study Day Pupil 2024
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.
This map shows where our pupils travel from to attend the Study Days.
PUPILS ATTENDED STUDY DAYS
Y12 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
PUPILS ATTENDED SUBJECT EXPLORATION DAYS
Inspire Summer Schools
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.”
“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
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
A taste of our summer schools in pictures.
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 chemistry of fireworks
• How to take a perfect penalty
• Rethinking religion in Ancient Greek literature
• The economics of volcanoes
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.
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.
By Azka
“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.”
3,224
Virtual Summer School Views
A new Digital Platform
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 access the Inspire programme.”
Denise Cripps, Director of Communications
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
ORGANISATION
• Store all content in one place for ease of access
• Clear navigation through content
• Improve consistency across resources and programmes
Jenna Ilett Digital Platform Development Manager
The Inspire App Development
ACCESSIBILITY
Single sign-on
Accessibility guidelines
Access across devices
ORGANISATION
One-stop access
Clear navigation
Improve consistency
PERSONALISATION
Bespoke pathways
Teacher hub & forum
Targeted notifications
EVALUATION
Identify engagement
Gain quantative feedback
Gain quantitive data
Regular assessment
EXPANSION
Upload new content easily
Allow new users
Control licensing
INTERACTIVITY
Quizzes & polls
Forums & chats
Live lectures and Q&As
GAMIFICATION
Highlight learning skills
Indicate progress
Aim to reach goals
Notifications
£135,000 total donations to local primary and special schools.
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
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.
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.
Primary Literacy Day
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.
over140primary 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
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
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
2022/2023
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
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.
2023/2024
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
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.
• 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
*For the afternoon session, visiting schools can choose one out of a range of activities:
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).
“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
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
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.
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
“Loved the experience, everyone that I met and talked to were kind and informative. I look forward to coming back”
Prospective Applicant
Offer-holder Support
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!
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.
Head of Student Wellbeing
Student Assistance Programme
run by Health Assured with ‘In The Moment Support’ 24/7 counselling helpline
Student Peer Supporters
Yoga Teacher
Clinical Psychologist and her Therapy Dog Hubble
College Psychologist
College Nurse
The Welfare Team
Led by
Hanne Clark Head of Student Wellbeing
Chiropractor
Wellbeing Practioner
Laud, Baylie and Case (our resident furry welfare assistants)
Hanne Clark Head of Student Wellbeing
Denise Barulis College Psychologist
‘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.
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.
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
26+ INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
SINCE 2021
875+
80+
TOTAL HOURS OF WORK ACROSS THE INTERNSHIPS
EVENTS INVOLVING INTERNS AND AMBASSADORS IN 2024
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.
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
Ambassador opportunities in 2023/24
AMBASSADOR ROLES 19 LEAD AMBASSADORS 16 ACCESS EVENTS
Undergraduate Ambassadors
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.
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.
Postgraduate student opportunities
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:
• 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.
£11,213 in Travel Award Support in 2023/24
£816 in Digital Assistance Awards
“In 2024, 49 incoming students received a £100 to spend at Blackwell’s bookshop.”
£4,900 in offer-holder support
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.
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
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Get Involved
ACADEMIC VIDEOS
WRITING ARTICLES
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!
JUDGE
A CONTEST ATTEND AN EVENT CAREER VIDEOS
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).
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.
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.
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!
Megan Access Officer
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.
Jenna Digital Platform Development Manager
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
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
£650
One enrichment trip or team building activity for a group of scholars
£660
One term of online tutorials for YR12&13 pupils
£1,000
10 Travel Awards for Inspire Scholars
£1,800
One Inspire cohort for one school for 3 years
£2,000
One YR12 or 13 Study Day
Workshop creation for Inspire Club Classes
£300
One Scholars’ visit to St John’s
£200
One Digital Award (allows a scholar to access the programme at home)
£55
One YR12 & 13 online tutorial
£15,000
One Year of Inspire Summer School (YEARS 9-11)
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
£3,000
Book Tokens in recognition of Scholars’ work
£4,000
An annual Teachers’ conference
£5,400
3 Years of resources for an Inspire Summer School
£5,000
One Inspire Summer School
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
