Thread by @DavidLammy

After years of campaigning, I'm very pleased there will now be a foundation year @UniofOxford.

This is a major step forward. Oxford is now recognising that hard work and radical reforms are needed to find the best talent from across the country.
theguardian.com/education/2019…

Regardless of the town you are from, the school you go to, and your ethnic background, the country’s top academic institutions should be open to you. These reforms move some way towards making that happen.

Oxford now joins Cambridge in recognising the need for a foundation year to open up admissions to bright children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Other top institutions in the Russell Group should follow suit.

Nevertheless, there is still a great deal more work to do. These reforms continue to allow Oxford’s 38 autonomous colleges enormous discretion over how seriously to take access. For true systemic change, admissions should be centralised.

Contextual data should also be used in admissions. There needs to be recognition of the academic evidence that confirms a student with three A grades from a council estate has achieved more on merit than their counterpart with the same grades from a posh public school.