Program to bring more Bradford pupils to Oxford

Girls at an Islamic school in Bradford are taking part in a scheme to encourage more pupils from under-represented backgrounds to apply to Oxford University.

The world-leading university sent its director of admissions and undergraduate outreach to Feversham Girls’ Academy in Undercliffe to launch the BeUNIQ program in the town.

Samia Khan MBE met teenagers from heritage families in Bangladesh and Pakistan who are targeted by the programme.

State school pupils selected for BeUNIQ start working with the admissions team at the age of 14 and, once they study for their A Levels, are invited to a residential summer school in Oxford.

South Asian students were the first group chosen to join the program.

Ms Khan said: “There are a number of communities that are under-represented at Oxford in our undergraduate student body.

“Our first launch of BeUNIQ is trying to attract students of Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage, so that’s why we came to Bradford.

“BeUNIQ starts with students who are in year 10. We hope to work with them in year 11 as well.”

Feversham Girls’ Academy is a Muslim faith school with 800 pupils and has an outstanding rating from Ofsted.

Outreach workers will focus on topics such as student finance and provide information on the university’s scholarship schemes for families who see the cost of higher education and distance from home as barriers to entry.

Members of the Islamic Society of Oxford also visited the school.

Academy Principal Sajida Muneer said: “It’s something I think as a school we’ve been looking at for a number of years now; how can we get more students involved in universities like oxford?

“This was a perfect fit with the work we were currently doing and seemed like the next step for us.”

The academy is run by the iExcel Education Trust.

Ms Muneer said faith was an important factor for girls when deciding which universities to attend.

She added: “For the girls who come here, their Islamic ethos, their faith, is very important to them and they want to carry that on wherever they go.

“We’ve already had students from the Islamic Society at the University of Oxford, they’ve spoken to our students and talked about the opportunities there.

“I think it’s yet another way that students can see that if they go to a place like the University of Oxford, they don’t have to be limited in their faith in any way, shape or form.”

The BeUNIQ team will provide the school with a series of workshops, talks from current students, online academic support, information for parents and debate sessions that challenge students to explore issues beyond the classroom. Visits to Oxford colleges are also organized.

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